After months and months our daughter is back to the courts, basketball courts that is. Special Olympics BC basketball is back on and our daughter is glad. She is glad to see her teammates and friends, glad to see the coaches and their helpers, glad to be back playing again. Of course things look a little different: there are masks to wear, hand sanitizer to distribute, basketballs to clean and distance to keep apart. But it is all good. Everyone seems happy to be back and part of this valuable and fun program. And I myself have a new volunteer role, keeping track of everyone and making sure that folks are vaccinated, masks are worn and hands are sanitized by everyone going in and out of the gym. It sounds time-consuming and it is. Not only do coaches have to remind everyone about respecting each other but now there is an added layer of health concerns which is vital considering that many folks with disabilities have comorbidities or additional conditions that make their health fragile. Whether they have autism or epilepsy, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome or nonverbal learning disorder everyone there was happy to be back and happy to do whatever had to be done to get there. And really isn't this what Special Olympics is all about; their mission is "dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sport." And you can't do that with the gyms locked, the courts empty, the pools unused and the lanes quiet. So yes, the game is on and we are excited. It was definitely worth the wait to see all those happy familiar faces. Thank you again SOBC basketball coaches! Your dedication to all of us is appreciated....
