Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone. This last weekend, I was in Iowa City for the Special Olympics Spring Classic (formerly known as the Mid-Winter Games). Between you and me, Spring Classic is a better name than Mid-Winter Games because with them already having Winter Games, it got pretty confusing.
I competed in Special Olympics since I was 8 years old starting in track and field. Since then I've done other sports such as volleyball, basketball, golf, bowling, bocce, and softball. I competed in basketball last weekend after not doing the sport for about seven years. My friend Katie, who is also autistic and loves being barefoot inspired me to try again since she was participating too. Unfortunately, she had an injury and couldn't take part in districts or state and we really missed having her on the team. That being said, my team, the Gryffindor's, part of the Des Moines Metro Champions delegation played two games at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse where they have their indoor swimming pool and six separate basketball courts.
We played against Arc of Story County and Link Associates, which were the same teams we played at districts. What was different was we played the two teams in reverse order. We barely beat Arc at districts but they beat us this time at state. Let me tell you it was not easy playing against them. My competitive nature got me worn out quick. This is a mistake I made a lot even as a kid. Link Associates was a breather round since both teams were more laid back, but we won against them. It was rough beating them since one member on that team was someone I've been good friends with for years. But at the end of the day, it was all about having fun.
We brought home silver medals, and the Special Olympics staff had one for Katie as well. I accepted it on her behalf and will be giving it to her when we have another Special Olympics event.
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