On February 12, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Tabor Academy will host the second annual Basketball Tournament on behalf of Special Olympics MA.
The tournament will welcome athletes from across the state and will represent multiple age groups as well as unified and traditional teams (unified teams include intellectually-impaired athletes with those without intellectual impairments.) These types of tournaments are called Community Games. They provide local recreational competition opportunities for teams, and a great opportunity for Special Olympics to partner with youth groups and schools, such as Tabor, to help empower the athletes and raise awareness for their organization.
The student volunteers at Tabor are part of the Special Olympics Club. They organize and staff a weekly skills development session for young athletes each Sunday and recently held a community-wide fundraiser, a Special Olympics Polar Plunge, which raised over $12,000 for the organization. The student volunteers are proud to support the athletes and are eager to engage in the tournament as players, referees, or just facilitators of a great day of sports.
In conjunction with the basketball tournament, Tabor Academy students will kick off their R-word campaign for the year. The campaign is an attempt to eliminate the word “retard(ed)” from our vernacular. Ceasing to use the word is a starting place towards creating greater acceptance. The basketball tournament paired with this movement is a great way to affect attitudes and actions.
The tournament will be held at Tabor Academy in the Fish Center for Health and Athletics at 256 Front Street, Marion, on February 12 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The public is welcome to come and cheer on the teams and participate in the fun.