Over 100 Special Olympics Athletes All Smiles At Basketball Championship Qualifier

Over 100 smiling athletes were shooting hoops at the Special Olympics Ontario Basketball School Championships Qualifier at St. Peter’s Secondary School on Thursday.

Grade 9 St. Peter Catholic Secondary School student Alden Francis, 14, is one of over 100 students and 30 teams participating in the Special Olympics Basketball Basketball Championship Qualifier. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

There were 30 teams from seven schools (Norwood District High School, TASSS, Crestwood, Adam Scott, Kenner Collegiate, Holy Cross and St. Peter’s Secondary School) were competing to qualify for the School Provincial Championships held on June 10-12 in Chatham-Kent.

This year’s event had more than last year’s which had 75 athletes. The increase in attendance is a positive sign that sports are growing for Special Olympics athletes according to Ernie Ellement, tournament co-organizer.

“It's great to see the community is jumping on board,” he said. “It's a growing, wonderful sport and we're going to keep it going. Everybody's getting baskets, everybody's been getting smiles and that's what it's all about.”

The athletes were cheered on for every basket made by faculty, spectator students, family and cheerleaders.

St. Peter’s grade 9 student Alden Francis loves the feeling he gets when he scores a basket as it’s not just for himself but benefits his teammates.

“I feel happy and I feel good for my team,” said Francis. “I like teamwork, I love the sport and staying active.”

The athletes displayed tons of sportsmanship toward opposing teams by complimenting their play and giving handshakes after each game.

“They're amazing kids. We all get together as educators and we support our kids and schools every day, day in, day out,” explained Ellement. “We want to make sure that they have the best possible experience when they go to high school or when they participate in the community. We want create opportunities for all of our kids with intellectual disabilities to get together and participate in all these sports, support one another and come away with something.”

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Hoops and Smiles At Special Olympics Basketball Championship Qualifier

Giant smiles dawned on the faces of roughly 75 Special Olympic athletes on the court as they participated in the Special Olympics Ontario Basketball School Championships Qualifier at St. Peter’s Secondary School on Friday.

Mitchell McColl takes his shot from the base line with a little help. McColl is a former Easter Seals Ambassador. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Holy Cross, Crestwood, TASSS, Fenelon Falls Secondary School, St. Thomas Aquinas and host St. Peter’s were the six participating schools taking part in the qualifier.

The opening ceremony consisted of volunteers, teachers and police escorting the athletes down the hallway and into the gymnasium in a grand entrance.

“Every one of those kids in that gym is a champion,” said Ernie Ellement, tournament co-organizer. “It's not about winning or losing. I hate that word, ‘losing.’ We have winners and non-winners. The bottom is, every single one of those kids, they're a winner because they're here, they're playing, they're having fun and that's what it's all about.”

At the end of the day, Special Olympics Ontario gathers the results of the qualifiers and determines what teams advance to the school provincial championships that will be held next spring.

The event is fresh off a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing friends and being active is what Special Olympics athlete and St. Peter’s student Hannah Goode has been looking forward to as a seven-year veteran of the program.

“I know who I am because I love people a lot,” she explained. “I am one of the leaders, I am one of the examples, I'm a team captain and I'm a good teammate. I help my friends from the program if they need but also I like to help others that have disabilities.”

“Watch the student be a champion on the floor when they score a basket and watch how much they light up,” said Ellement. “You visually see the happiness within them and that's what it's all about.

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City Closes Basketball Courts at Peterborough Park

The City of Peterborough has closed the basketball courts at Simcoe and Bethune Park the Peterborough Police Service’s request after gathering sizes there exceeded the provincial limits under the provincial shutdown and stay-at-home order announced on Saturday.

Photo Courtesy of City of Peterborough.

Signs have been posted at the basketball courts of the park indicating that they are closed. Their usage is not permitted during the closure.

The provincial public health regulations during the shutdown restrict outdoor social gatherings to a maximum of five people while maintaining physical distancing of at least two metres.

While outdoor exercise activity is permitted under the Province’s stay-at-home order, the gathering limits and physical distancing requirements remain in effect. Any sports or games where people may come within two metres of each other are not permitted to be practiced or played.

Information on the restrictions during the provincial shutdown and Stay at Home order is available at The Government of Ontario’s website as well as through Peterborough Public Health.

To report violations of the provincial shutdown and Stay at Home order, please contact Peterborough Police Service using the non-emergency number at 705-876-1122.

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A Bunch Of PCVS Basketball Alumni Reunited At Raider Dome For An Unforgettable Day Of Hoops

On Saturday (February 18th) on Family Day weekend, 38 former PCVS Raiders basketball players from classes gone by got together for an incredible afternoon of hoops at the school's "Raider Dome" in a reunion that had been long overdue.

Organized by 2002 grad Mike Hanley, the day featured a tournament format of teams broken down into age brackets.

Grads from as far back as the early 1980s up to 2010 suited up for a day that was less about winning a trophy and more about having fun in this iconic school which closed its doors as a high school five years ago in downtown Peteborough.

Coaches and teachers from the past even manned the benches, making the experience even more surreal for the alumni who gathered for this special day.

Spectators and family in attendance at Raider Dome

Size, speed, age and skill varied—with some NCAA and CIS standouts running the courts—but it didn't matter: This was about bringing back former comrades from close and afar to show that once you’re a Raider, you’re always a Raider.

After its success taking place on Family Day weekend, the plan is to make this an annual event to keep Raider basketball and pride going strong!

—by Aaron Elliott

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Hoop Dreams: The Evans Lacrosse Brothers Play Each Other In B-Ball At The YMCA

The Evans brothers were at the YMCA of Peterborough today (September 6th) for an epic one-on-one basketball game. Scott Evans (pictured in black) was the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) goals leader while his younger brother Shawn Evans (pictured in grey)—who was recently behind the TSN SportsCentre Desk—was the MSL points and assists leader. The brothers played a best of 3 series, with Shawny (nickname "The Baby" because he's the youngest of four in his family) beating Scott 2 games to 1. "Little man won 2 games to one but I'll get him next time," Scott said afterwards.

—PTBOCanada's sports guy Scott Arnold

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