PUEBLO—Congratulations to our very own SLV Special Olympics basketball athletes for a fine showing at their regional competition in Pueblo on Sunday, February 19. Athletes have been practicing hard on Saturday mornings since November to get ready for this event.

The SLV Dust Devils basketball team took first place in the Division IV, 22 years & older traditional team bracket by winning both of their games. They narrowly beat the PDI Eagles 30-29 and defeated the Rams 64-14. Team members include: Robert Allaart, Andrew Allee, Marc Alfaro, Christi Adams, John & Sharon Bailey, Maria Garcia, Andrew Griego, Loren Guymon, Ed June, Christine Quintana & Virgil Wyatt.
Skills competition resulted in first place finishes for Sandra Allaart, Tyson Caton & Chris Martinez, a 2nd place finish for Charles Silva, 3rd place finishes for Joe Ray Medina & Michael Maez and a 4th place finish for Karie Valdez in their respective divisions. Skills competition includes dribbling, shooting and passing contests.

A special thank you goes out to everyone who has supported this program financially or with their time, energy or voice to make this type of success possible!

The next program is track & field, with practice starting Saturday, March 4, from 10-11:30 am in the ASU “Bubble.” Running, walking, wheelchair & selected field events are offered. Prospective athletes need to have a completed Special Olympics physical on file in order to participate.

Special Olympics is an international organization which provides a year round program of sports training & competition for individuals 8 years & older who have been diagnosed with an intellectual disability. For more information or to volunteer with the San Luis Special Olympics program, contact Peggy Johnson at [email protected] or 587-7408.