Caldwell Special Olympics Basketball Team Headed to State

The Caldwell County Special Olympics Basketball Team is headed to the State Tournament in Louisville.

“March Magic,” the Special Olympics Kentucky State Basketball Tournament, will be held at MidAmerica Sports Center March 12-13.

Caldwell County earned its spot in the field by winning two games on Saturday at the Region 1 Tournament at Marshall County High School.

The Caldwell County Tigers defeated Murray White 20-12 and beat the Owensboro Hornets 32-9.

Caldwell took the gold in the “B” Orange division.

In addition to Caldwell, teams from Christian County, Henderson, Marshall County, McCracken County, Murray, Ohio County, Owensboro and Russellville participated in the regional tournament.

Members of the Caldwell County basketball team are Katie Purcell, Ralph Levels, Mikey Nelson, Jason Williams, Thomas Moore, Shawn Harris, Lincoln Hawkins and Tori Hooper.

Coaches are Roy Gene Rogers, Lisa Hawkins and Jared Nelson.

Caldwell cheerleaders are Leslie Simpson, Kelsi Hunt, Sara Gaines and Eli Nelson.

Cheer coaches are Ali Southard, Adrian Hendricks and Tammy Simpkins.

The 2022 SOKY State Basketball Tournament will be the first one in three years. The 2020 State Basketball Tournament was one of the first events to be canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 basketball season was limited to skills-based practices and ended with a Team Skills Competition in place of the traditional State Tournament.

Basketball is one of the most popular Special Olympics Kentucky sports offerings in the state.

This year, nearly 1,000 athletes competed on teams statewide. Teams compete throughout the state in leagues and invitational and regional tournaments, all leading up to the State Basketball Tournament in March. Regional Tournaments determine which teams advance to the State Tournament.

Teams that do not qualify for the State Tournament have the option of participating in the Team Skills Competition, which is also held in Louisville in conjunction with the State Tournament.

Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Participation in competitive events is open to all individuals eight years of age or older. Training and competition in local, area, state, and national programs is offered year-round in Kentucky in 15 sports.

In addition to its traditional sports competitions, Special Olympics also offers early childhood programming through the Young Athletes Program and medical screenings though the Healthy Athletes Initiative.

Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve more than 10,200 athletes statewide annually.