Hart hosts spring Special Olympics
Athletes hit the courts during the 2019 Santa Clarita Special Olympics Spring Games at Hart High School on Saturday.
More than 100 players, comprised of different teams, came to play basketball at Hart High, the Boys & Girls Club, Placerita Junior High School and West Ranch High School, as well as bocce ball at Newhall Park and athletics activities on the Hart High track. Buses transported the athletes from each location back and forth to Hart High, where the event began with the opening ceremony and parade of athletes.
Teams were comprised of athletes from across Southern California, including North Hollywood and Burbank. Other competitions took place across the region, including in Ventura County, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Torrance. These will all lead up to the Summer Games on June 8-9 at California State University, Long Beach.
Dana Bowers served as one of the coaches for the Blue Sharks, a men’s basketball team made up of eight players from across Santa Clarita. This included Bowers’ older brother Riley.
“He’s grown as an athlete and as a person,” Bowers said.
“He’s a lot more confident going out into the game, and this season, he’s playing on defense and that’s really big for him. Before, he would stay in one spot the whole entire time he played, so just watching him grow is really awesome.”
Toward the end of the games, gold, silver and bronze awards were handed out by Josh Greengard, California Highway Patrol officer.
To find out more about upcoming games, vist sosc.org.