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Roughly 200 Athletes Compete in Special Olympics Tournament

by Claire Brandon

Story Created: Feb 11, 2013 at 1:31 AM MDT

Story Updated: Feb 11, 2013 at 1:31 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.--As the high school hoops season is winding down, the playoff race is heating up. And it was no different for roughly 200 Special Olympics athletes who hit the court Sunday with the chance to qualify for state.

Twenty teams competed in the Western Area Special Olympics Basketball Tournament at Colorado Mesa. In the past, the first place teams from each division have always advanced to the state tournament; however, they opened up more slots this year to allow a total of 60 teams to participate.

Western area manager Julie Fite predicts about nine teams from the region will go to state, which tips off March 16th in Lakewood.

"There's a handful that will go on to state," Fite said. "But it just means the world that athletes can show their peers and their families what all they can do."

It was an especially great day for one athlete, Zach Marolf, who puts basketball very high on his priority list.

Marolf, a manager for Colorado Mesa men's and women's hoops teams, can be found courtside at Brownson Arena every home game to cheer on the Mavericks.

But on Sunday, those roles were reversed.

Several members of the teams came out to CMU to support Marolf as he competed in the tournament.

"I invited them to come out and cheer me on today," Marolf said. "They were a good help for me."

His team took first place in the division, but win or lose, it was his chance to shine.

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Claire Brandon said on Friday, Feb 15 at 2:36 AM

Thank you all for the kind words! The video is up and running. Thanks for your patience. Please, feel free to contact me anytime cbrandon@krextv.com. :) --Claire Brandon

Zach's Dad said on Wednesday, Feb 13 at 9:54 PM

To Anonymous, I can't tell you how much the CMU athletes, coaches and athletic directors have done for our son. He has been welcomed by both basketball teams, the football team, softball team, lacrosse and recently the wrestling team. I'm not sure they all realize how important they've become to Zach and how much it means for him to be a part of their teams. His entire life has evolved around sports, helives and breathes sports day in and day out. The entire CMU family has been incredible, there are a lot of really good people there.

Zach's Parents said on Wednesday, Feb 13 at 9:41 PM

First of all, thanks to Claire Brandon for taking the time to cover the special olympics tournament. I wish more people could experience special olymipics venues. It's very humbling and a great program for both children and adults with disabilities. We would also like to find a link to the video as we would like to share it with friends and family that live out of the area. Again, special thanks to Claire. By the way, you are Zach's favorite sportscaster.

Pat Smith said on Tuesday, Feb 12 at 7:06 PM

Thank you for such great coverage of this event! I was able to make the trip with the team from Durango, but most of the parents weren't able to come. I too, would love the video feed that went with this story. I would send it to the parents of the kids who were featured from our team. They would really enjoy the big smiles!

Anonymous said on Tuesday, Feb 12 at 6:34 PM

I was really hoping to find the video of the news report on this event. I saw it on the news Sunday night and thought it was a great report. I am an avid supporter of Colorado Mesa athletics and I have noticed the young man that was interviewed at many of the CMU games. I'm certain he has been at the football games as well along the sidelines. I think this is a really great story that CMU should have additional exposure on. What a fantastic opportunity for this young man to be allowed to be a manager for the basketball teams. Kudo's to the CMU staff that has allowed him to be involved. We need more of this kind of "feel good" stuff on the news instead of all of the negative, disheartening topics that we hear about on a daily basis. Thank you for sharing the story. I'd really like to find out more about it.

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