Special Macabees Trounced
For the last few years I’ve attended the game, the Special Macabees has destroyed their basketball rival, the Special Olympics All Stars. Not this year. The Special Macabees’ 14th Season was a win for the Santa Monica team.
The big game is held annually at the Westside Jewish Community Center on Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles. The half-time break features the Special Macabee girls exhibiting their basketball skills.
The game started Saturday evening, February 29, 2020 with Coach Jeff Liss’s Special Macabees facing off against the Special Olympics All Stars coached by Keir Jarett. The men sprinted between baskets and passed the ball until the Special Olympics scored the first points.
The Special Macabees came back fast and held an 8-12 point lead up until half-time when the Special Macabee girls exhibited their basketball skills.
When the big game resumed, the All Stars slowly took the lead. Even Macabee top scorer, Avremel, couldn’t get the momentum back. Occasionally the game stopped as the two coaches encouraged a challenged player to take a free throw in an effort to boost self-esteem.
I found it refreshing that in these competitive times intellectually challenged men and women could teach bystanders the true meaning of sportsmanship. When a player scored a basket, players from all teams congratulated the effort with pats on the back and applause from the crowd.
When the final buzzer signaled the end of the game with the Special Olympics winning 71-76, the Special Macabee team faced defeat like gentlemen congratulating their opponents. As is the custom with these games, all players received a medal of accomplishment handed out by Olympic gold medalist Lenny Krayzelburg, once billed the world’s fastest swimmer.
Krayzelburg hosted a yummy pizza party in the multipurpose room adjacent to the gym.
Assistant Coach Yossie expressed the sentiment of these games the best. ““It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about playing the game.” And those special athletes do it with panache.
Very inspiring.