Heels give back, gain perspective

By Ken Medlin
Jan 25, 2009

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Not every story we cover is a pleasant one. Between bitter losses and coaches getting fired, failure and frustration are common themes in the sports world.

But every now and then, you can stumble onto a story that just makes you feel better when you’re done with it. I had that kind of experience Sunday in Chapel Hill.

Each year since his return to UNC, Roy Williams has invited Special Olympics of North Carolina to Smith Center. Sunday marked the sixth consecutive season.

Special Olympians from around the state get a rare chance to spend an afternoon with the UNC team playing basketball and collecting autographs.

These are kids who are genuinely happy to be there, and they bring an enthusiasm that often rejuvenates the college players around them.

“It gets your mind off things, and it makes you appreciate what you really do have,” said UNC center Deon Thompson. “These kids can bring that out of you and show you to appreciate life.”

Major college basketball players can lead privileged lives. They’re popular, famous -- and in some cases -- on the way to being very, very wealthy. But they don’t always look like they’re enjoying themselves.

That was certainly not the case Sunday.

“It feels great to see them out there,” UNC guard Wayne Ellington said of the Special Olympians. “They’re having the times of their lives and that feels good to us.”

An event like this can really mold and shape a team. The first of these clinics came in 2003, the day after Roy Williams benched his starters at Kentucky for a lack of hustle. An afternoon with Special Olympics of North Carolina players helped teach that team – which went on to win a national championship one year later – what real adversity is like.

Needless to say, this has become a very popular event for the Special Olympics athletes. It’s in such high demand that Special Olympics of North Carolina makes sure that each year a new group of players gets to attend.

In the end, it was refreshing to see basketball played for the sheer joy of it. We can use more of that.

Most Recent Comments

RE: Heels give back, gain perspective

Great story! jsb23nc just needs a little love and understanding.

RE: Heels give back, gain perspective

Oh,please. jsb23nc just took a wonderful story and turned it into a pc rant. Perhaps Deon was thinking of the kids he had interacted with. I have worked many times with these athletes and the fact that UNC does this should be commended, not met with a critical eye.

What a wonderful event.

I'm sure both the basketball players and Special Olympic athletes had a great day. Hopefully both groups will take something from it to give them extra incentive to go forward and succeed.

RE: Heels give back, gain perspective

Note to WRAL and to Deon Thompson:

Special Olympics ATHLETES (NOT "kids") range in age from 8 to 80. If you looked at the video, you would clearly see that many of the athletes were adults. Please refer to them as athletes and not "kids."

WRAL Sports Fan

Ken Medlin