UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 25, Page 12
March 21, 1996
Stars come out for the Delaware Special Olympics

     Shoot for the stars, land on the moon" is one phrase used to
motivate youngsters to set and accomplish goals.
     The 1996 Delaware Special Olympics Basketball Tournament, held
March 15-16 at the Delaware Field House and Bob Carpenter Center, was
appropriately named "Shoot for the Stars," and 580 Special Olympians
set out to accomplish their goals in a weekend of basketball fun.
     The annual event, held since 1974, featured a skills competition
on Friday and a tournament on both Friday and Saturday where the
participants tested their passing, dribbling, and shooting skills.
     As teams like the AuClair Group Home and Brandywine Social Club
battled for loose rebounds during the tournament, Keith Handling was
doing a bit of running around on his own.
     Handling, UD head trainer, was busy overseeing the games at the
two arena sites, with help from a number of students in his "Adaptive
Physical Education and Recreation" course, an introductory-level class
that prepares physical education majors to work with individuals with
disabilities.
     "When I first started teaching the course in 1972, I realized
that, besides hearing me lecture, students needed hands-on experience
to really understand what mental retardation is all about," Handling
said.
     "I had always had an interest in helping others. Growing up in
Newark, I had a mentally retarded neighbor with whom I interacted.
Being aware of retardation at an early age, I knew it would be
advantageous for the students to get that same type of experience."
     Handling's students helped out with the scoring and timing of the
skills tests and basketball games.
     The students' volunteer responsibilities, however, went beyond
the simple description of holding a stopwatch or tallying a point, as
they had the opportunity to observe and interact with the visiting
Olympians.
     Senior Katie Lind had never worked with disabled individuals
before she volunteered to help out with the program.
     "I feel good about doing this," Lind, who kept the time and score
for the events, said. "This was a good experience because there is
only so much you can learn through a lecture."
     During the tournament, Handling said, student athletes helped
officate many of the games. Those who helped were members of the
women's track, basketball and lacrosse teams and the men's basketball,
lacrosse and football teams, as well as members of the Student
Athletic Trainers Club.
     After the tournament finale on Saturday evening, Handling
reflected on the program, the courage of the participants and the work
of his students. "This has been a great success," he said.
                                                          -Jaret Lyons