Delle Donne Basketball Day

Way back on Sunday November 9, Julia had the opportunity to participate in something that ended up being an absolutely wonderful experience.

We were emailed by one of the Special Olympics people that WNBA star player and Wilmington native Elena Delle Donne was doing a girls basketball academy on that Sunday, and that there were a few spots being given to Special Olympics athletes, and would Julia like to take part. Of course we said yes.

The session was 4 hours of drills and instruction at the Tatnall School in north Wilmington. Approximately 60 very talented basketball girls of middle school and high school age took part. The girls were divided into two large teams, with each large team subdivided into three smaller teams (a total of 6). Many of the drills were conducted in the form of relay races and competitions between the 6 smaller teams. The Special Olympics athletes were divided among the teams, and took part in all the drills with as little accommodation as possible; our athletes were integrated into everything that was going on. It was very gratifying that most of the typical athletes were very supportive and helpful, with only a few minor bits of obvious frustration at those who couldn't really keep up.

Delle Donne Academy - Drills

As for Elena Delle Donne, I couldn't be more appreciative and impressed with this young woman. Read the linked Wikipedia entry if interested, as her story is an interesting one. The short version is that she was one of the top women's basketball recruits in the country coming out of high school in Wilmington. She got a full scholarship to UConn, but bailed on that out of the desire to stay home and be near her family, particularly her handicapped sister. She ended up being a star at the University of Delaware, was drafted second overall into the WNBA, and was WNBA rookie of the year. She's 25 years old now, and plays for the Chicago Sky.

Besides for all the athletic stardom, Elena couldn't have been nicer at this session. She ran the entire session (with help from some friends, apparently including some who were teammates in college). She also really paid attention to the Special Olympics athletes. Each of the 6 or 7 that were there got at least 5-10 minutes of individual attention from Elena while drills were going on, and she was wonderful with them. At one point Julia came off the floor and stood beside me, overloaded from all the activity going on. Elena saw her, came over, and asked if Julia was OK. I said, sure, she just needs a moment to regroup. Elena smiled and asked if Julia would like to help her coach while she was resting. Julia loved the idea, and spent the next 10 minutes in the center of the floor with Elena while she ran drills.  It was very cute; Julia at 5 foot 2 inches standing next to Elena at 6 foot 5 inches. The first time Elena blew her whistle, Julia jumped and covered her ears. Elena noticed, and after that each time Elena was about to blow the whistle, she would tap Julia on the shoulder, Julia would cover her ears, and she would whistle when Julia was ready. Very cute.

Julia assistant coaching

It was a long day for Julia - 4 hours of physical activity is an awful lot for her, but she liked it very much. Julia loves being a part of things, and this was certainly a special event.

5 foot 2 inches, and 6 foot 5.

Thanks to Elena Delle Donne, the other coaches and athletes, and the Special Olympics folks for getting Julia involved.

Special Olympics Basketball - University of Delaware

It never ceases to amaze me how busy the girls are these days. And us along with them. Today's main activity, other than Grace's ubiquitous cheer practice in the morning, was Julia's Special Olympics Delaware basketball event at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware.

Julia (#65) wants the ball...

Due to the early start of the basketball event, and the overlap with Grace's practice, we had to split up. Amp took Julia, and I did cheer. By the time Julia's first game was done (a loss in which Julia played well and had a great time), Grace was finished. To avoid being stuck in two separate cars, Amp drove back from Newark and picked the two of us up. We grabbed a quick lunch and got back to Newark in plenty of time for Julia's second game.

The team Julia plays on has fun, but generally isn't too competitive. Much to my surprise and delight, a pair of late baskets and a couple of successful free throws had her team pull out a last minute win, 10-8. In this grouping, points are a very precious commodity, and piling up 6 points in the last few minutes of the game was a scoring binge the likes of which I had never seen out of them. Julia was thrilled with the win, and the parents had a good chuckle at the first basketball win some of us had ever seen. Going 1-1 in two games was good for a silver medal, and Julia couldn't have been more proud (or me either).

Many thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers who spend so many hours making these events a success, and to the University of Delaware which is such a terrific host.

A Gold Medal Day

The Special Olympics Oath says "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Well, Julia didn't need to settle for being brave in the attempt today, because she won! She participated in a Delaware state Special Olympics bowling tournament at the Bowlerama in New Castle, and came in first in her little group, bringing home a gold medal for her efforts (87 and 74).

When they called her name for the gold medal, I'm not sure whether I would call what she did hopping, skipping, jumping, or some combination of all of them, but she did not walk up to claim her medal, that's for sure.


If I could bottle the joy I got from seeing her reaction in that moment, I would never have a bad day ever again.