Special Olympics Unified Sports ...

[BillyMac]

After three, or four, emails, our assistant assignment commissioner is having trouble getting our local board members to volunteer for the CIAC Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Tournament, to be held in late February and early March on several dates at several sites.

Thinking that some of our local officials may not be familiar with Special Olympics Unified Sports, he asked me to write up something to persuade more of our local officials to volunteer.

Here’s what I came up with. I decided to share it with Forum members.

An Honor And A Privilege: Why I Officiate In The CIAC Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Tournament

Special Olympics Unified Sports is a fantastic program designed to break down barriers by bringing people with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team. It’s built on the simple principle that playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. The goal is to break down barriers, foster friendships, and create a truly inclusive environment through the power of sport.

My first encounter with people with intellectual disabilities (they were called “mentally retarded” back then) was in the late 1950s when I attended Overbrook Elementary School in East Haven. There was a classroom of students (I now know that most had Down syndrome) in an isolated far corner of the building with students that never attended recess, or lunch, with the rest of us. Except for opening and dismissal they were totally isolated from the other students. I asked my parents about these students and I was told that these students were not as smart as the rest of us and needed a special teacher and that I should never make fun of these students. We’ve come a long way since those days of total isolation.

Jump ahead to the mid-1970s. As a young teacher at DePaolo Middle School in Southington, and as one of two Student Council advisors, we were asked by the principal to bring some student volunteers to the Connecticut Special Olympics Summer Games at nearby Central Connecticut State University. Not having any experience with intellectually disabled students, I was hesitant to get involved, but ended up participating. We brought two carloads of student volunteers and all of us were assigned as One To One Volunteers. It was our job to see that our intellectually disabled student athlete got to their track events on time and ate lunch. I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon, but deeply moved with a great feeling of accomplishment. The next year we brought a bus load of student volunteers. This continued for over twenty-five years, often bringing as many as three bus loads of student volunteers. It was a wonderful experience for all.

In 2002 Board #X started sending volunteer officials to the CIAC Unified Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. I jumped on the band wagon right away and have volunteered every year since, often at multiple sites. I can certainly understand why some Board #X members would be leery of volunteering to officiate basketball games with intellectually disabled student athletes, but I assure you that it will be a purely positive experience, one of the most rewarding officiating experiences that you will ever have.

Teams, coached by their special education teachers, are made up of athletes with intellectual disabilities and partners without intellectual disabilities. The lineup usually consists of three athletes and two partners on the court at all times. Partners are not there to dominate the scoring. They are teammates who facilitate play, pass, and rebound, ensuring every athlete is a valued part of the game.

It’s more than just a game; it’s a social movement. For athletes it provides a chance to develop skills, gain confidence, and be part of a community. For partners it shifts perspectives and builds empathy, often leading to lifelong friendships that extend far beyond the court.

In a typical season, we deal with high pressure games and intense situations. Special Olympics Unified Sports reminds us why we started officiating in the first place, for the love of the game and the integrity of the sport. It’s a refreshing break from the win-at-all-costs culture. Don’t worry about perfection on every whistle. Our role is to ensure meaningful involvement. We are there to keep the game safe and fair, while allowing every athlete to succeed. It’s about managing the game’s flow more than just policing the rules. Game management matters more than technical precision.

If you’re wondering whether you’ll need special training, you won’t. If you can officiate an interscholastic basketball game, you can officiate a Special Olympics Unified Sports basketball game. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to care. Effort, patience, and a positive presence matter more than a textbook whistle. Coaches and event staff are incredibly supportive, and everyone understands the spirit of the day. The atmosphere is unlike a typical game. You’ll hear more encouragement than complaints, more cheers than criticism. Parents and coaches are grateful you’re there.

These events can only happen because officials volunteer their time. Your presence doesn’t just make a game possible; it makes an experience possible for these athletes. You’ll leave smiling. The handshakes, high-fives, and thank-yous you get at the end of the day stay with you a lot longer than any interscholastic game ever will.

Over the past sixty-five years I’ve evolved from a curious child to a hesitant volunteer, and finally to a dedicated Special Olympics advocate. I encourage all Board #X members with afternoon availability to volunteer for the CIAC Unified Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. Consider it to be both an honor and a privilege to be invited to participate. You will be warmly welcomed by players, coaches, teachers, parents, student volunteers, and administrators with a level of appreciation that is hard to describe. I can guarantee that if you volunteer once that you will be back over and over again for years to come.

You’ll walk into the gym as an official, and leave feeling like you were part of something much bigger than a basketball game. We talk a lot about giving back to the game. This is one of the purest ways we can do it. If you have a free afternoon, don't just think about it, sign up. You aren't just giving your time; you're gaining a perspective that stays with you long after the final whistle.

[BillyMac]

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.: Anything to add?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I find it sad that people do not want to officiate S.O.

Here in the Great State of Ohio, Ohio S.O. has mandated for over 40 years that only OhioHSAA Registered Basketball Officials can be used to officiate S.O. Basketball Games: both regular season and post-season tournament. But Ohio we do S.O. Basketball different than the rest of the country:

1) Each County Board of Developmental Disabilities sponsors its own S.O. and we have 88 counties in the State. And six of the largest Public School Districts have their own S.O. programs.

2) S.O. Basketball in Ohio has ten divisions, one of which is the Unified Division, and the Public School S.O. programs are the programs that sponsor Unified Teams if they have the numbers. In the 28 State Finals in which I officiated there was a Unified Division in only about half of them. In the last four State Finals in which I was the Director of Officials there was only one year in which there was a Unified Division.

3) Ohio S.O. is different from the rest of the country: It does not use the National S.O. Basketball Rules which is a form of modified FIBA Rules. Instead Ohio S.O. Basketball is conducted under NFHS/OhioHSAA Basketball Rules. And the Officials officiate the game to the level of the play.

Since COVID, it has been a numbers game because of the declining number of OhioHSAA Reg. Bkb. Off. One year I had, between two County S.O. programs I had to assign officials for 16 dates: I was able to have full (2-person) crews for only 12 dates, 2 dates where I only had one official, and 2 dates that I had no officials.

I only assign for one County S.O. program now which this past season was a struggle but I was able to cover all ten dates thanks to four H.S. officials who have been officiating S.O. Basketball, three of whom have been doing it for over 30 years (Junior is the slacker with only 19 years.).

Prior to 2019 the State Finals had been rotated three cities every year with Bowling Green being one of the three and the State Finals were always held the same week as the OhioHSAA Boys' State Finals so the Dir. of Off. of any given S.O. State Finals never had a shortage of officials from which to choose. But from 2019 through 2024 (excluding 2020 which was canceled because of COVID) were held in Bowling Green but not during the OhioHSAA Boys' State Finals but during the second week of the Girls' Sectionals/first week of the Boys' Sectionals and it was next to impossible to fill 60 officiating slots (S.O. State Finals have used Three-Person Crews since the late 1980s.).

This is the second year in a row that the S.O. Finals are being conducted in Columbus next weekend (not this one coming up) and sadly, I am happy that I do not have to assign the Officials.

Now I am going to give some information that will surprise many. Way back in the 1980s when Ohio S.O. mandated that OhioHSAA must be used to officiate S.O. Bkb. it also made a decision that surprises many people: The Officials must be paid! The County for which I assign officials pay a game fee of $40/official and I know one County that pays $50/official. The State is divided into four Regions for the State Tournament which use Two-Person Crews and the State pays $60/official as well as $60/official for the State Finals.

MTD, Sr.

[FlasherZ]

My son is on the board of directors for Special Olympics Illinois and is autistic, he does play several sports. My wife is the head coach of our high school's unified track team and won the state championship last year. I have officiated a number of local SO contests. And two of my other sons have officiated various SO contests (flag football, basketball).

Working with Special Olympics is truly one of the most rewarding experiences. The fans are typically familiar with the nature of the participants and are a bit more laid back and less argumentative than your typical high school or even grade school game. The athletes are some of the happiest individuals on earth and in many cases, the officials are their idols!

It will exercise your teaching muscles more on the court.

Throw out all the arguments over the technicalities of the expected call after A1 throws a pass which ping-pongs off two fixtures, one in the backcourt and one in the front court before bouncing perfectly on the division line, ricocheting off the referee and bouncing on the 3pt arc before going into the wrong basket. You're going to have to feel good about giving a break to a 35-year-old who is trying his best to dribble the ball down the court but is technically traveling.

It's wholesome: You're going to see B1 box out his own teammates to gain a defensive rebound and give the ball back to A1 repeatedly so that he can get some points on the board, so that EVERYONE is included.

The officials that choose to volunteer their time to officiate Special Olympics are some very wonderful people.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by FlasherZ

My son is on the board of directors for Special Olympics Illinois and is autistic, he does play several sports. My wife is the head coach of our high school's unified track team and won the state championship last year. I have officiated a number of local SO contests. And two of my other sons have officiated various SO contests (flag football, basketball).

Working with Special Olympics is truly one of the most rewarding experiences. The fans are typically familiar with the nature of the participants and are a bit more laid back and less argumentative than your typical high school or even grade school game. The athletes are some of the happiest individuals on earth and in many cases, the officials are their idols!

It will exercise your teaching muscles more on the court.

Throw out all the arguments over the technicalities of the expected call after A1 throws a pass which ping-pongs off two fixtures, one in the backcourt and one in the front court before bouncing perfectly on the division line, ricocheting off the referee and bouncing on the 3pt arc before going into the wrong basket. You're going to have to feel good about giving a break to a 35-year-old who is trying his best to dribble the ball down the court but is technically traveling.

It's wholesome: You're going to see B1 box out his own teammates to gain a defensive rebound and give the ball back to A1 repeatedly so that he can get some points on the board, so that EVERYONE is included.

The officials that choose to volunteer their time to officiate Special Olympics are some very wonderful people.

😊

MTD, Sr.

[Stat-Man]

Here, schools schedule regular season unified games before the varsity game - usually before or following a sub-varsity game. It seems like the season ends with a regional jamboree where multiple teams travel to one site for a single day of competition. I'm not sure if this is done tournament style to crown an overall champion or festival style without an overall champion.


I've had the privilege of officiating at least one regular season unified basketball game a season for the past several. I enjoy seeing them appear on my schedule because the environment is an absolute blast and the crowd/fan support is amazing.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

After three, or four, emails, our assistant assignment commissioner is having trouble getting our local board members to volunteer for the CIAC Special Olympics Unified Sports Basketball Tournament ... Thinking that some of our local officials may not be familiar with Special Olympics Unified Sports, he asked me to write up something to persuade more of our local officials to volunteer.

My assistant assignment commissioner included my letter with his most recent reminder to sign-up.

My letter seemed to have worked because we now have only a few unassigned spots remaining.

Originally Posted by Stat-Man

... season ends with a regional jamboree where multiple teams travel to one site for a single day of competition ... festival style without an overall champion.

That's very similar to what we do here in Connecticut.