Special needs basketball team finishes another successful season

After a second successful year of practices, the special needs-oriented basketball team at the Ginghamsburg Church Avenue building has greatly increased its number of players and is closing out yet another great season of basketball fun. The small group began last year when mom Tasha Roberts and Occupational Therapist Denise Campbell joined forces to create a safe and less fast-paced community for kids with special needs interested in playing basketball. Since then, the club has grown tremendously, forming its own community of supporters and volunteers.

The kids practice weekly for ten weeks, exploring the skills and building blocks of basketball. Parents, community members, friends, and other volunteers help each practice for an hour, providing a safe place and one-on-one communication with the players that help form a fun-filled afternoon for everyone involved.

The team has grown not only in members but also in supporters. Not unlike most community sports, there’s a village of people working behind the scenes to make the team what it is. In an interview, one of the group's main organizers, Denise, explained how there’s help from everywhere. The team is filled with incredible support from parents taking the time to create T-shirts, to the local Boy Scout Troop #586 and weekly volunteers of Campbell’s friends at the Montgomery County ESC.

Not only is the club beneficial to its players with its use of visuals and one-on-one attention, but it’s also benefiting the parents and siblings as well. Campbell also explained how team members are able to bring their siblings to practice and share a slice of their life on the court that isn’t shared as often outside of it. Kids with special needs can now find excitement in playing a sport that might not have been as accessible up until now, as well as a fun way to bond with their siblings and other kids.

As the end of the season approaches, the feeling is bittersweet. Although many players will have to count down until next year for the basketball season to begin again, they can give his year's season one last hoorah before they go. On the afternoon of March 10, the team will show off the basketball skills they’ve learned over the past several weeks. The players will take on the offense role, and their familiar volunteers and friends will act as a defense for an exciting end-of-season Skills Show.

What began as a small group formed by Tasha and Denise has now become a community of parents, friends, and many more, dedicating their time to a basketball team where everyone of all needs feels included and important. These kids are sure to end this year with a bang at their upcoming show and return next year for another season of fun on the court.