Special Olympians to showcase basketball skills in Santa Rosa Saturday

March 15-- Mar. 15--Hundreds of Special Olympics athletes from eight counties will converge in Santa Rosa this weekend for a regional basketball competition.

Volunteers are badly needed for the event, which showcases the skills and accomplishments of children and adults with intellectual disabilities as they compete in team and individual competitions.

Athletes of varying ability levels have been training since mid-January for the competition, which serves as the culmination of the 8-week Special Olympics basketball season.

About 300 Special Olympians from Sonoma, Napa, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Del Norte counties will participate.

Volunteers are needed as scorekeepers and timekeepers during games, to help athletes with skills challenges and to distribute lunches to the teams.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Special Olympics Northern California works to benefit children and adults with intellectual disabilities through sports, education and athlete health.

The nonprofit organization offers free year-round training and competition programs for 22,780 athletes who compete in 300 competitions across 14 sports each year.

Organizers are also seeking volunteers who can check rosters, keep score and manage game clocks for team competitions and individual skills contests. Several spots remain open.

Individuals, families, service groups or corporate groups are welcome, organizers said. Volunteers must be age 10 or over and minors under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Those interested may contact Matt Bell at mattb@sonc.org or visit the Special Olympics Northern California website at www.sonc.org and click on the "volunteer" tab.

You can reach staff writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.

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