There is a basketball dynasty brewing in Portage. There’s no other way to put it for a group of hardcourt warriors who have given it all on the court to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
Say hello to the dynasty, the Porter County Special Olympics Basketball (PCSOB) team, your (back-to-back) champions of the State of Indiana.
Success for this great group of kids wasn’t just handed to them, though, it was earned through the sweat and grind of a season that had the team traveling throughout the state to play against competition eager to be where the PCSOB was; at the top.
“These kids play harder than you can ever imagine,” said Michelle Leal, mother of one of the players on the team. “It’s exciting that the league is so competitive, because they have to work hard to win each game.”
But it wasn’t just hard work that got these kids to the top, but that inner drive to want to win, day in and day out, says Leal.
“The kids play with more heart than you could ever imagine.”
While the trophies and the accolades are nice, Leal says the real moments of victory are the opportunities to see kids who yearn to be a part of something get the chance to interact with others, become friends, and spend time together as a team.
“My son got the chance to be a star player, and be rooted on for accomplishments he may have never got to experience outside of the Special Olympics,” Leal added. “He’s made the friends he’s craved for his whole life and I got to experience him shine in ways I never thought possible.”
And the experience is what made this championship so special, Leal said.
“There were a lot of happy tears watching them get the win.”