Emily is 12 and enjoying her third season of playing basketball at Albany Schools. Emily is not the fastest player on the team, nor is she the most aggressive. Over the past two weeks, we have seen some remarkable displays of sportsmanship when it comes to Emily. See, Emily has Down syndrome.
Last week Albany played Monticello. In the last few seconds of the game the coaches from our team, Jill Schott and Bryce Pickett, were setting it up so that Emily would get the ball and a chance at a basket. As those two coaches were talking, the coach from the Monticello team, Linn Lederman, walks over and tells the coaches that their team is doing the same thing, setting it up so that Emily gets the ball in the last seconds to make a shot. Emily does get the ball with the help of our girls and the help of a Monticello player. She makes three shots and on the final shot, puts it in just as the buzzer goes off.
Last night as Albany played Barneveld, Emily was also in the game in the last minute. She gets the ball but looses it as she is dribbling. A player from Barneveld (No. 14) picks up the ball and gives it to her. Emily makes a shot and swooshes it in on the first try. That player from the other team patted her on the back in congratulations.
In both of these cases I was too caught up in the moment to get a good grasp of what was happening so others filled me in. With the Monticello game, I was told you would have thought it was a championship game the way people cheered, and at the Barneveld game I was told that the girls from the other team were up on their feet and cheering when she made the basket.
We are just amazed and grateful at these acts of sportsmanship. We commend these coaches and players from these other teams for their heart. But the big heart comes on a daily basis from Em's coaches and teammates as they support her as they would any other player.
Thank You!
Last week Albany played Monticello. In the last few seconds of the game the coaches from our team, Jill Schott and Bryce Pickett, were setting it up so that Emily would get the ball and a chance at a basket. As those two coaches were talking, the coach from the Monticello team, Linn Lederman, walks over and tells the coaches that their team is doing the same thing, setting it up so that Emily gets the ball in the last seconds to make a shot. Emily does get the ball with the help of our girls and the help of a Monticello player. She makes three shots and on the final shot, puts it in just as the buzzer goes off.
Last night as Albany played Barneveld, Emily was also in the game in the last minute. She gets the ball but looses it as she is dribbling. A player from Barneveld (No. 14) picks up the ball and gives it to her. Emily makes a shot and swooshes it in on the first try. That player from the other team patted her on the back in congratulations.
In both of these cases I was too caught up in the moment to get a good grasp of what was happening so others filled me in. With the Monticello game, I was told you would have thought it was a championship game the way people cheered, and at the Barneveld game I was told that the girls from the other team were up on their feet and cheering when she made the basket.
We are just amazed and grateful at these acts of sportsmanship. We commend these coaches and players from these other teams for their heart. But the big heart comes on a daily basis from Em's coaches and teammates as they support her as they would any other player.
Thank You!
