50 for 50th Spotlight: Hamilton College
NCAA Division III student-athletes take pride in developing an array events where they join forces with Special Olympics athletes to create inclusion and friendships on their campuses. Each event is usually unique to the school. Sometimes student-athletes from specific sports partner up to host tournaments or clinics, other campuses combine the efforts of student-athletes from many different sports to put on a full day of activities and fun. Whatever the event may be, the number of Division III schools has continued to grow since the partnership began with Special Olympics in 2011. This means inclusion, respect, and joy has been spreading throughout these engaged campuses and will continue to spread for years to come.
Hamilton College in Clinton, New York is just one of the amazing NCAA Division III schools that has fully embodied our partnership. The college recently hosted a basketball clinic with Special Olympics athletes and members of its men’s and women’s basketball teams. This year marked the school’s fifth consecutive year hosting the clinic. The clinic took place inside Hamilton’s Margaret Bundy Scott Field House where 7 student-athletes from the men’s and 6 student-athletes from the women’s basketball teams came out to help lead the clinic, playing alongside more than 20 Special Olympic athletes. With many of these student-athletes having a few more years left in their college career, the likelihood of bringing this clinic back for a sixth straight year is very high!
For more information on this awesome event check out the link below:
https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/hamilton-teams-host-special-olympics-basketball-clinic
[In honor of the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics and in celebration of the Division III partnership, Division III and Special Olympics have joined forces to present 50 profiles honoring the unified work of the NCAA, Division III and Special Olympics. Use the hashtag #d3SO50for50th for more profiles and on any Division III/Special Olympics activities.]
