District 203’s Special Olympics basketball team, Team 203 Fire, held their annual Pack the Gym night in Naperville Central’s main gym on Jan. 11. The event brought together athletes from Central Naperville North to compete in a scrimmage.
This year, the event took on a new format, with Team Ghiotto (representing Central) and Team Crawford (representing North) facing off in a collaborative, community-focused atmosphere. According to Team Ghiotto head coach Brandon Moriarty, the new format was chosen to provide athletes with more opportunities to interact with their peers, both on and off the court, rather than focusing solely on competition.
“I hope it was a fun day for all,” Moriarty said, “It’s the one day where we get almost the whole community and different members to come out to cheer on our kids.”
For peer leaders, the night was an opportunity to build deeper connections with the athletes they’ve been working alongside throughout the season.
“You’re paired up with someone, and you help them with dribbling, getting the right formation to shoot and encouraging them,” said peer leader Ella Grumbles, a senior. “I try to build connections with whoever I’m working with, and it’s even led to connections outside of school.”
Grumbles worked with athletes Amber Drake and Noah Petersen this season.
“Amber gets really excited when she starts shooting the baskets, and it’s awesome to see her come out of her shell,” Grumbles said.
The gym was filled to capacity, with a noticeably larger crowd than usual. Many spectators held up signs, and some wore custom shirts for the occasion, all cheering enthusiastically throughout the event.
“This is the big night of the year for them,” Moriarty said, “It’s a night where they get to be in the spotlight, and we see the whole community come out to cheer them on. When you look at the crowd at the end of the night, it’s bigger than what you’d see at a general education basketball game.”
Both Moriarty and peer leaders hope to continue growing the event.
“We would love to see different sports added in the future,” Moriarty said, “Right now, we’re exploring the possibility of adding cornhole or bags to our teams. We’re also looking at ways to get junior high students involved, which is something we’ve started to hear more interest in from both parents and the community.”