Special Olympics basketball tournament brings smiles, friendly competition to UMaine | Bangor Local Sports [Video]

ORONO – On Saturday, the University of Maine hosted the annual Special Olympics Central Maine Basketball Tournaments, a day full of fun, friends, and inclusion.

“It feels great to have all that positivity,” athlete Lucas Dumond says. “It’s a lot of good energy.”

“I love helping these guys out and making sure that they’re a part of the community and have a good time just like everybody else,” volunteer Brian Rothschild says.

Nearly 200 athletes across 16 teams competed in a quest for the gold. Yes, Special Olympics is all about good fun at its core, but don’t get in these players’ ways.

“Especially with basketball, it’s the most physical sport we play, all of our athletes are really competing hard,” says Mike Littlefield, Director of Sports and Programs for Special Olympics Maine. “You can see it all the way through all our tournaments.”

This and those other tournaments not only …