Humboldt County’s Special Olympics basketball team is going for gold this weekend at Northern California’s regional competition in Santa Rosa.

The county offers training and competitions in seven sports for Special Olympics athletes, and one of the most popular is basketball. The athletes have practiced since January trying to ramp up their skills and stamina, and had a big tournament at College of the Redwoods on Saturday to show off what they’ve learned for friends and family.

All of the athletes have some sort of intellectual disability, but that in no way hinders their ability to be competitive or compassionate. In the midst of dribbling, passing and shooting and wanting to come out on top, good sportsmanship is of the utmost importance.

“They want to win but it’s also very heartwarming that they’re all about fair play,” said head coach, Jane Carlton. “If you haven’t dribbled the ball for while, I’ll gladly give it to you and let you dribble. And if someone on the other team falls down, they stop and help them. They just care about each other.”

In this LoCO Video Report we talk with coaches and several of the athletes to learn more about the program and how they’re gearing up for the regional competition.