Oaks Christian students host Special Olympics basketball tournament

March 11--WESTLAKE VILLAGE -- Oaks Christian football player Kayvon Thibodeaux is a competitor and the defensive leader of the Lions' CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship team last season.

The highly-touted recruit was all smiles Saturday morning when the buzzer sounded and his basketball team made up of fellow classmates lost to Ventura Slam, a Special Olympics team prepping for its upcoming season.

"I put everything aside to be here today," Thibodeaux, a 6-foot-5 defensive end said. "It feels amazing to be part of something like this. It's fun and you can feel the love."

The Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions. The participation is known to lower the rate of cardiovascular disease and obesity, among other health benefits. Exercise has also been shown to be related to a decrease in anxiety levels amongst people with intellectual disabilities.

Alongside Thibodeaux was football teammate Josh Calvert and varsity basketball player Jordan Berens.

"This is one of my favorite events. Seeing the athletes work hard and having fun is awesome," Berens said. "You can learn from them as well, even if they lose, you can see they're still happy to be doing what they love, which is eye-opening."

Oaks Christian is known for its athletic and academic achievement, but the school's Director of Community Outreach Audie Diggs is constantly impressed with the students' enthusiasm for outreach.

"I oversee the school's efforts in missions work and community service," Diggs said. "It's a priority at Oaks Christian for our students to recognize those who are in need. This event is one of the more popular opportunities for our students, they can play in the games, officiate competitions, and even announce games."

Thibodeaux, along with other students, took turns on the microphone calling the action as the packed gym was filled with cheering parents and supporters.

Saturday's event was a practice tournament for 11 Special Olympics basketball teams prepping for the upcoming season that runs from mid-March to June.

"Oaks Christian is always a great host to us," Senior Manager of the Ventura and Santa Barbara Special Olympics programs Tim Ballaret said. "Today is a chance for these teams to work on what they've been practicing before next weekend's big tournament in Santa Barbara, which will have 40 teams participating."

For Ballaret, the interaction between young students and the Special Olympics athletes is what's most impactful.

"Most of the students start the day by score keeping or being an official, but by the end of the day you'll see them put jerseys on and playing with the teams," Ballaret said. "The inclusion is so important. The interaction helps show that even though everyone is different, we are all still the same in many ways."

___

(c)2018 the Daily News (Los Angeles)

Visit the Daily News (Los Angeles) at www.dailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.