Sports : Vinton-Shellsburg Special Olympics Athletes Compete at Regionals

Zach Kramer and Beau Vinton and head coach Tammy Zimmerman wait for the competition to begin

Zach and Beau State Bowling

Zach, Basketball Skills, Regional

Members of the V-S Special Olympics Basketball teams competed in the regional competition held at Jefferson high school in Cedar Rapids on Feb. 19th. They joined over 200 athletes from the East Central Iowa region in their bid for a spot at the state tournament.

The competition is split into two divisions… Junior, which is ages 21 and under, and Senior which is any athlete over age 21. The V-S Junior 5 on 5 team, consisting of our Middle Schoolers placed 4th after two hard fought games.

The V-S Junior Co-Ed team, made up of High Schoolers earned a birth in the state tournament with a first place win over the team from Iowa City. They will be competing on Saturday, March 19th at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

The youngest members of the team, Zach Kramer and Beau Vinton, took part in the Basketball Skills competition on February 5th. Both young men earned first place ribbons, and they will also compete at the state tournament on March 19th.

This marks the beginning of a very busy Spring for these athletes. Time trials for track will be held at Tilford Elementary on March 3rd. The regional track competition will be held April 16th at Coe College, followed by the state track and field competition in May.

Competitions are open to any athlete with a physical or mental disability, age 8 and above. The Vinton-Shellsburg program serves nearly 40 students each year by competing in Basketball, Track and Bowling. The head coach is Tammy Zimmerman and assistant coaches are Brian Larkin and Whitney Bowen. If you would like to volunteer to help, or know a child who would like to participate, please contact one of the coaches. The team and coaching staff would like to thank the Vinton-Shellsburg community for their continued support of this program.

Going to State:
Zachary Kramer for basketball skills
Beaugard Vinton for basketball skills

Vikings team - Jr coed team going to state (Blue Ribbons)

Steven Schmitz
Robert Hurst
Rodney Uthoff
William Greenwood
Melissa Young
Lauren Larimer
Nenad Pilipovic
Not Pictured: Justin Shaw

Vikes team- Jr male 4th place ( White Ribbons)

Tyler Clark
Hunter Burg
Jimmy Wolfe
Cody Young
Predrag Pilipovic
Marko Pilipovic
Not Pictured: Dillion Sunlin, Jeremy Wheeler Jr.