INDIANAPOLIS — The Circle City is set to make history once again after successfully hosting its first-ever WNBA All-Star Game last weekend. The Special Olympics is hosting a Women's 3x3 Unified Basketball Tournament set to tip off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The tournament will showcase athletes with and without intellectual disabilities playing side by side from across the globe, including local talent.
One of those local teams preparing is the Tippecanoe County team, and Melanie Pogue, who’s been a Special Olympics Athlete since 2008.
“It was important to me because I get to meet a different variety of people, learn stuff that I haven't learned before,” Pogue told WRTV.
Now, she is set to display her skills on the county’s unified team.
The squad, which has a partnership with Purdue University, is gearing up to be part of history with Special Olympics Indiana.
“We are hosting the first-ever 3x3 Women's Unified Basketball Tournament here at Gainbridge and Bicentennial Unity Plaza,” said Jennier Kelso, vice president of program services and chief operating officer for Special Olympics Indiana. “It's a 10-minute game with a 12-second shot clock. It's a very, very fast-moving game.”
The tournament will coincide with the Special Olympics North America Conference.
It will bring together nearly 1,000 attendees, along with nine unified basketball teams from Canada, the Caribbean, and across the U.S., including two teams from Indiana.
“Our athletes love to play, and this year they played against all guys all the time, so they're really excited to be able to play against women's teams,” said Jennifer Chalmers, coach of the Tippecanoe County Unified Basketball Team and the county coordinator.
The historic women’s tournament builds upon the momentum in women's basketball while showcasing unified sports.
“That’s a focus here in Indianapolis. We're so excited to be able to help promote women's sports in general and to help grow the sport of basketball,” Kelso said.
The conference will take place from August 4 to August 7, with the 3x3 unified basketball tournament happening on August 7 at Bicentennial Plaza outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The event is open to the public and will also be an opportunity for Hoosiers to learn more about Special Olympics Indiana.
