Tourney scores big with kids

Elia Powers

Elizabeth Lejsek, 15, just wouldn’t let her friend get a word out of

his mouth.

As she stood next to La Serna High School classmate Jared Kozak,

also 15, her excitement couldn’t be contained.

“We have a lot of fans here,” said Lejsek, a point guard on the

20-person “Net Force” recreational team. “This is my favorite sport,

because I can be with all the boys.”

Her team, comprising young athletes ages 8 to 18 from Whittier,

competed Saturday afternoon in a three-game basketball exhibition at

Corona del Mar High School. Their games were part of the 15th annual

Special Olympics Orange County Basketball Tournament.

Special Olympics affords children and adults with intellectual and

physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in year-round

athletic competitions in 20 Olympic-type sports.

The hoops event is one of the largest of the year, said Special

Olympics Orange and Riverside County Regional Director Kris Drummond.

“It’s the camaraderie that’s so special,” Drummond said. “The

players are hugging each other, even if they don’t win. It’s what

athletics were meant to be.”

Participants wearing blue, black and light-colored jerseys filled

the floors of adjacent gymnasiums. Most teams played three games and

spent their down time running practice drills, layup lines and

participating in an outdoor free-throw contest.

The Net Force team has played together for six years, Coach

Allison Leibig said. It made its Corona del Mar tournament debut this

year, joining two teams each from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

Every tournament participant had to have at least eight weeks of

training leading up to Sunday, in accordance with Special Olympics

rules.

Sixteen teams representing programs from throughout Orange County

squared off at the event, which included women’s teams for the first

time in the tournament’s history.

The event is sponsored in part by the city of Newport Beach.

Recreation coordinator Scott Williamson said about 160 athletes

attended the event.

The Newport Harbor Elks Lodge #1767 and Orange County District

Golf Elks hosted skills clinics during breaks in play. Volunteers

from the Saddleback Kiwanis Club and students from Corona del Mar

High School helped referee games and serve food to participants.

Longtime Kiwanis club member Elvan Whiteleather took photographs

of the athletes as a volunteer.

“I enjoy the athletic part,” he said. “It’s a good outlet for kids

to be able to compete and see themselves succeeding.”

Earlier in the day, the athletes walked into the building to the

strains of “We Are The Champions” during the opening ceremonies. Each

participant received a medal for competing.

The event served as a qualifying meet for the Special Olympics

Southern California Summer Games, which will take place June 10 to 12

at Cal State Long Beach.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

elia.powers@latimes.com.