The Iola Mustangs and Marmaton Valley Wildcats Special Olympics basketball teams went head-to-head Wednesday afternoon as part of a program that began in response to last year’s heavy snow.
The second annual contest between the Mustangs and the Wildcats seemed the same as any other night on the hardwood in Iola.
Throngs of fans filled the stands, cheerleaders gathered on the baselines. Instead of the Iola High School or Marmaton Valley High School students receiving spotlight introduction, it was area Special Olympians.
“It was the best hour in education without a book in sight. The athletes get to feel what every other athlete gets to feel,” said Kelci Botts, a Marmaton Valley High School math teacher and mother of a special needs child. 
“The student athletes get to be leaders for their school and get involved as coaches for the kids. It’s an opportunity to grow good humans, good kids and accept everyone.”
The event began as a response to Pittsburg canceling a Special Olympics tournament due to a snowstorm.
Not wanting their preparations go to waste, Marmaton Valley hosted Iola in the first-ever Special Olympics showdown.
Instead of an event center buzzing with tournament games, Iola and Marmaton Valley organizers wanted to give their athletes a game-like experience.
Iola Middle School Assistant Principal Scott Brady said Marmaton Valley set the bar high.
“We were just trying to keep up with what Moran did last year,” Brady said. “They did such a good job. They had the band there. They had cheerleaders. 
“We wanted to try to recreate that and throw in a little extra of our own spice. The kids were there cheering them on and making it a great atmosphere.
“Brandi Holt did a great job with the band. We had cheerleaders from both Iola and Moran this year, and that was pretty cool.”
Although on the road, this year was especially poignant for the MVHS student group Wildcats United.
The group, sponsored by Botts, officially organized last December, following approval from Marmaton Valley Board of Education. One of their missions was establishing the Special Olympics Buddies, to provide Olympians a trusted assistant for competitions.
Wednesday, the Buddies served as cheerleaders, coaches and even filled the IHS gymnasium with hand-made signs encouraging their players.
“Two of the Wildcats United boys are seniors on the basketball team and all three of the cheerleaders were Wildcats United,” Botts said. “They were the pep club behind the bench, and they made posters and signs. The last two weeks, they spent 20 minutes after lunch working with the kids. Practicing how to do layups, shoot free throws and how to throw the ball in.”
