Amelia Cho
Both student and alumni teams battle under the basket as the red team shoots a two point shot, carrying their lead in the first half.
McLean’s Special Olympics team, which includes current McLean high school students and alumni, kicked off the spring sports season with their annual FanFest game. The basketball game held during sixth period on Friday, March 21, serves as a great representation of McLean’s spirit between the loud cheers and the bleachers full of friends, family and neighbors.
“The biggest way the players prepared was just by getting ready to have fun,” Special Olympics coach Mark Thompson said. “It was great for them to be able to play in front of their families.”
This event has been a McLean tradition for the past 15 years other than an unfortunate cancellation during COVID. FanFest used to be a competition played between different schools but has evolved into an intersquad game. The teams have been preparing with general practices for the past few weeks focusing on basketball skills, teamwork and communication.
“We have been preparing for the game by practicing dribbling and scrimmaging every Thursday," freshman Allison Lopez said. “It's been very fun.”
The game began with two impressive layups by Abby Criswell, giving the alumni team an early four-point lead. Both teams took frequent possession of the ball throughout the entire first half, with the alumni team keeping the lead and ending the second quarter 13-10.
“I've played in FanFest for the last few years,” Criswell said. “My favorite part of the game was making the first two shots and working with my team.”
McLean’s crowd remained loud and spirited for both teams during all four quarters. Senior Zachariah Nije gave an enthusiastic halftime performance by showing off his dance moves, followed by the winter cheer team's crowd-inclusive activities.
“The whole crowd was really hype throughout the game, especially when Zach was dancing,” spectator junior Jade Lazo said. “Even the parent section was really loud.”
In the end, the game finished with a tie score of 35-35 with tremendous effort displayed by both teams. The game included dramatic three-point shots and timely scoring and was hugely entertaining for the crowd.
“This team gets to play in front of the school, which they get to do once a year,” Thompson said. “It's a great way for McLean to see what they can do.”