You have seen their medals, but the road to that point started a lot further back for the area’s Special Olympians who participated in last weekend’s state basketball tournament on the campus of UW-Oshkosh. The Kewaunee County Special Olympics Lakers took third place in their division, with members Tammy taking 4th place and Ollie earning seventh place in the individual basketball skills competition. The Door County Tigers took fourth place in Division 11, and the Door County Clippers won the state title in Division 4. For Tony Hoffman, Josh Leitner, and Nathan Klaubauf, last Saturday culminated in years of hard work. Many have been playing on the team for the last five to six years, helping the squad climb up divisions yearly, with the pandemic being their biggest obstacle. The trio said winning a gold medal was a highlight, but they were happy just to play with each other.

While the basketball season may be over, Hoffman, Leitner, and Klaubauf are not done showing off their athletic prowess this spring. All three will compete in multiple events at the Special Olympics track meet hosted at Ashwaubenon High School on May 18th.