WALL TOWNSHIP — The Wall Township Challengers basketball team hit the court during halftime at the Wall High School girls basketball game Tuesday, making both shots and friendships.
The Wall Township Challengers basketball team, created by coach Jeff Domenick and Director Michele Domenick, is a group of special-needs athletes that partners with the Wall Township High School girls basketball team weekly to practice their skills on the court. The Challengers team meets every Saturday, with members of the girls basketball team doing whatever they need to make it to practices outside of their own busy school-sports schedule.
The Challengers team took to the court at halftime for 10 minutes, as they do once annually, to show what they know when it comes to making shots and playing defense. The WTHS girls basketball team accompanied the players on the court, cheering them on and lightly helping them throughout the game. The entire crowd was on their feet in the bleachers and cheering for the team the entire time, including members of the high school boys basketball team. Domenick said that in order for the Challengers to be able to play at halftime during the high school game, girls basketball Head Coach John Pagano and the girls give up the team’s half-time strategizing and rest period to support the Challengers as they take to the court.
The Wall Challengers program, founded by the Domenicks, is approaching its 20th year. Jeff handles the basketball, while Michele handles many logistical tasks needed for the program to run smoothly.
“We started this in 2006,” Domenick said. “I have a daughter with special needs, and we were going to a program in Freehold. Michele and I wondered why we had to go to Freehold, so we thought to start one in Wall. We went and talked to the recreation department and athletic director, and since my other daughter was playing sports, we thought why not coordinate the teams and create buddies for our players. We do soccer, we do basketball and we do softball.”
Domenick spoke to The Coast Star on the benefits of the program for both the Challengers athletes and the high school players.
“It’s good because you hear so much bad these days,” Domenick said. “The kids that we have from the high school come every Saturday. Even if they have their own games, they try to get there. They bond with the kids, and it helps them. Our kids look forward to seeing them. The high school coaches come, too, which is amazing.”
Domenick said some of the past volunteers of the Challengers program have even gone into special-needs careers, after their time working with the athletes.
Domenick also spoke to The Coast Star on the specific benefits that the Challengers athletes receive from participating on the team.
“For the players, a lot of them are non-verbal so this helps their social skills,” Domenick said. “It helps them make friendships, and we have people whose families become friends. They learn teamwork, how to compete and how to win and lose. It’s really about the teamwork and socialization.”
Domenick credits the Wall Township Recreation Department for supporting the Challengers with anything required for the program to be successful.
“We go through the recreation department, and they have been terrific supporters,” Domenick said. “They give us shirts, they give us trophies at the end of the year, supply our equipment and just anything else we need.”
Domenick said that the turnover in the program is manageable, and that new athletes are always welcome.
“We’ve had a lot of the same kids for years, so we definitely try to get our program out there to people as much as we can,” Domenick said.
When asked about his Challengers athletes, Domenick struggled to find simple words to describe the exceptional group.
“They just are joyful,” Domenick said. “They are happy to be with other friends and to be on a team. Being a part of the group brings them happiness. When I was a kid, unfortunately special-needs kids tended to be separated from us. Now, they are out there, and they are part of the group. It helps show that there is still hope out there. They are very special, and just excited to be a part of something. They don’t take anything for granted.”
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