The right team spirit at the Haukamótið in Hafnarfjörður
An important step was taken last weekend at the Haukamótið in Hafnarfjörður. The Special Olympics team from the Haukar basketball department, of course, took part, and for the first time with four teams. The teams were split into older and younger players, and one team was made up entirely of girls.
An important step was taken last weekend at the Haukamótið in Hafnarfjörður. The Special Olympics team from the Haukar basketball department, of course, took part, and for the first time with four teams. The teams were split into older and younger players, and one team was made up entirely of girls.
Thinking in solutions
The group's head coach, Bára Fanney Hálfdánardóttir, says this season has been characterised by a steady increase in the number of members. This was the fourth tournament the group has taken part in since the group was founded five years ago. Bára says that the tournament organisers, coaches, other competitors and spectators have welcomed the group warmly, and the experience of participating in mini-basketball tournaments has been very positive. Bára wanted to express special thanks to Haukar for their solution-oriented thinking and for finding ways to allow the groups to feel like participants in the tournament.
Shall we mix up the teams?
The youngest group (Haukar- SO1) competed against 7-year-olds, playing 5 games of 1x10 minutes. The older competitors, Haukar SO2 and SO3, competed against 9-10 year olds and played two games of 2x10 minutes. The mini-soccer tournament is for children aged 6-10. To allow the oldest group to take part, Haukar gave the group a time slot for three matches, and Bára contacted the coaches of the 11-12 year old boys' teams at Haukar and Álftanes and invited them to the tournament. After the game against Álftanes, the boys really wanted to play for longer, and one of the boys from Álftanes had the idea of combining the teams. It turned into a very enjoyable game with great sportsmanship, as able-bodied and disabled players played together on the same team. Bára says there was great joy among the Hauka-SO athletes, parents and coaches after the tournament. Sport is for everyone; there is always a way for children to feel a part of the sport they are interested in. Special thanks go to KKÍ for the new competition jerseys and Icelandic jumpers, and to photographer Sporthero for the photoshoot.