Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
On March 15, over 1,200 Special Olympians from every county in the state met in Iowa City and Coralville for the Spring Classic. Qualifiers participated in team basketball, basketball skills competitions, cheerleading, gymnastics, and powerlifting at the annual event, and Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School’s very own Sydney Munoz-Cruz brought home a 1st place medal for the Cowgirls.
Munoz-Cruz took gold at the Spring Classic after earning 64 points in her basketball skills division and recently sat down with The Wright County Monitor to discuss her day of dribbling, passing, and shooting.
Sydney confided that even though she’s fairly new to the sport, she’s already in love with the joy and camaraderie basketball has to offer.
“I started playing basketball this year,” said Munoz-Cruz. “I enjoyed it a lot. I like meeting new people and experiencing new things.”
The junior admitted that she was “pretty nervous” earlier this month before her skills competition began. Fortunately, that fear quickly dissipated once she started draining baskets on the court.
“I do like to shoot,” she exclaimed with a giant grin.
Sydney also stressed the importance of a good attitude when playing sports, adding that athletes should remember to “just go do your thing and be positive” and try to avoid being “negative.”
Munoz-Cruz, who has been competing in various sports since the 2nd grade, also encourages community members who may be unfamiliar with the Special Olympics to come to an event and see what the organization is truly about.
“I wish people knew that it’s not something that’s only for special needs people or people with disabilities,” said Sydney. “It’s for everybody.”
