The JCPRD Stormin’ Rangers are headed to state tournament!

Annual Special Olympics Kansas State Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament Presented by the Kansas State Council of the Knights of Columbus

The JCPRD Stormin’ Rangers will be sending 40 athletes to the annual Special Olympics Kansas State Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament in Manhattan on March 17 and 18. More than 2,000 athletes, coaches, volunteers, and fans from around the state will come together for one of the largest events for individuals of all ages with intellectual disabilities in the state.

The team qualified for the state tournament through their participation in a regional tournament on Feb. 25 and 26 in Olathe. The regional tournament followed more than eight weeks of training by the athletes.

“Special Olympics Kansas is extremely proud of all of our athletes that put in months of training to prepare for this event,” said Special Olympics Kansas President and CEO John Lair. “It is a thrill for us to be able to share the abilities and joy of competition and inclusion exhibited by our athletes.”

This year marks the 51st year of basketball for Special Olympics Kansas. The State Basketball and Cheerleading weekend festivities include traditional 5v5 competition, cheerleading, opening ceremonies, individual skills competitions, free health screenings, and a dinner and dance.

The JCPRD Stormin’ Rangers team was formed in mid-2022 when the Shawnee Storm Special Olympics Team merged with, the JCPRD Rangers Special Olympics Team. This represented the recombination of groups that had split apart about 14 years earlier. The Shawnee Storm was a group located in western Johnson County which broke away from JCPRD to seek more of a neighborhood/local school community feel for their program. In the time since then, the original participants have grown up and the parents dissolved the group and reached out to JCPRD to reintegrate athletes from that area. At the time of the merger, Shawnee Storm’s roster included about  48 athletes, while JCPRD’s Special Olympics delegation numbered 98 athletes. Since recombining, the group has been rebranded as the JCPRD Stormin’ Rangers.

To find out how you can support JCPRD’s Stormin’ Rangers, contact JCPRD Special Populations Coordinator Lise Dujakovich through email at [email protected] or at 913-826-3027.

The Special Olympics Kansas State Basketball Tournament is supported by long-time presenting sponsor, the Kansas State Council of the Knights of Columbus, as well as event sponsors Fort Hays State University, Manhattan Parks and Recreation, Hays Recreation Commission, USD 489 - Hays, KS, Dane G Hansen Foundation and Howe Family Foundation. Statewide sponsors of Special Olympics Kansas include Sunderland Foundation, Club Car Wash, and Heartland Coca-Cola.