McCutcheon, Purdue athletes carry Team USA at first Unified 3x3 World Cup
Athletes from McCutcheon, Purdue open play today in Puerto Rico. How you can watch live. Plus more notes.
Support for Based in Lafayette comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 11. Join us for this one of a kind concert that blends holiday classics, heartfelt originals and a touch of humor — all delivered with Jim Brickman’s signature piano style. Along with special guests Luke McMaster and John Trones, Brickman will create something truly special on Purdue’s beautiful Steinway D concert grand piano. Take a break from the holiday rush and BUY TICKETS today!
Support for this edition also comes from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show. The Christmas Show will shine Boilermaker bright with an all-student cast, festive music and dazzling performances. Tickets are now on sale for the Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, shows, where audiences of all ages will come together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season at this timeless Purdue tradition. Get your tickets here.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, PURDUE ATHLETES REPRESENT U.S. IN UNIFIED 3x3 BASKETBALL WORLD CUP
Good luck this week to the athletes and coaches from Tippecanoe County and Purdue who are representing the United States in the inaugural Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup.
Pool play starts Friday in Puerto Rico in the Special Olympics event that features 17 women’s teams and 19 men’s teams in a tournament modeled after the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
The five-member team, which left for Puerto Rico Wednesday, includes McCutcheon High School students Alex Kelley and Abbi Richardson; Kitti Vancott a Tippecanoe County Special Olympics athlete from Lafayette; and Kaley Carpenter, a Purdue student from Chicago, and Brooke Sullivan, a Purdue student from Indianapolis, who are Unified partners.
Jennifer Chalmers and Dave Henry are the coaches.
Henry said tryouts for the team came a couple of months ago.
“Indiana has strong leadership and a new women in sports initiative, so Indiana was selected to send a team,” Henry said.
Greater Lafayette has had strong ties to Unified sports, in which athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete side-by-side.
Henry said local teams participated in the Unified 5-on-5 tournament at the state Special Olympics. In Unified 5-on-5, three Special Olympics athletes are on the court with two partner athletes at the same time.
In 3-on-3, that split is two Special Olympic athletes and one partner athlete, with an age range of 16 to 35.
“During the summer Special Olympics North America held a women’s conference in Indianapolis, and a 3x3 tournament was a part of the week,” Henry said. “We sent a team to participate in that as well. With our participation in the past we were a good fit for this tournament. … As we move forward, I am sure interest will grow and the selection process will become tougher.”
The local-heavy U.S. squad opens play Friday morning, with games streamed live. Here’s the group stage schedule:
8:25 a.m. (EST) Friday, vs. Morocco
5:45 p.m. (EST) Friday vs. Bharat, India
8:25 a.m. (EST) Saturday vs. Paraguay
11 a.m. (EST) Saturday vs. Uruguay
Medal round games Sunday will be set after the group stage.
Livestream the games here: www.youtube.com/@specialolympics
Opening ceremonies: Here’s a look at Team USA’s entrance at Thursday’s opening ceremonies:
THIS AND THAT/OTHER READS …
Not directly connected to ongoing pushback from neighbors at SK hynix’s West Lafayette location, this piece from the New York Times looks at a semiconductor boom in a region near Phoenix – one way bigger than being talked about here – and finds: “18,000 Reasons It’s So Hard to Build a Chip Factory in America. The transformation of Phoenix into a semiconductor hub by Taiwan’s TSMC illustrates the difficulties of large-scale projects in the United States.”
In case you missed it, West Lafayette Tutti – a group of West Side students who have built a community service project out of performing at retirement communities, hospitals and anywhere else people might be isolated – will host a Project CASA-Thon Benefit Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at Covenant Church, 211 Knox Drive in West Lafayette. Money raised from the concert and a raffle of donated prizes will go to the CASAs for Kids Fund in Tippecanoe County. Suggested donation for admission: $20 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. BiL had a Q&A in recent days with Tara Kim, a West Lafayette junior and the group’s president, about the concert and about West Lafayette Tutti. Read it here:
Also, ICYMI: Looking for more to do this weekend? Tim’s Picks has you covered here:
BUILDING BiL HOLIDAY PLAYLIST: WHAT’S ON YOURS?
Through Christmas, BiL will curate three songs a day from readers. The assignment isn’t necessarily about the best or most iconic songs of the season. Just songs that you’d want in the mix and why they belong. Enjoy.
Mónica Casanova
Fairfield Township trustee.
“Feliz Navidad,” Jose Feliciano – I performed that song with my class as a kindergartener along with some fancy moves, mostly hands on hips and swaying back and forth. It was the first time I heard a bilingual song. This was in California, 1984. Richland Elementary School.
“All I Want for Christmas is You,” Mariah Carey – I know, terrible right? But it is inescapable at Christmas, and it’s pretty damn catchy.
“El Burrito Sabanero,” Los Tuki Tuki – A classic Latin American carol for traditional posadas. Every Latino kid knows this song.
Your turn
What three songs are going into your holiday/seasonal playlist this year? If you’re game share, here’s all we need:
Three songs and the artists.
One or two sentences about why you chose each one – could be a memory or a short history or review about why that track belongs in your mix and why you’d recommend it to others.
A little bit about you to let readers know who’s making the picks.
Send to: davebangert1@gmail.com
Thanks, again, for support for this edition from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7. Get your tickets here.
Thanks, also, for support from Purdue Convocations, presenting Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 11. Get tickets here.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Thanks for covering Unified! They are a great group.
Feliz Navidad: 19 words in the whole song, only 6 Spanish. (Counting "wanna" as one word.) Makes a haiku seem wordy.