Olivia Garza is an eighth grader at Eisenhower Middle School. She loves to compete on the basketball court and the soccer field, and her friends, family, coaches and teachers love watching her give it her all.
Olivia, an Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) student, stepped up and scored a basket in a big game against Bradley Middle School Thursday night in the Churchill High School gym.
“We wanted Olivia to feel the success of making a shot in a game,” said Eisenhower Assistant Athletic Coordinator Jamie Grams. “Her teammates get to witness her work ethic and heart every game and practice and we wanted to celebrate her for everything she is committed to achieving.”
Olivia scored the first two points of the game and immediately heard cheers and received high-fives from her teammates and players from Bradley. Moments like this show exactly how transformational sports can be. Grams says coaches and players from Bradley and Eisenhower were both committed to giving Olivia her big moment.
“Coach Truan and the Bradley Bears were so gracious and excited to make this little girl’s and team’s dream come true! Coach Truan and her staff coached up the girls and Coach Trippe from Eisenhower coached up her girls. What happened after that was the pureness and genuine kindness from a child’s heart. The end of the video where Olivia makes the basket and the Bradley player is right there giving her a high five is the exact moment of why sports are so important. It’s the spark and magic between competitiveness and sportsmanship. We could all learn a lesson from these two teams and their hearts.”
Way to go Olivia!
