BOZEMAN — The Outreach Bobcats 5v5 Unified basketball team fought hard to earn its spot at the 2026 USA Special Olympic Games in Minnesota in June.
As a team competing in the Unified division, the roster includes athletes with and without intellectual disabilities competing side by side.
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Cass Weidenaar spoke highly of the team's Unified partners.
"They make it so much more fun, and I love the fact that they challenge us," Weidenaar said. "They try to help us see that we can do more than what people say we can."
Jackson Bolstad has been a Unified partner for the team for five years.
"When I came in, athletes didn't have a lot of play time, and where we have come from there has been incredible," Bolstad said. "And then even as we've come on this journey of nationals over the past two years since we qualified, we've grown so much."
That growth was evident with the team's hard-fought wins to win gold and qualify for Minneapolis.
Weidenaar said she wasn't looking to go to nationals.
"But we ended up ended up going anyway," Weidenaar said. "We were up against the Flames who are a pretty tough team in their own unique way, which is really cool."
Head coach Keenan Brame is in his eighth season with the organization and spoke on what it took for the team to make it this far.
"A lot of sweat, a lot of tears," Brame said with a smile. "A commitment to basketball, a commitment to getting better — better physical shape, better physical health. It takes a couple of lucky bounces of the basketball, as well, during tournament play, so we found a way to get it done."
Bolstad is looking forward to representing the state of Montana in the summer Games.
"We have some incredible athletes here in Montana and some incredible people here in Montana," Bolstad said. "I'm just so proud of all the work they've put in, and I'm just really excited to be able to get to that stage and show the rest of the country what we can do."
Another member of the team, Kailee Amberson, is excited for what this experience will bring.
"Going to Minneapolis, playing basketball," Amberson said. "Staying in dorms and going with the team."
When asked what it would mean to win it all in Minneapolis ...
"That would be fun, but I think the most rewarding thing is just making new friends (and) playing to have fun," Weidenaar said, "because that's what real winners do."
"It's a perfect response from Cass, honestly," Brame said. "We're a very selfless team. We look out for each other. We have a great time when we're competing, be it at area games or at state games in Montana, and we're really excited to see what nationals has in store for us and the competition that awaits out there."
