Dorothy Martin pointed excitedly. She danced, clapped and hopped. She taunted the losing team for falling short, absolutely reveling in the victory.

The 45-year-old Chesapeake resident with the infectious smile wasn’t playing, but she is a cheerleader and embraced that role long before the whistle blew and likely long after it sounded again.

But the final thing she did, and perhaps the most powerful emotionally, was she offered a hug and four words laced with sincerity.

“See you next year.”

It is hard to describe pure joy but it is a powerful thing and something to behold when you see it.

At around the same time, on the other end of the Dawson-Bryant gym floor, Herman Faulkner pumped his fist. He jumped up and down and ran across the court looking for someone to high five after making the game-winning basket. There wasn’t a championship on the line. No MVP trophies were handed out. And no one was playing to be an NBA draft pick.

But Faulkner and his Tri-State Industries, Inc., teammates had just upset the Media All-Stars — and all-stars is used very, very loosely — in one of the Lawrence County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ March Madness basketball games.

This joy is at the heart of the event that promotes awareness and means so much to Dorothy and her fellow cheerleaders and the players on the teams.

The board and staff should be very proud of this event, now in its 11th year.

Intended as another way of illustrating the annual theme, which is very simple and clear this year. “Together.”

And I can assure you, speaking on behalf of myself and Tribune home delivery manager Josh Morrison, this event gives us far more than we put in.

Certainly the other participants this year, all from area radio stations, would agree.

Clear Channel was well represented by Jason Philyaw, J.D. Crager, Brandon Woolum, and Chris Tatum. And of course, the inimitable Bill Cornwell provided the play-by-play.

It is disappointing that other local newspapers and the television stations chose not to participate.

Hopefully this will change in the future.

I don’t remember the score. I don’t remember how many points I scored or assists I handed out or any other statistical measure.

But I will never forget the look of satisfaction on Dorothy Martin’s face. And I will always remember Herman Faulkner bouncing around in his victory celebration.

Those are the trophies that I took home, regardless of what the scoreboard said.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.