Charleston Women Winter 2021-22

www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com | www. I ns tagram. com /Char l es tonWomen CW M ount Pleasant resident and ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli loves the sport of basketball and has found a way to link it with another of her passions. “In the next two years, I want to raise $1 million for the Special Olympics, even if I have to shoot until my arms fall off! I wake up every day thinking about it,” she vowed. Her annual fundraiser works like this: Antonelli shoots 2400 hoops in 24 hours — 100 an hour. She doesn’t eat or sleep. The next day, when the task is finished, she and her son Frankie climb the ladder and cut down the net. “It’s the elation of completing the task. The first year, we raised $85,000 with 325 people donating; the second year, $125,000 with 650 people donating; and last year, $200,000 with 980 people donating. So far, we’ve raised $410,000. And my average is 92% — so I can’t understand at my age, 57, how collegiate players can’t make free throws!” Antonelli hopes the fundraiser will become a national event. “I don’t want to say I’m Jerry Lewis, but ... We livestream on Facebook and YouTube and cut away BY MARY COY A look into the life of sports analyst Debbie Antonelli ESPN b r oadc a s t t he even t i n An t one l l i ’s d r i veway l a s t yea r . Photos prov i ded.