It is called and if you attend a game at a local high school or middle school you’ll understand why.
Take for instance last week’s basketball matchup between the unified teams from and high schools. Located a few miles apart in the Parker area, the two are natural sports rivals, but the atmosphere at the Feb. 13 game in Legend’s gym was far from contentious.
“The sportsmanship out here is like none other,” a student announcer said over the loud-speaker as a Legend athlete collected a rebound from a missed Chaparral shot, then handed the ball back to the shooter.
She sank her second attempt causing the stands — on both the visitor and home sides of the court — to erupt in cheers.
In Unified Sports, students with special needs play basketball, soccer and other sports alongside typical students who volunteer as partners. Partners cannot score in a game, but facilitate and assist as athletes with special needs lead the action. The program came to the through a partnership with .
At Legend, significant support needs teacher Shelly Boyd and educational assistant Jeremy Dorr coach the basketball team. Thirteen students and three special needs alumni regularly suit up for the squad. The team practices and plays games from January through March, and is part of all of Legend’s sports-centric activities, the coaches say. This year, the team won a dance competition at Legend’s winter pep rally.
“Our school really embraces them. They’re just another team here,” Boyd said.
Dorr said many Legend athletes participated in Special Olympics Colorado before high school. With that in mind, he has been coaching his team to play more competitively this year, including encouraging his kids to dribble, rebound and not take the second and third shots the rules afford athletes after misses. Dorr said the kids are really responding, even when they lose.
“Let’s not sell these kids short,” he said. “Let’s let them play and learn the game of basketball.”
Sophomore Taylor Mathewson played a good game against Chaparral. The 16-year-old, who was born with a rare congenital disorder known as agenesis of the corpus callosum, made a big basket in the game that Legend won 46-32.
“I felt really happy when everyone was like ‘Yeah!’ when I made that shot,” she said postgame. “I think I’m really good at defense and I’m a really good shooter, mainly because I’m tall.”
Karlee Arnold is a partner on the Legend team. The senior said it has been inspiring to see how her special needs teammates compete and overcome setbacks like missing shots during a game.
“The smiles when they succeed are priceless,” she said.
Across the gym, behind the Chaparral bench, Fred Malcolm watched his son, Ian, knock down some big shots for the Wolverines. Ian is on the autism spectrum. He has been participating in Special Olympics events since he was 8 years old, his dad said, getting to know many other area athletes over the years.
“There is a real community here in Parker,” Malcolm said of Unified. “These guys, I think itap taught them a lot about teamwork and just how to support each other.”
The program that evolved into the project got started in Colorado at Grandview High School about nine years ago, according to Chaka Sutton, senior vice president of programs for Special Olympics Colorado. Now, 241 schools across the state are involved, he said. Special Olympics Colorado prides itself on working hand in hand with schools that adopt the program, training coaches and providing support and expertise.
“It creates a positive and inclusive culture in the schools,” Sutton said. “Itap a great feeling to walk into a school and see a Special Olympic athlete with a letter jacket on or hanging out with the varsity football team.”
Sutton said a framework for Unified track and field is being developed now. In Douglas County, a handful of middle schools are likely to introduce Unified versions of some events—like the 100-meter dash and shot put— this spring, district athletic director Derek Chaney said. Douglas County Schools already offers Unified soccer and basketball in all 18 of its middle and high schools, Chaney said. He praised Special Olympics as a tremendous partner, and said he is excited to see the program grow.
“I think it put things in perspective,” Chaney said. “And our schools are so supportive.”