Bryan Wickoren calls out, “On your mark, get set, go!” and lowers his arm sharply. Five girls burst off for a 50-yard dash on the track at Lakewood’s Jeffco Stadium. One girl pulls away from the pack as spectators and other participants encourage and help the others toward the finish line.
Instead of who finishes first or jumps the farthest, it’s the event itself that brings joy to participants and spectators.
Students from 24 Jefferson County middle and high schools gathered May 5 to wrap up the districtap Adapted Athletics program for the 2016-17 school year. The program gives Jeffco students with disabilities a chance to learn to play and compete in various sports. The track and field meet was the last in a monthly series that included basketball, volleyball, hockey, bowling, softball and cross-country competitions.
“I love it, the kids love it. They look forward to it. Thatap the main part. We’re really providing the opportunities to showcase their abilities and not their disabilities,” said Wickoren, the adapted athletics coordinator for Jeffco schools.
The program served approximately 300 students with cognitive or physical disabilities this school year and has grown steadily since Wickoren was hired in 2006, when there were about 50 students participating in the program. It’s modeled off a similar program in Minnesota where disabled students can letter in a sport and teams are ranked.
Jeffco students compete for their school and Wickoren also organized a regional basketball tournament with schools from other districts.
“We try to make it as cool as possible,” Wickoren said.
Tia Jensen, an adapted athletics teacher at Fletcher Miller School — which serves disabled children of all grades — helped start the program in 2004 and is happy about its growth.
“Itap grown hugely with Bryan and the coordination of others. … I think we’re a model district in doing adapted athletics in the Denver metro area,” Jensen said. “There’s not a lot out there for some of these kids. It provides that opportunity to participate with their peers as well.”
Fletcher Miller School had a strong showing at the track meet May 5, including 11-year-old Ally Campbell. Campbell’s mother, Victoria, was there to cheer on her daughter and was surprised at the size of the event.
Ally loves running and seeing friends from neighboring schools, she said.
“She loves them, she loves being outside, she loves being active. She loves the crowds,” Campbell said.
The program’s growth largely has stemmed from the effort to get more adapted or unified physical education courses in Jeffco schools. Unified classes include all students, regardless of ability or challenge, and give children an opportunity to interact.
Many of the students in the unified classes who don’t compete end up volunteering at the countywide events, and Wickoren also has seen a growing number of volunteers from local schools’ varsity sports teams.
Standley Lake High School senior Camille Garcia is in a unified class and volunteered at the districtwide track and field event. She also assisted with basketball over the winter and said she has enjoyed helping out and getting to know the participants.
“Itap just fun to see how excited they get,” she said. “Itap just an awesome and positive environment. They are accepting of each other and all having fun.”
Lakewood High School has a unified physical education class, and teacher Laura Zlogar said she enjoys seeing the friendships formed in her class and at the events, where so many of the students see former teachers and friends from other schools.
“Itap amazing to see how they have grown socially,” she said.
Junior Reinaldo Mercado is one of Zlogar’s students and participated in the districtwide track and field meet. He said he enjoyed seeing friends and is looking forward to competing next year.
“I feel great. I really love playing against the other schools,” he said.
Zlogar hopes the program continues to grow and praised Wickoren and former Jeffco superintendent Dan McMinimee, who was a staunch supporter of the program.
“I would love to see adapted athletics or a unified class at every school,” Zlogar said. “It needs to be taught by a quality physical education teacher. Itap something beyond what a special ed teacher can do.”