“For the students that can speak, it definitely connects them more with students they haven’t met before,” mentor Ian Spencer (10) said. “For the students that are less verbal, they just like feeling appreciated.”
This is what Unified Sports is all about, making every single student feel connected and included while also having fun.
Unified Sports is a program run through the Special Olympics. ELHS hosts an event that takes place during the winter pep rally in either January or February. This event includes a basketball game between two teams for the disabled and students with autism at ELHS.
Both basketball teams have been practicing every week leading up to the upcoming game. According to coach Ryan Frantz (11), the teams have been running some plays to help the students improve their skills. The coaches have also made it important to include everyone and give every student a chance to play and have fun.
“As my link is on my team, I’ve been able to make a more personal connection with him which has made us much closer,” Frantz said. “At my old school [Haslett], we would just try to make the students feel like a part of the everyday activities at school. Seeing the same thing happen here [ELHS], has been a lot of fun trying to include everyone.”
The main goal for this game is to make it inclusive for all students and give them all a chance to play and score for the team. As a coach, Frantz is just looking to have fun while making the students really feel connected to the school and the activities.
“I believe in them [links],” Spencer said. “I just know from all the work they’ve put into practice, they are going to get buckets.”
Although playing basketball together is a lot of fun, sometimes it can be hard to get things done when there is a lot of disorganization.
“At our first practice, it was kind of hard just getting everyone grouped and organized because they all just wanted to shoot around,” Frantz said. “So definitely getting everyone organized and in the right places has been a difficulty.”
Being able to connect with everyone while having fun is the coach’s main goal. Unified Sports has helped connect everyone but it is also just a fun event that the students get to participate in.
