Written by Christy Leonard
surveyor
Brad Nelson, the adaptive physical education coach at Turner Middle School, has had a long-time vision of starting a unified basketball team at Turner Middle School (TMS), and this year that dream came true.
Unified Sports is part of the Special Olympics. In unified sports, children with and without intellectual disabilities play on the same team. It is inspired by the simple principle that training and playing together is a shortcut to friendship and understanding. Berthoud High School (BHS) has had a unified basketball team for many years. BHS also has unified athletes competing in track and field.
The Thompson School District (TSD) Board of Education has voted this year to fund a unified sports program across all middle schools in the district. This was a collaborative project in which TSD provided scholarships for coaches and transportation for students to attend other schools. Special Olympics paid for the uniforms and balls.
The team was coached by Intensive Learning Center teacher Alex Wolff and paraprofessional Claire Doyle. TMS Athletic Director Paul Fallas officiated the game. TMS plays in a nine-team league with all of the TSD middle schools, in addition to Windsor Middle School and Severance Middle School.
TMS supported the information campaign through a class called Spread the Word. The aim was to raise awareness about the need to respect and include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Students participating in the Inclusion Club created a bulletin board to inform others about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
A lesson about ASD was provided to help students understand their classmates who may be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder. TMS students learned about several behaviors associated with autism, including difficulty interacting with other people, difficulty using and understanding nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors and interests. We were also taught that people with ASD may have special sensitivities and unique styles of learning, navigating, and focusing. Celebrities with ASD were featured, including NASCAR race car driver Armani Williams and “Beetlejuice” director Tim Burton.
As a culmination of the campaign, TMS watched and cheered on the unified basketball team at an Earth Day rally this Monday. Thirteen students participated in the match.
Modifications have been made for unified players. A hula hoop is hung over the basket for players aiming for a low goal, and a stripping basket is used for players who have difficulty raising the ball over their heads. Support players move at the speed of the unified players, rather than running around the court and trying to steal the ball from their opponents. They encourage everyone to shoot.
When Royal McCoidan put the ball into the hula hoop, the gym erupted with cheers. Nick Young responded with several baskets for the opposing team. Derrick Ealy was great at grabbing rebounds and dribbling them toward his own side of the court. Clark Doherty brought the ball down and passed it to Vera Maiorano-Stanoff, who joined in on the shot into the basket as the entire school cheered at her effort.
The unified athlete finals will be held at the TMS Gymnasium from 4:30 pm on April 26th. Admission is free, but the experience of watching a game is priceless.