With excitement and determination, athletes with all abilities form a team and play their favorite sports. Unified Sports is a program through Foran and other high schools that pairs individuals with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, allowing them to participate in different sports and play together to win their game and have fun doing so.
Unified Sports creates a community of athletes that allows everyone to play together, including sports like soccer and basketball. They even include tournaments like cornhole in the fall and bowling in the winter.
Together, the athletes play with pride for their school and encouragement for their teammates. They form friendships with their teammates and coaches throughout their time on the team.
Unified Sports plays against other schools in other sports. The matches are full of excitement and motivation for the teams. People from each school come to watch their team and cheer them on.
The goal of Unified Sports is to advocate for equality and for athletes to be united. Mr. James Chiapetta, a coach for unified sports alongside Mrs. Catherine Ganun, helps work with Ganun and volunteers to guide the teams to victory.
Unified sports is more than just a team. Chiapetta goes into depth about what unified sports is.
“Our basic goal for Unified is we want to promote things like community, friendship, and inclusivity,” says Chiapetta, “we really just want to promote friendship and allow them to participate in all different types of sports.”
Unified Sports stands for equality, diversity, and kindness. Whether a team is winning or losing, everyone is there to just have fun and bring each other up. The games are always more than just matches. They spread teamwork and equality to all, just by playing together.
Junior Lea Boguniecki volunteers alongside many other students to help with Unified Sports. Her role is to help coordinate and stay by the side of athletes while playing their sports.
The jobs of volunteers are to cheer on the Unified athletes and to be there to guide them in the right direction so they can succeed and have fun while doing so. Volunteers can earn volunteer hours while creating bonds with other students.
Volunteering for Unified Sports is much more than just getting hours, though. Volunteers witness the sparks of joy and friendship, which is very warming to the heart.
“As a Unified volunteer, I get the opportunity to see so many people (especially parents at tournaments) genuinely so incredibly happy to see their child enjoying a sport and being able to be themselves without worrying about judgment,” states Boguniecki.
Being able to be a part of something so inclusive is something that volunteers and teammates favor about Unified Sports. People come together, regardless of districts or differences, cheering for every point scored by the unified athletes of each team schoolwide.
“To have created these memories and experienced these amazing things while being a part of this club will remain something I will never forget,” says Boguniecki.
Along with sports, Unified includes many other activities that they do together. At the end of the year, Unified Sports goes on a trip to Dave and Buster’s and have their prom together to wrap up their year.
Regardless of age, disability, or skill level, Unified Sports is a way for athletes to come together and have fun in a judgment-free zone. Whether on the team or watching from the sidelines, the vibes are unmatched by the support the teams receive.
Everyone deserves a chance to have fun, make friends, and play sports no matter what. The Unified Club at Foran exemplifies these qualities in every way.
