Here in Severna Park we take our sports seriously. Very seriously. With over 100 state title banners hanging in our gym, athletic greatness isn’t something we take lightly. But greatness comes in many forms, and arguably one of the most important forms-unified sports teams.
It is winter time, which means Basketball, Indoor Track, Wrestling and countless other teams are hitting the gym to practice. But through all the thick fame of crushing Broadneck and stomping on South River, our Unified Bowling team is having some major successes of their own.
With just two practices a week and six competitions throughout the entire season, the goal of the Unified Bowling team is to connect students that have intellectual disabilities with students that do not have them. The motto: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. The overall goals of the team mirror the goals of the special olympics, with an emphasis on promoting social inclusion through the use of unified sports training and competitive experiences.
As a student, joining the unified sports program here at SPHS can be rewarding in more than a few ways. By creating exciting and memorable experiences, the program hooks people to come back year after year. Senior Robert Jackson joined the team his sophomore year and never looked back on his decision. “Unified Sports really opened my eyes to how important sports can be to some kids. It’s great seeing kids from all over the county coming together and competing, it’s easy to see how much the athletes love it and I’m glad I get to be a part of such a great sport” said Jackson.
The coaches of the team are Ms. Hendler and Coach Bell. Hendler said that they stress the values of “Working together, good sportsmanship, creating friendships [and] trying your best!” The team consists of student athletes with physical, intellectual, or emotional accommodations. They are then paired with a student who has no accommodations. “My favorite memory is from Unified Bocce last year at Counties. Emma Adams was able to sing the national anthem in front of everyone. After she was done, she ran to Ms. Hendler, jumped into her arms, and bear hugged her. The happiness and pure joy in Emma’s face was awesome to experience” said junior Abby Haste.
If you want to get more involved in school, or have limited athletic ability but still want to be part of a sport, Unified Sports is the route to take. “Unified Bowling has definitely showed me how rewarding it can be to work with some of these kids. I’ve done some work with special needs adults in the past and it is no doubt something I would consider making a career out of in the future” said Jackson.
