Heading into their second season, Unified Track members hope for another fun-filled year and a chance at the State meet. Unified Track is a track team that consists of athletes with and without disabilities competing together in traditional track and field events. It is a team created by IHSAA and the Special Olympics to unify student athletes and athletes with intellectual disabilities. This year the team will compete against several other schools in the area and participate in Sectionals beginning May 30. According to Molly McGuire, head coach and junior, the team members are excited to start the season and to improve their skills.
“Unified Track is a great experience. It allows people of all abilities to participate in a school-sponsored sport. We are working hard towards getting better every day, having fun and preparing to compete,” McGuire said.
Now that the team has one season under its belt, McGuire said the team has been working on overall organization and that each athlete has been focusing in on balance, strength and speed. She said this year the team will compete at the Hamilton County Sectionals, and State meets if they make it. Along with McGuire senior and volunteer, PJ Gibson, said he is looking forward to another great season. He said it’s an honor to be a part of Unified Track and enjoys seeing everyone come together as one.
“It is such an experience. We get to stay active and promote competing alongside one another. It is a good opportunity to stay fit, make new friends and promote togetherness,” Gibson said.
Club Sponsor Kathleen Overbeck said that the program has been a strong addition to the school and that it is a way to bring all the students together and expose their similarities rather than exposing their differences. Overbeck said it is a great opportunity to have the program completely run by students. She said McGuire is a strong head coach and has dedicated a lot of time to the program.
She said, “Molly has developed the calendar with the practice schedules and runs all the practices so it is very different from a traditional track practice. Having her be able to do that flips the power which creates a unique and cool aspect to the program.”
The team practices three times a week and will specifically compete in the 100 meter dash, 4×100 meter relay, the 400 meter dash, shot put and long jump. McGuire said the team will compete against several nearby schools such as Noblesville, Hamilton Southeastern and North Central. The team will compete in pairs for each event as they are working toward working together. Gibson said that being a part of Unified track has brought him and his partner very close.
Gibson said, “My role is to help my partner practice for the various track meets, and our goal is to improve over the season. He and I didn’t know each other going into the season, but now we are good friends. We have a blast and are excited to compete together this year.”
Gibson said he wants the team to do well in Sectionals, but overall having a good time is the team’s ultimate goal. He said the team learns so much more than just the sport, and it is a great way to promote awareness. McGuire said she agreed in the sense that it is important everyone on the team is having fun and that Unified Track has helped bring everyone together as one.
“I love being able to see everyone helping each other improve and seeing the athletes gain confidence in themselves. Ultimately we want everyone to have fun, but we work towards helping the athletes develop a love for our school, competition and the sport,” said McGuire.
Champions Together and Special Olympics have joined together in order to create Unified Track programs in high schools. Special Olympics is an opportunity for athletes who cannot compete in traditional high school sports to get the chance to be a part of a team and compete. Overbeck said that unified track is a chance for athletes to see if they like the structure of sports and can be a springboard to the Special Olympics.
“Any of these athletes can enter the Special Olympics. Some of the athletes will go on to do other sports such as basketball. Unified Track gives the athletes the opportunity to see if they like sports, competition, and practices,” said Overbeck.
According to Champions Together, unified track is an opportunity for athletes to grow in skill, friendships and leadership. It states that awareness has increased for unified sports and that many fundraisers have taken place to promote and raise money. McGuire said it has helped promote awareness tremendously and said it is an inspiring organization to be a part of.
McGuire said, “Unified sports help increase awareness state-wide and focus on an athlete’s ability not their disability. We want everyone to know that they are included and can be proud of the contributions they make to their school.”