Veronica Teeter

Connor Weindorf, Unified Track member and junior, does a victory jump after completing an event at practice. According to Halle Throgmorton, Unified Track helper and junior, Unified Track provides a fun and competitive environment for participants.

CHS is known for academic and athletic excellence. It’s home to 23 sports teams and competes against other schools around the state of Indiana. There is another sports team for students at CHS to interact with their peers who have intellectual and physical disabilities called the CHS Unified Track team. It’s sponsored through the organization Champions Together, which promotes  an opportunity for competitiveness in high school sports for students with disabilities.

Joe Blake, Unified Track team captain and senior, said he enjoys how Unified Track lets him interact with his peers.

Blake said, “My peers in Unified Track are great to be around and it’s just a great feeling embracing the kids in the Carmel community and making them feel wanted and loved. Being involved with the Champions Together program is just a great feeling overall because it allows me to make friends from all different backgrounds.”

Unified Track partner and junior Halle Throgmorton said she hopes that more student athletes with disabilities join the Unified Track team and that the team is more inclusive in letting her peers participate in different events.

Throgmorton said, “I definitely hope that more athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities join Unified Track. I want this to be more inclusive and (have) some of our friends in wheelchairs participate in throwing events such as shot put.”

Throgmorton also said she wants to help people in general because she gets joy out of seeing other people happy.

She said, “To see our friends with special needs having the same high school experience as everyone else just makes me thrilled.”