An inclusive way to play

The Center Moriches School District has been providing students with a more inclusive way to play sports with their addition of the Unified Sports Program.
The co-ed program, through Section XI, is for all students at the high-school level. According to the Unified Sports Website, the idea is to join people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

Teachers involved in the program include LisaAnn Zlatniski, the program’s bowling and golf coach and assistant basketball coach as well as the high school physical education teacher; Katie Ross, the CM middle school and high school health and physical education teacher and head coach of the unified basketball team and assistant top golf coach; and Tracy Sigerson, the high school special education teacher and transition coordinator, who also helps coach the bowling, golf, and basketball teams as an assistant.

Sigerson is also a certified Special Olympics coach and has been providing the opportunity for special education students to attend the Special Olympics for years.

“It started in 2013 when we saw a need for sports for kids with special needs and put it together with the Special Education PTA,” she said, noting her students participate in the javelin and softball toss and the 50-meter dash. “We still go every year and take student volunteers with us.”

The first team included about six students and now includes about four to eight. This year’s team will prepare soon, in the next month or so, to participate in the spring. On average, her team usually brings in about three gold medals and always places silver and bronze.
“It’s the most magical day ever. These kids just want to have fun and feel included,” she said. “It’s not about winning; they just want to cheer each other on.”

The event takes place at a to-be-announced Long Island school district and includes kids from all over both Suffolk and Nassau counties.

Members from the team are also typically involved in the district’s larger Unified Sports Program, which allows both special education students and regular education students to play together at the varsity level.

The district started this program about five years ago including golf, basketball and bowling.

According to Ross, the basketball team, which is through Section XI, participated in a total of eight games with local school districts. The team includes about 15 athletes with 15 regular education partners.

“It’s a normal basketball game with scorekeepers and announcers,” she said.

“The kids get a chance to compete in a sport and experience competition while also building friendship,” added Ross. “It’s cool to see the kids building confidence. Also, the relationship between the athlete and their partner grows from being teammates to also being friends off the court.”

As for the top golf team, it’s more of a club, explained Zlatniski. They play for a total of eight weeks, ending in February, and compete against other school districts. A total of about 17 student-athletes and their partners participated.

Their bowling team is also a varsity sport, with the season officially starting last month. The team includes about 32 students who practice daily and compete in matches at All-Star bowling in Riverhead.

The district is open to adding more sports in the future to expand the Unified Sports Program. For example, bocce ball has been added to other Suffolk County school districts.