Page 20 - OCT 2018 The Castle Pines Connection proof 1

The belief that nonpro t organizations strengthen our community, combined with faith in our readership and humanity in general that we all have talents to share, The Castle Pines Connection is committed to featuring a di erent local nonpro t each month. This month we highlight Uni ed Sports.
Uni ed Sports Brings Students of All Abilities Together
By Elise Brassell; photos courtesy of Special Olympics
20 CastlePinesConnection.com
According to a Special Olympics Colorado survey, 96 percent of students with an intellectual disability experienced improved self-con dence because of Uni ed Champion Schools programming at their school.
There are nearly1,000 participants in DCSD’s uni ed programming, including
at Douglas County High School, which recently became a Uni ed Champion National Banner school, one of six Colorado schools to be awarded this national honor.
“When students demonstrate a positive relationship with peers with disabilities,
it shows other students that it's ok to be friends with someone who is di erent or
has di erent needs. The ripple e ect is a culture and climate of acceptance in the school community, which hopefully spreads to our greater community,” Pate said. As for the student athletes with disabilities, “They develop friendships, get to feel what it’s like to be a part of a team and gain con dence and notoriety in their school community. With Uni ed Sports, these special athletes have the opportunity to simply have fun and feel a sense of accomplishment.”
To learn more about joining or volunteering for a Uni ed Sports program, contact your local school or visit specialolympics.org/ our-work/sports-and-games/uni ed-sports.
There’s something special about the bond between sports teammates, forged by struggling together through wins and losses, teamwork often builds lifelong friendships.
For many young athletes, learning to compete and have fun in sports begins
with school sports teams, but people with disabilities do not often get a chance to join a team.
Special Olympics set out to change that by creating its Uni ed Sports program. Uni ed Sports combines people with and without disabilities on the same team to build friendship and understanding.
Currently, 24 Douglas County School District (DCSD) schools participate in Uni ed Sports, including Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) which joined the program in 2015 o ering uni ed soccer, basketball and track.
Colleen Pate, teacher at RHMS and head of the school’s Uni ed Sports program said, “The athletes are so positive and exhibit genuine joy to be on the eld, participate
in a team sport, and hear bystanders cheer them on. I always say, if you're having
a bad day, just attend a uni ed sporting event and you will forget about all of your problems.”
Rocky Heights and several other area schools are Special Olympics Uni ed Champion Schools. “At Special Olympics Colorado, our Uni ed Champion
School programming includes inclusive opportunities for children and youth
both with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in competitive sports, youth leadership, whole-school activities and inclusive health and wellness programming,” said Paige ThiekeClough, uni ed champion schools manager, Special Olympics Colorado.
High- ves, fun and encouragement welcomed Uni ed Sports athletes who play sports such as basketball, soccer and track and eld.