With spring sports starting to rev up, unified track is just about to start their season.

People may think what is different from regular track and field and Unified track and field other than the kids.

Coach Pete Guipe said,”Our meets are timed and scored like any track meet. The difference is we have less events. We compete in only two field events (long jump and shot put). We also run only the 100, 400 individual, and 4 x 100 relays.”
Running is not the only reason people are so involved in this sport, it’s the cause and what this sport is really doing for the kids that are participating.

Coach Guipe said,”The cause of Unified sports is to just get students involved with their classmates who have developmental disabilities. It gets them onto a competitive playing field with each other and supporting each other.”
What most people do not think of is the kids who are putting in the hard work but are not exactly getting the chance to go on that big stage.

Coach Guipe said,” I support all Unified sports, but track and field is unique in that it’s timed or measured individually. We will have kids trying to get their PR’s each and every meet. We have fun first, but the kids compete. I remember vividly my daughter Elly’s fist pump at her PR in a shot put at Sectionals last year.”

Watching Unified track for the first time something caught my eye, it was the students and athletes helping unified Track and field Athletes get through their meets.

Senior Kenna Hussung said,”It is very special that I am able to go out and help these kids every meet, and just seeing their smiles when they pass the finish line is what makes me so happy to be able to do this for them.”

With the season about to start up. Kenna Hassung is excited to prepare for the first meet.

Hussung said,”With practices being mostly on Tuesday and Thursday, the team is ready to get out on the track and run to prepare for this season’s meets starting at Franklin central highschool on April third.”

With years of sports experience the coaching/volunteers bring the most honest and helping training that these kids will get from anywhere.

Senior Jackson Simms said,”We take practices and training like any other team, start with the basics and slowly improve as we get closer to the start of the season.”

When looking at the differences between unified sports and any other sport, unified sports just show how much teamwork and trust you need in sports.

Simms said,”I have taken things that I have learned from many other sports including swimming and baseball to help these kids improve on their performance.”