CREST HAVEN – At Cape Tech, the sweat and hard work of basketball is breaking down barriers between those with disabilities and those without.
Andrew Egnor, a counselor and anti-bullying specialist at Cape Tech, hopes that a new sports program, “Unified Sports,” will spark empathy and create an atmosphere of positivity at Cape Tech and the county’s special education district.
Heartwarming as the concept may be, competition at Unified Sports games is fierce.
“These kids take it seriously,” Steve Vitiello, Cape Tech’s principal, said. “The kids interact so positively, but these are competitions. If the team struggles with rebounds, you can be sure they’ll hit that at practice. They’re all working on getting better at the sport.”
Each Unified Sports team is a combination of children with disabilities from Cape May County High School and students from Cape Tech. The competition often goes offsite, which is especially exciting for disabled students who have limited opportunities for field trips.
At present, “Unified Sports” means basketball and soccer, but Egnor hopes the program will expand to track-and-field come springtime.
Students compete with other “Unified Sports” teams across South Jersey, including Mainland Regional High School, Egg Harbor Township High School, and Cedar Creek High School.
Erin Oleen, who works in the Special Services district, takes on the daunting, logistical task of arranging transport and communicating with parents, many of whom might be nervous for their children to travel so far. Many of the disabled children require special accommodations to travel or play sports.
“Accommodations can include one-to-one aides for student safety, American Sign Language interpreters, and specialized transportation,” she said. “Communicating with the parents is key, as many of our students do not have the ability to go home and relay information about practices and games to their family members.”
Egnor stressed that none of this would be possible without enthusiastic support from Cape Tech’s students. Emma Szambelak, a senior at Cape Tech, was on the pilot program last year, but loved the experience so much that she stuck around as “Unified Sports” entered its first full year in the 2022-2023 school year.
“You get to know the kids on a deeper level,” she said. “You might think you have nothing in common, but after you get to know them, you realize they’re just another friend. They’re not different than us.”
Anna Zuzulock, a senior at Cape Tech, said that the program has made it easier for Cape Tech students to empathize with disabled children. Unified Sports creates positive points of contact that might not otherwise exist.
Zuzulock is a Unified Sports “partner.” She and other Cape Tech students befriend disabled students and attend to their needs during practices, and sometimes in the heat of a game. This means helping students keep the ball in play. Other times, it might mean a supportive hug.
Laura Schweizer, a junior at Cape Tech, loves that the program combines the thrill of sports with the thrill of being kind to others.
“I love seeing the smiles on their faces,” she said. “I love to see them play. It makes me happy; it makes me smile. I met a lot of kids who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”
Schweizer loves to hype her team up with face paint. She paints war stripes and the school’s letters on her teammates.
“Who doesn’t love that,” she said.
Megan McLaughlin, a freshman student with a mental disability, was thrilled to play basketball alongside Szambelak, Zuzulock, and Schweizer. McLaughlin is a “shared time” student, which means she takes classes at Cape Tech while fulfilling her main curriculum at the Special Services district. Her favorite class now is cosmetology.
“I love doing my makeup and hair,” she said.
McLaughlin, Zuzulock, Szambelak, and Schweizer formed a tight bond in the year that they played together. Although the competition at games is stiff, kindness and fun are the top priority. Games are divided into six “quarters,” so every student, even those with more dramatic special needs, has equal play time.
“Unified Sports” isn’t a niche program at Cape Tech. It recently took center stage as the whole school came out for a “Fans in the Stands” event, where students with disabilities were celebrated with a gym full of rowdiness, cheerleading, and fanfare.
Many of these children have never been celebrated in this way before.
“It’s a great way for special needs kids to have time in the spotlight,” Egnor said.
As the program expands to more sports, more disabled students will have the chance to be celebrated.
“Everybody deserves that,” Egnor said.
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 156.
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