In the midst of budget cuts and financial difficulty, there is a proposal to add something new, something that I have briefly mentioned before called Unified Sports.
But, what is Unified Sports, and why are we considering adding it to Sutton?
Unified Sports is part of the Special Olympics, designed for athletes with intellectual disabilities to have the opportunity to compete in sports.
When I spoke to Elain Barba, the treasurer of the Sutton Special Education Parent Advisory Council, she said “Unified Sports centers (around) achievement and extracurricular activities for students who traditionally are not included in extracurricular activities… varsity sports would not include the students that Unified Sports include”
Sutton is considering adding two Unified sports: track and field, and basketball.
How it works is that athletes with intellectual disabilities work alongside partners without intellectual disabilities who help them learn the sport.
This program is designed to promote inclusion, improve physical fitness, and equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners.
It also gives students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to “represent their school, and be competitive … be a part of a team and get celebrated” according to Elaine Barba.
Many schools in the area around us (including Grafton, Northbridge, and Shrewsbury) already have Unified Sports.
There are also professional teams that have Unified Sports.
The New England Revolution Soccer Team also has a Revolution Unified team, with 19 athletes and partners, selected through tryouts.
They play other Unified teams from places like Colorado (connected to the Colorado Rapids Soccer Team) and Charlotte (connected to the Charlotte FC Soccer Team).
To be a Unified partner, you don’t need to be able to play the sport at a Varsity level, you just need to be willing to learn and to teach.
Unified partners are there to be teammates and friends first.
However, athletes may not compete in a Varsity sport and a Unified Sport, so students would have to either choose between them or only compete in their off season.
Unified Sports currently adds $10,000 into next year’s budget. This includes coach salaries, transportation fees, and any other associated costs with starting the program.
Millbury High School would be the host for the Unified track and field events, which is convenient for us due to them being so close.
Many different sources I have come across during my research have highlighted the positive impact of Unified Sports, such as inclusivity, opportunities to learn, and the atmosphere.
In Unified Sports, all of the teams support each other. People cheer no matter who scores, or how many times the athletes do. They emphasize progress and positivity over cutthroat competition.
As Elain Barba put it, “they get celebrated… and that’s incredibly inspiring”
Unified Sports has seen huge growth, not only in Massachusetts, but all over the country. From eight Massachusetts teams in 2012 when the program started, there were 110 Unified track and field teams in 2024. More than 1,800 students participated in the spring of 2024.
In the darkness of all the cuts, Unified Sports represents a bright spot. Will Unified Sports contribute enough to our town to be worth the money? Only time will tell.
But Unified Sports has the potential to be a wonderful addition to Sutton, so be on the lookout for those teams coming next year.
