By Baylee Knebel
Being a part of Unified Track might seem like a one-way street, that you are just giving your help to kids for their well being, nothing more.
That can’t be further from the truth.
The coaches and general education students who participate also benefit greatly.
Mr. Kurt Griffis has been a strong Unified Track volunteer for several years. Recently he has taken over as the Unified Track head coach.
Over the course of his involvement in Unified Track, he has seen some extraordinary things. One moment that sticks out in his mind was when special needs student Savannah Shockley ran a 100-meter dash. This was quite an accomplishment because Savannah had mobility issues and did not move fast, this was also on Savannah’s senior night.
“It was beautiful,” Griffis said. “She worked hard and the crowd went nuts and I mean it was fantastic.”
Moments like these are what make the experience of being on Unified Track rewarding to everyone.
Though it may seem from the outside rewarding and easy, it is a challenge and you have to work at it every day. Last year the team faced a challenge of successfully handing off the baton during the relays.
To help with this the general education students, who are the mentors, must show patience.
“Passing the baton off correctly is something we practice a lot and get it done,” sophomore gen ed team member Lily Dennis said.
Lily was originally in traditional track and field but didn’t enjoy it much, so she joined unified track and now she loves it.
With going through passing the baton every practice it has helped them stay focused and it is fundamental to be successful.
Last year four seniors did unified track. Among that group was Neal Mosier, which interested his brother, sophomore Sam Mosier, to become a gen ed member of the team and join his friends.
He has learned an important life skill by being on the team.
“Staying patient with some of the kids when they don’t really understand it right away and trying to help them understand it and have fun,” Sam said.
During the events it can be challenging to stay patient and be able to coach mid-event.
Gen ed students help by running alongside them while they are running during the event.
“We try to run beside them down the line and keep them going,” Lily said.
This has helped many of the students be able to finish the races strong and not get discouraged.
“They help us by running with us and making sure we get there,” unified track runner Jayden Carter said.
When runners finish a race, they often have their different celebration styles. These celebrations include running around, yelling or cheering. There is a fan favorite among them.
“I like to celebrate with my teammates,” unified track runner Morgan Gaddis said. “[It makes me] happy.”
Making new friends and spending time with the team is one of Morgan’s favorite things about the sport.
Jayden also enjoys the celebrations.
“I just go up to my friends and we fist bump and stuff,” he said.
The team’s first meet is April 25 at Fort Wayne Northside.
