Holyoke High School North hosted 16 unified track and field teams from around the region on Wednesday, May 13 as they participated in the WesternMass Championships.
Unified Track and Field is an interscholastic sport program where students with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on one team.
“I love the Unified Championships! It is so awesome to watch the athletes and the partners compete and cheer each other on regardless of the team they are on,” said HPS Athletic Director Melanie Martin.
The day was a huge success, she said, with friendly competition and lots of smiles. Volunteers, staff, officials, and Special Olympics representatives all played a key role in organizing and running the event. Holyoke has hosted the Unified Track and Field Championships for eight years and plans to continue hosting.
“It is a wonderful celebration of inclusion and sportsmanship. Events like this clearly show the success of Unified Sports,” said Ms. Martin.
The Holyoke Unified Track and Field team will be traveling to Natick on May 27 to participate in the MIAA Unified Track State Championships.
