Suddenly a hush comes over the crowd. Tension rises as the opposing teams gather on both sides of the court, field, or rink, ready to do everything they can to succeed which usually means working together to run faster, skate smoother, pass quicker, and ultimately score the highest in order to defeat the other

school.

This is often what comes to mind when a student hears the words “game,” “match,” or “tournament.”

On Monday, March 6, at the first MHS Unified Track and Field meeting of the season, Vanessa Bettencourt, Christine Martinelli, and the veteran partners–or experienced team members without an intellectual disability–made it clear that many more fun, life-changing experiences make up this team.

Milton created its Unified Track team in 2019 intending to give students with and without intellectual disabilities the ability to train and compete as a team.

According to Bettencourt, who is coaching the team for the first time this year, “the idea is to include everyone.” This idea of inclusivity seems to be becoming increasingly integrated into professional sports. On March 20 of last year, 21-year-old Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to complete the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full marathon run. This past November, 33-year-old Kayleigh Williamson made history as one of the first women with Down syndrome to complete

the New York City Marathon.

Bettencourt believes that “inclusion starting in high school is very important” because it allows all students at the high school to see themselves in sports in the future.

Bettencourt, Martinelli, and the veteran partners also stressed the significance of maintaining a positive

mindset to inspire the intellectually disabled team member they are partnered with every week. This includes listening to their needs, always being kind and supportive, and helping to keep everyone focused, which Bettencourt added is “one of the most important and difficult parts of competing.”

Something else Bettencourt plans to prioritize is allowing all partners and athletes the opportunity to complete their daily goal every time they come to practice, even if that goal is just showing up.

Specifically, she described how having partners help their athletes establish a distinct goal daily allows them to best “know what to expect and how to support them.”

Keeping all of this in mind, the partners met with their athletes for the first time on Tuesday, March 19. This first practice included a visit from Tono Tovar, an ultra-marathoner and representative from the sneaker brand Hoka, who will eventually be putting together an adaptive stretching training for the team. The brand is also giving the team members the chance to provide feedback about changes that should be made for their next lines of shoes.

Additionally, Martinelli has already put together a team playlist with all of the partners’ and athletes’ favorite songs to keep everyone motivated as they workout.

After several Monday and Tuesdays practices, the team of about 20 partners and 12 athletes will complete one meet a week, starting on April 10, participating in the shotput, javelin, the running long jump, the relay, the 100, 400, and maybe the 800.

But the athletes and the partners won’t be going home as soon as they have raced because as Bettencourt remarked at the meeting, “I think that one of the most powerful things about sport is eating afterwards.”

Staying true to this statement, she is encouraging partners and athletes to bring some snacks so the team can “tailgate” after the meet “to celebrate our shared experience competing together,” whether that means

celebrating their successes and/or failures.

In short, as junior and experienced partner Riley Bergin puts it, participating in Unified Track and Field is “so much fun. Everyone is so supportive. Everyone has the same goal to build an inclusive, fun team.”

And, fortunately, spring is not the only Unified season at MHS because, along with the MHS adaptive gym classes and Best Buddies club, brand new Unified Art and Music classes are being offered next fall.

Furthermore, there will be an MHS Unified Basketball team starting this fall! Make sure to stay tuned for more opportunities to create a more welcoming environment for all of the students at the high school.