Loogootee High School is continuing to expand its involvement in unified sports, bringing together students with special needs and general education students in inclusive athletic competition. Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Josh Thompson says unified sports pair “athletes,” or students with special needs, with “partners” from the general student population to compete together. The program recently featured a Champions Together basketball game and has now expanded to include a unified track team this spring. He adds that participation has already grown in its first year, with eight students currently involved and expectations for continued growth as interest spreads. Unified sports are sanctioned by the IHSAA and follow a structure similar to other high school athletics, including sectional and state-level competition. Thompson says one of the program’s strengths is that it is treated with the same level of importance as traditional sports. A key goal of the program is to create meaningful opportunities for students who may not otherwise have the chance to compete. Thompson says the impact goes beyond the field, with increased interaction and support among students throughout the school. Loogootee’s unified team is scheduled to compete in another meet May 15 in Vincennes, with plans already underway to continue growing the program in the future. Listen to the full interview Sunday Morning on Getting in the Know with Greg Bateman on the Razor 94.5.
