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Columbus Unified Track and Field competing at state

Columbus Telegram - 5/20/2022

May 19—Today members of the Columbus High School Unified Track and Field Team are competing at state in Omaha.

In place for at least two years, Unified Sports is a Special Olympics program in which certain high school students — previously referred to as special needs but now known as CLS students — are paired with a non-disabled partner.

Columbus Unified track and field coach Ashlyn Wildman said the athlete and partner don't necessarily compete together at once, but their scores/times are combined. The partners can be any student, regardless of their personal athletic ability.

A Nebraska School Activities Association sanctioned event, Unified Sports works similarly to traditional sports with regular competitions taking place throughout the season.

The Columbus team competes in long jump, 100-meter dash and 400 relay.

This season, Columbus Unified qualified in all three events.

According to Wildman, Alex Lotspeich and partner Ashton LaPointe qualified by taking first for long jump and second for 100-meter dash. The relay team — which consists of Lotspeich and LaPointe along with Tristan Reimer and partner Dennis Pelowski — had placed second for the 400.

The team had gone to state last year and things have been going great so far this year, Wildman added.

"We've placed in the top in the top five at every meet with the relays, the long jump and the 100-meter dash," Wildman said. "So it was expected. We knew that we were probably eventually going to go to state because of how ... well they've done so far."

Amber Stary, who helped start the Unified program in Columbus, had been a coach for the local Special Olympics when she and her husband decided to start a youth program. They began talking to the schools about launching a Unified program with a bowling team.

"I was always a pusher to try to get Unified into Columbus because I thought it was a very good program," Stary said.

Stary noted they were able to get Unified started when current Columbus Public Schools Director of Athletics and Activities Tim Kwapnioski joined the school district.

Once the bowling team got underway, the program expanded to track and field.

"It's a really good program because it shows inclusion for everybody. Those kids feel great when they're able to compete with their peers," Stary said.

Wildman said the Unified teams create a culture that's very much needed.

"Using the word unified brings unity and I think that Columbus is a very cultural bridge kind of community. It shows that we're very diversified," Wildman said.

Stary added there are similar programs in the community, such as a soccer one through AYSO. For that, the "athletes with specialties" have buddies and the buddy is a peer their age. There are also both adult and youth Special Olympics still active, she added.

"There are lots of programs that we're trying to implement in Columbus where these special needs athletes get to be a part of their peers' lives too," Stary said.

Along with the Unified athletes, the program is also beneficial to the partners.

"For the Unified partner, it's good for them to see that their peers want to be involved in things that they do," Stary said. "It's a really amazing experience to watch these athletes be able to compete with their peers because back in the day that didn't happen. They weren't included in anything that anybody else did. Being able to even compete in high school is pretty amazing. Before they were just sitting on the sidelines watching their brothers and sisters compete."

Hannah Schrodt is the news editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.

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