Starting in the spring every year, Unified Track is a program that provides athletic opportunities for students with special needs and students without, to participate in sports as a whole. It begins from late February, going all the way through May.
Practices for the team are twice a week after school and this year the school has decided to do Unified Track on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-4:00 pm. There will be five meets for the school to participate in, as there have been more Unified schools added to the conference. As said from Special Olympics North Carolina, there are now over 30 schools that provide this program throughout the state.
Unified Track is atypical, being unique from any other sport. This activity is specialized and has fun elements with anyone being able to participate. Students that made it to nationals in June of 2022 traveled to Disney and visited Animal Kingdom as tribute for all the hard work the athletes put in. More so, the meets consist of dressing up and various themes.
With this, Coach Carneisha Cosby, the organizer for Unified Track, says that before training, the students listen to music, play games and have a snack for fuel and motivation. She wants to further allow the Unified Track athletes to incorporate some fun ideas for practice, including the Special Olympics and Unified Track schools partnering up to have a school-wide challenge on the app Goose Chase. Last year, the Green Hope Unified Track athletes came first, earning unique supplies and a pizza celebration. The team puts in hard work, but is also an enjoyable time for everyone.
As the spring season is coming up, many are excited– including the coach and some students that participated the year before. The regular education students not only race, but are paired with one or two special education student athletes, which provide support, coaching and help.
Renee McClernon (‘25), a past and current Unified Track athlete, shares “Normal education students will help coach and teach the special education students how to do track, like how to throw a shot put, but the normal education students also give them a challenge and compete and race with them.” McClernon also says “I think Unified Track is a great way to learn a new skill set, the special education students get the opportunity to feel like they are a part of a sports team here at Green Hope, and they get to learn how to run track and feel included. Special education students and normal education students are onto one team and treat everyone equally.”
People appreciate the inclusivity as this is a program for everyone and Coach Cosby is proud to be part of this team, sharing the positive impacts of Unified Track, “I feel proud to be a part of such a fantastic program. I just learned about it when I came to work here at Green Hope. It has taught me to be more open and push the students to their fullest potential, which they love. The students ask for more challenging drills and more meets to compete. Most of these students face challenges in more ways than just disabilities, so when they are willing to face the world and conquer challenges such as learning to run in lanes, pass a baton, long jump, and throw a shot put – it’s nearly impossible to tell them they cannot do it!”
Anthony Santo (‘25), a participating special education athlete, shares how he really likes the environment of Unified Track. He states that his favorite part is “winning” and that he can’t wait to be back this season, looking forward to it.
This team has provided students, parents and coaches with joyful memories and great achievements that make them return for every season possible. It is an exceptional addition to Green Hope and only shows positivity throughout. Being a welcoming environment, it’s a great sport to be a part of, no matter who partakes.
