Seymour High School starts Unified track and field team

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In the long jump area at Seymour High School’s Bulleit Stadium, an athlete leaped from the rubberized surface into the sand.

“That was perfect,” coach Jessica Floyd said while clapping and encouraging the student. “Good form.”

At the shot put ring, coach Amanda Jones taught athletes the proper stance and release technique so they could throw the shot put far into the gravel.

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“You had the arch in there this time,” Jones said to one of the athletes. “Nice job.”

As athletes ran around the track together, everyone smiled and had a good time.

Seymour High School’s first Unified Sports track and field team is off and running — and throwing and jumping, too.

Seven athletes, 13 peer helpers and two coaches are involved. The team had its first meet April 5 at Columbus North High School, and it has two more this week — at 5 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. Saturday at Columbus East High School.

The participants then compete in the sectional May 19. Those who qualify advance to regional May 26 and then the state finals June 2.

Since track and field is new to nearly all of the participants, the coaches were proud of the effort at the first meet.

“I was very surprised with all of our kids,” said Jones, an instructional assistant in a special needs classroom at Seymour High School. “I didn’t doubt them one bit. I knew that they could do it, and to see the other team interact with our team, I cried. It was very emotional.”

Having coached girls soccer at Seymour High School for five years in the past, Floyd said the meet was a different experience.

“The coaches meeting was so different than what I’m used to,” said Floyd, who teaches family and consumer sciences at the high school. “I’m used to a very competitive, before-a-game kind of mindset. This was completely different. It was the most friendly, inviting welcome by everyone on their staff, their students. It was amazing.”

At this meet, it didn’t matter what the final score was or what placing, time or distance anyone got. The experience is what counted most.

“Columbus North was a really great host, I will say that, and it was a very, very, very nice experience,” Jones said. “I couldn’t ask for a better first track meet.”

Earlier this year, Seymour High School announced it was joining the Unified Sports program and offering a Unified track and field team.

Unified Sports is a join effort between the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Special Olympics Indiana to incorporate Unified Sports programs in IHSAA member schools. It recognizes and offers opportunities for students with and without disabilities to compete in an IHSAA-sanctioned activity.

Jones and Floyd attended a regional coaches clinic in Jennings County to learn how the program works, and they returned to Seymour to let students know about the new offering.

The athletes had to have an IHSAA physical form on file at the school to be able to practice, and then they had to have 10 supervised practices to be eligible compete in the first meet.

Athletes also had to turn in Owl Card information, including a risk of injury form, an emergency medical form, an extracurricular drug consent form, a student and parent consent and permission form and concussion/sudden cardiac arrest acknowledgement. The Owl Card gives the students free admission to other Seymour High School sporting events.

Practices started after spring break and were every school day leading up to the first meet. Since then, they have been for 45 minutes after school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If a student can’t make it to practice and they are enrolled in a physical education class, that counts as a practice.

Filling out an Owl Card and a physical form, competing in Unified track and field and ending the season in good standing will result in the awarding of a varsity letter.

At the first meet, athletes could compete in up to four events — 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 400-meter relay, shot put or long jump.

“You can practice, practice, practice, but then when it actually came to meet time, it was neat to see them,” Floyd said. “I didn’t know if we would remember what we were supposed to do and when we were supposed to do it, and they did it. They just stepped up to the plate and did it, and it was great to see that.”

Freshman Jeremiah Griffin and junior Haley Ackeret had competed in track and field since eighth grade, but this was their first Unified track and field meet.

Both did shot put and the relay, while Griffin also did the 400, and Ackeret competed in the 100.

“You just get to do what you like doing,” Ackeret said of track and field.

Both of them said it’s fun making friends while practicing and competing.

“I think it’s good for people that are like us to have it because then they can do it without being on regular track and field,” Ackeret said.

“It’s good to get special needs kids involved in stuff,” Griffin said.

Sophomores Montana Suits and Haidy Romero are among the peer helpers.

Romero volunteers in Jones’ classroom, so she was familiar with most of the athletes.

“When we saw our kids doing what they could do, it was very amazing. I’m pretty sure we all cried,” she said of the first meet. “It’s very heartwarming to see them improve, and when you can go outside and you can watch them do things every other person does, you feel very proud. It makes me really happy.”

Wednesday’s meet will be Suits’ first opportunity to compete.

“It’s fun to help out,” he said. “I grew up with a cousin that had Down syndrome. Most of these people don’t get a chance to do stuff, and this gives them an extra chance to do something. It’s fun to learn something new with other people.”

Jones said the peer helpers are good examples for the athletes.

“It builds our kiddos’ self-esteem up,” she said. “It is life-changing, and it’s very nice to see that my students go and do something that other kids are able to do that they have never been able to be a part of.”

Being involved has made a big impact on the coaches, too.

“I don’t think I could ask for a better blessing,” Jones said. “It’s very touching to my heart. These kids have a huge spot in my heart.”

Floyd encourages others to attend a Unified track and field meet.

“It’s a very life-changing, heartfelt, emotional opportunity,” she said. “To see some of your athletes who the whole stands are cheering for and they are trying their hardest and crossing that finish line, it is really neat.”

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Seymour High School Unified Sports track and field team

Seniors: Chelsea Brown, Alex Hayes, Zach Moore and Elijah Noble

Juniors: Haley Ackeret and Kelsey Young

Sophomores: Jammy Garcia, Aidan Hiester, Brady Lake, Anne Lenart, Allison O’Brien, Haidy Romero, Hannah Romero, Mia Schrader and Montana Suits

Freshmen: Colin Brown, Jeremiah Griffin and Caleb VonDielingen

Coaches: Jessica Floyd and Amanda Jones

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