Smiles, high fives and medals

The view at the finish line is unlike any other in sports. For those competing in Unified Track and Field, that idea is not only reinforced, but possibly unmatched.  
There isn’t a frown or growl to be had. Surely no disappointment, either. Smiles, high fives and celebrations across the board is what separates Unified Track from anything else. It’s also what keeps Aurora special education director and Unified Sports coach Jeff Sutter coming back. 
For years now, Sutter and Aurora have given special needs students the opportunity to compete in athletics and activities through Unified Sports, sanctioned by the Nebraska School Activities Association. 
Those opportunities have come through several avenues, including a bowling team in the late fall and track and field team in the spring season. 
“Basically, it’s trying to have an inclusive school with students who are in special education with some higher cognitive needs,” Sutter said. “It allows them to participate in activities in school.”
Three years ago, Aurora began by offering Unified Bowling and added Unified Track and Field the following spring. 
“It’s been a great opportunity and experience for the kids,” Sutter said. “They’ve really enjoyed it and it’s been great to partner and have mentorships with all students. Just to be able to provide that inclusiveness within the high school building, that’s been pretty powerful.”
Unified Track is a fairly short season, not necessarily unlike its varsity counterpart. Aurora was set to participate in three meets this spring, but one was cancelled due to bad weather. 
Sutter and the Unified Track team practiced twice a week in preparation for those meets, which included three events -- the long jump, 400 meter relay and 100 meter dash. 
“It’s fun to see the kids out competing and having fun,” Sutter said. “That’s the most important part of all this. It’s for the kids to have fun and the opportunity to experience competing in front of a crowd.”
As part of the inclusiveness Unified Sports is trying to achieve, that goes a bit further in terms of their events. 
The meets that Aurora’s Unified Track team has participated in aren’t standalone events -- they’re meshed into a host school’s varsity track meet. 
For example, York hosted its annual Yowell Track Invite April 24. Inside of that varsity meet was the Unified Sports teams competing at the same time. 
“It’s a great opportunity for everyone involved,” Sutter commented. “It’s nice to mesh the Unified events with everyone else because it’s that inclusive piece.”
Sutter also added that this year, events Aurora youth have participated in handed out medals to the competitors, which is another reinforcement to keep working and a reason to celebrate. 
“It gives them something to earn and have fun in the process,” Sutter said. 
Over the years that Aurora has offered Unified Sports to its students, Sutter pointed out that participation has only increased over time in both bowling and track, and that’s a big positive. 
“The students that participate in it, they just love it,” Sutter noted. “They enjoy it and talk about it every day. They’re even excited about just going to practice. They like being part of something.”
Aurora’s participation numbers for both Unified bowling and track have been pretty positive, Sutter noted. 
Like any other high school sport, there are those who only want to compete in bowling or track and field and others who are the multi-sport athletes. 
“This gives them the experience of being an athlete and the experience of high school sports and activities,” Sutter said. 
“For some of them, it’s all they talk about,” Sutter continued with a smile. “They live for Unified bowling or track and it gives them an opportunity to look forward to something during the day or after school.”
While Sutter pointed out that the Unified athletes enjoy seeing their results of how far they could jump or how fast their 100 dash time was, that’s not all it’s about for them. It’s about building social skills for later in life, too. 
“They love going to practice, competing and getting to know kids from other towns,” Sutter said. “Building those social skills is valuable for both sides and for the schools to be able to come together.” 
Sutter explained that Unified Sports has had huge success in Nebraska’s bigger cities like Omaha, Lincoln and North Platte, but added that participation in other areas closer to Aurora have picked up recently as well. 
Aurora’s Unified Track team competed in Grand Island and York this spring and was also set to compete in Central City, which was cancelled by bad weather. 
Looking forward, Sutter is excited about the opportunity to have a Unified Track competition in the years to come at Aurora during its home invite. 
“It provides an opportunity and experience for students who don’t have an opportunity to participate in activities or athletics,” Sutter pointed out. “It’s a proactive way to do it and provides school pride with a positive culture and climate within the school.”
Like other sports, there’s opportunities for those in Unified Sports to qualify for state as well. 
As part of the inclusiveness part of the entire sport, Unified Track and Field competitors are given the opportunity to display their talents during state track at Omaha Burke, right along with the rest of the meet. 
While it’s unclear yet if any Aurora Unified athlete will compete at Burke later this month, they have done so in the past. 
“In order to participate, you have to have a qualifying time,” Sutter noted. “That’s been going on for awhile. The Special Olympics really started that movement.” 
There’s also a state competition for Unified Bowling, giving those athletes the opportunity to chase the same thing the varsity athletes do.
Aurora’s Unified bowlers have competed at districts the last couple years, vying for a state tournament ticket. 
Sutter, a big sports fan in his own right, loves every minute of being able to provide similar opportunities in the sports and activities world to those who look forward to it. 
“It just brings joy to my heart to be able to give students the opportunity to participate and be involved,” Sutter said. “When you see the smiles on their faces and the enjoyment they’re having with the interaction with other students, it’s just awesome and neat to be part of.”
He also mentioned the great support from the school and community of Aurora for providing those opportunities to its special needs students, noting these experiences will stick with the kids for the rest of their lives. 
“We have great support within the community and the school to provide this opportunity,” Sutter said. “I hope we can continue to provide these experiences for all students, because it’s beneficial for everyone and something they’ll never forget the rest of their lives.”