Building bridges with Unified Sports

Inclusion for athletes with disabilities begins in the community level. Right here in Logan, over 30 athletes compete on Unified Sports teams under the Special Olympics program.   

The athletes’s coach McKell Esser advocates for their right to inclusion, competition and space for them to feel a community connection within the sports world.  

“They just have so much fun,” Esser said. “It’s really important to them in their lives. They look forward to each season.” 

The joy and excitement in these competitors’s lives doesn’t come from simply playing a sport with a ball — it comes from competing alongside volunteers, known as Unified partners. 

“We have the partners come to really develop relationships with the athletes,” said Liv Schneider, head of the Unified Sports program at Utah State University. “It’s a way for them to be with other college students.” 

Without Unified partners, these athletes can’t be placed on Unified teams eligible for competition. It’s not an easy ask on their fellow peers, according to Schneider. Typical volunteers are college students donating an hour and a half of their time per week to coach these athletes and play alongside them.  

Although some college students are committed to playing with these athletes, Esser said they “always need more.” Specifically, they need more volunteers to support these Unified athletes as they gear up for their upcoming basketball season.  

Beginning Jan. 29, the teams will begin weekly practice until the end of March. They’ll kick it off with a competition held at Weber State University and face off against other northern Utah teams. 

Shortly after, the athletes will face teams all over the state for a two-day tournament held in Salt Lake City.  

The Unified athletes represent a wide array of abilities, ages and demographics. Athletes can start the program as young as eight and play until they’re 40 years old. Filling the gaps of meeting their needs while challenging their skills is a difficult task that relies on understanding the diversity of the athletes, according to Esser. Difficult, yet something she would consider worth it in order to see these athletes “learn and create.” 

To better identify their needs, athletes are assessed based on their individual abilities. They are then organized into teams that match their skill level. When competition time comes, these athletes play teams with similar assessment scores, offering an opportunity to stretch their skills.  

Utah State offers Unified athletes a space to practice, equipment and volunteers to meet the community responsibility of including these athletes.  

Offering space is the first step to including athletes with disabilities in the community, but the shared responsibility to show up for these individuals and be their partners is what coach Esser deems as most valuable. 

“That’s been my hardest thing,” Esser said. “We need more partners.” 

With over 20,000 students at the Logan campus, the struggle to find committed volunteers underscores a gap in awareness and involvement from the community. 

“You know, a lot of them have a harder time being able to get out into the community,”  Esser said, speaking of the Unified athletes. “This is one way that they can do it.” 

The difference volunteers make doesn’t go unnoticed by Esser, the athletes or the support system behind these individuals.  

Students and community members can sign up to volunteer as a partner who plays with these athletes or as a coach, both of which Esser said are always needed and welcomed. 

“I think being part of a team is one of the greatest things you can do,” Schneider said.  

Offering the opportunity to compete connects these athletes with a space where they can feel seen, connect and compete — a space where volunteers can develop a deeper understanding of fellow community members and a memorable friendship. 

Willing individuals who would like to sign up as volunteers for Unified Sports can contact Liv Schneider liv.grosz@usu.edu.  For more information on how to sign up as a volunteer check out the Unified Sports webpage: usu.edu/campusrec/competitive-sports/unified-sports.