Last week, the EHS Unified Sports team participated in the Special Olympics Bocce Tournament.

Teams from multiple high schools and middle schools in the area came together at Collins Perley Sports Center in St. Albans.

 “This year’s Special Olympics Unified Bocce Tournament was a lot of fun,” Unified Sports coach, Julie Shaw, said.  “After a little rain, our athletes enjoyed competing in the sun, everyone worked so well together, and teams were cheering each other on.”

The rain slowed things down a bit, but as soon it passed, game play picked up and everyone was back playing their best. 

The tournament ended with an awards ceremony. Teams at each of the 12 bocce courts were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. The games were fun and earning medals made it even better. 

“Unified Sports pairs students with intellectual disabilities with neurotypical students to compete in sports, all while forming connections,” Shaw said. “Both athletes and partners get to meet students who they wouldn’t otherwise run into at EHS, and in the end, the club benefits everyone.” 

EHS Unified Sports also has a basketball team and a bowling team that meets at Sparetime in Colchester.

“We can always use more partners for each sport, as the true benefit of Unified is when the ratio is 1:1 student-athlete to partner, and the partners are helping the students with the sport more than adults,” Shaw said.