Inclusive Sports

Anna and Nora are friends who participate in the Edina Unified South View program at Southview Middle School in Edina, Minnesota. Here, the pair shares their experiences in the program and how it has expanded their confidence and friendships.

Anna: Nora and I have been friends since elementary school, and we’re both happy that being part of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® program at South View Middle School gives us more time to have fun together. This program is basically our physical education program at school.

Nora: We like to play basketball together. I like to shoot baskets. I also do theatre and play the clarinet in the school band.

Anna: We both really like the outings that we go on in this program. We have done bowling, football, and we go to different places.

Nora: My favorite was skiing.

Anna: Before the outings, we learn about the different places so we can get ready for the outing. Once we’re there, most of the time, we’re buying our own lunches, and that means having exposure to money and spending.

Anna and Nora at a lemonade stand

I’ve had some fun times being with friends on these outings. One time, I went to the Kowalski’s grocery store with my friend Timothy. He decided that for lunch, he wanted a party-sized bag of Cheetos Puffs! We bought those, and he just started eating them. He ate a whole lot and had orange Cheeto puffs all over his face. You gotta do what you gotta do to eat those Cheeto Puffs.

Nora: I was proud and happy when we went downhill skiing at Highland Hills. I was also a little scared.

Anna: That was so amazing and awesome! They have this great adaptive ski program, so even our friends in wheelchairs had the chance to ski because they had adaptive skis for them.

I love having the opportunity to hang out with my Unified friends through sports and getting to adapt those sports for their needs and strengths.

My cousin has Down syndrome, and so does my really good neighbor friend. My mother works at GiGi’s Playhouse, a Down syndrome Achievement Center that provides free programs for individuals with Down syndrome. I had heard about the Unified program before entering middle school. So I was like, I feel this type of class during the day would be so much fun, and I love to get closer to these friends.

Nora: Being a friend is being kind.

Anna: Being in this class has helped Nora make some friends. I think she’s made some awesome ones through all the Unified classes and programs. I think it’s a safe place for Nora and all of her friends, and I also feel like I have found a safe space, too.

When Nora walks down the hall, she always gets a “Hi, Nora,” everywhere she goes because there are so many friends she’s met through this.

For me, inclusivity means joining everyone together, finding happiness within everyone, and trying to be as kind to everyone as I can. I feel like that is something the world kind of needs, and it just makes everything a lot happier and more fun. And so, I've been working on my person-first language, and using words like inclusive, and I think I’ve grown because of it. I think using those words makes people feel a bit more “seen.”