The final games of JAG’s Unified Basketball season were held last Friday at James A. Garfield High School. “The program has been just awesome!” Abra Schweickert, Special Education Intervention Specialist at James A. Garfield High School shared.
This was the first season of the Unified program at JAG. Schweickert learned about it after one of her student’s family inquired about finding a team for their child. “Other kids in the family are on teams and she was hoping to find one for my student,” she shared.
In her research, Schweickert learned about the Unified Basketball program, which is facilitated through Special Olympics. Through the program, teams of special needs individuals compete in various sports including soccer, flag football, basketball, track, and kickball.
The games are run during the school day with area schools that also have a Unified Sports team in that sport. Schools host tournaments and teams sign up for the events they want to participate in. The program supplies uniforms and equipment. “I wish you could have seen my students’ faces when their uniforms arrived!” Schweickert marveled. “They were real team jerseys!”
Named the Shamrock Shootout, last Friday’s event included two teams from Cleveland: the Falcons from Garret Morgan High School and the Wolverines from Lincoln West High School. In addition to the Garfield Gmen, the Bees from Brecksville Broadview Heights High School rounded out this final tournament of the season. Each school brought around 15 players and a handful of helpers to JAG on game day.
Other than JAG, the only other schools in Portage County that have Unified Schools are Kent Roosevelt and Streetsboro, but there are many more across Northeast Ohio. “I am hoping more schools in our area will join in the future so we can play some neighboring schools that are the ones we play in our traditional leagues,” she added. “We have 11 players from my classroom and then 12 student coaches,” she continued. “The student coaches are either NHS students or from my CEC class. Many are on the basketball team at JAG, which has been great to make that connection.”
Schweickert continued, “The student coaches have been wonderful! They have made it such an authentic experience for my students. They come to practice with the clipboard just like our varsity coaches have, they lead practices during the week, and warm-ups before the games.” JAG’s Unified basketball team traveled to three basketball tournaments in this inaugural season: one at Kent Roosevelt, one at Cuyahoga Falls, and one at Tallmadge. “My students were so excited to come back and report if they won or lost!”
For JAG’s Shamrock Shootout, the NHS students worked in collaboration with Schweickert’s students to create the event schedule and coached or helped run the tournament. They also divided the high school classes so each visiting school will have their own cheering section. Various high school teachers provided time in class to create signs posted around the gymnasium to support each team. That morning, after a welcome message from JAG Superintendent Ted Lysiak, the JAG HS choir sang the National Anthem. Teacher Tom Bartz served as commentator during the tournament, and three seniors from the Lady Gmen varsity basketball team served as referees. During the tournament, students packed the stands waving signs and cheering for the players. When JAG’s team scored, the crowd went wild. A few minutes later, when the opposing team scored, the volume and excitement was just as boisterous, and that energy continued throughout the event.
Schweickert shared, “At a game, one of our student coaches told me, ‘I think they (my students) feel normal,’ and that’s the best way to sum up the Unified Basketball experience for them,” she marveled. “My students have made such great connections with students in the high school and I think the high school students have had a chance to understand a special needs student better. This is a huge mission of mine, and it’s heartwarming to see it happening at JAG,” she concluded.
Schweickert hopes to continue the Unified Basketball team at JAG next year and beyond. And who knows – maybe Gmen and Lady Gmen will compete at the Special Olympics USA Games that will be held in Cleveland in 2030.
