By Nicasia Thelen

Lincoln Southwest was among six other LPS high schools who signed on and agreed to compete in unified bowling. There was at least 40 other high schools in Nebraska who also participated in unified bowling. With a combination of athletes and partners on each team, students at Southwest were welcomed to be on a high school sports team. Students at Southwest were asked to be a partner on the unified bowling team and were open to the idea.

“I wasn’t sure what I thought about it, because I had never actually been on a bowling team before but it seemed new and something I could do and put myself out there,” said sophomore Taylor Ferguson-Wade.

The team was also assigned coaches. Lincoln Southwest had two coaches for their team. The head coach was publications teacher Brandi Benson and the assistant coach was School Resource Officer Joe Fisher.

“I didn’t hesistate when I was approached,” said Benson. “It was an oustanding way to help bring the school together and build on the inclusive culture we strive for at Southwest.”

Fisher was asked last spring if he would be interested in being a coach.

“I wanted to be the assistant coach of this team, because I thought it would be a great new way to work with more kids and really get to know them more,” said Fisher.

The start of the season was Oct. 17. Weekly practices were held on Wednesday evenings at Parkway Lanes for three consecutive weeks. Following the practice weeks were three weekly competitions held at Parkway and Hollywood Lanes on Monday evenings. Unified bowling wasn’t all about winning. For some, it was all about the opportunity.

“There isn’t really any pressure because we are playing for the experience and having teammates and not as much for winning,” said Feguson-Wade.

Unified bowiling teams were able to participate at the district and state level. Southwest took one team to districts and the team finish runner up. The team included junior Johnathan Michaelson, sophomore Clint Adams, junior Austin Micek,  junior Zach Schroer, and senior Connor Clanton. The NSAA sponsored the district and state competitions for unified bowling.

One thing that makes unified bowling unique is it allows athletes to compete in two sports if needed. Unified bowling also provided the bowlers the chance to be able to earn a varsity letter and they had an end-of-the-season banquet, just like all other high school sports.

For some athletes, they wanted to join unified bowling because they thought being on a sports team for Lincoln Southwest would be a great opportunity.

“Unified bowling was really fun,” said senior Juman Arraseef.

One of the many goals for unified bowling was to bring people with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team. Unified bowling was an all-inclusive sport and allowed students of all abilities to be a part of a team.

Unified Sports were founded in 2008 and funded through the U.S. Department of Education as a way to build tolerance and inclusion in school. The coaches of the LSW team have set goals for their team so they can fully succeed in the things that they do.

“My goal for this team is to build a sense of comradery with them, and watch them improve,” said Fisher. “I really want to get a better understanding of the athletes and partners on the bowling team. I hope that both the partners and athletes get an understanding of each other,” said Fischer.

Teams consisted of athletes (students with an intellectual disability), and partners (students without and intellectual disability).

“I am really happy that I get to be on a team like this. I really like the other people on my team and everyone is really nice to each other,” said Elissa Feulberth.

Each team consisted of three partners and two athletes and bowled using what is known as the Baker Format, where everyone bowls to 10 frames. In the Baker Format, teams combine the 10 frames.

The greatest thing for coaches is seeing their athletes grow from this experience.

“I really enjoy watching the team succeed in everything that they do. It is a really good feeling  when you watch them get a strike and seeing their reaction to it,” said Fisher.

Unified sports, like bowling, brings many people of all kinds together. More than 1.2 million people worldwide participate in unified sports such as bowling. It is a really great  way for people of all abilities to break down stereotypes and also break down barriers. Partners enjoyed being on a team with a lot of great experiences.

“Watching my team enjoy it is the most enjoyable part because when someone gets a strike it is really exciting for everyone,” said Ferguson-Wade.

There are now about 4,300 middle and high schools across the United States who have brought in unified sports to their school program. Colleges have also started to integrate unified sports into their schools. They have the opportunity for student to participate in unified sports as part of their learning, according to Special Olympics unified sports.

Athletes who were on the unified bowling team were able to develop athletic skills while forming new friendship with their teammates. They learned how to become leaders, and build respect for their other teammates.

“I could not have asked for a better group of bowlers for our first season,” said Benson. “Words do not even begin to express how incredibly proud I am of this group. They are awesome.”