Many people know Norwin High School has a traditional track team because it has been around for over 100 years. However, most people do not know that Norwin also has the sport Unified Track, which began around the year 2020.
Norwin Unified Track & Field has approximately 25 athletes taking part in this year’s squad. The team is coached by Ms. Kristen Sweeney and Mrs. Tiffany Haraburda and several faculty volunteers.
“I have been a unified track and field coach for 5 years!” said Coach Kristen Sweeney. “I’m very proud of how much our program has grown over the years!”
According to the Special Olympics website, Unified Sports is a sport where people with (referred to as the ‘athletes’) and without intellectual disabilities (referred to as the ‘partners’) are put together on the same team.
When it comes to unified track, the idea is to promote unity and social inclusion through sports and shared athletic experiences.
“Unified Sports are important for the Norwin community,” said Sweeney. “To see how much fun we can have when we include others and work together!
When it comes to track events, unified track is not much different from traditional track. Traditional track consists of 18 events, while Unified Track consists of 8 events. In Unified Track, the running events include the 100 meters, 400 meters, and 800 meters, as well as 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 meter relays. When it comes to the field events, unified track includes shot put, mini javelin, and long jump.
“Less events allow for more inclusion and less stress,” said junior partner Marlee Kotch, “and makes it easier for everyone to understand it.”
Unified Track also faces challenges this year when it comes to kids’ practicing events. At the moment, Norwin High School does not have a track for athletes to be able to practice on due to stadium renovation. This ends up causing many challenges for the kids, such as not being able to accurately practice at the track and having to come up with diverse ways to practice.
“We have had to get pretty creative about where we can practice!” said Sweeney. “It is hard to practice track without a track! Our students have been great at adjusting to the changes.”
Even with all these challenges the track team has faced this season, they were able to help prepare for their recent track meet and stay positive throughout the whole thing.
“Even with all these challenges,” said athletes Gemma Moffatt, Mikaela Bunovich, and Christian McLaughlin. “We are still looking forward to winning this season and continue running with our friends!”
On April 22, the Norwin Unified Track had its senior night track meet at East Allegheny against Penn Trafford and Fox Chapel. Norwin Unified Track came in second place behind Penn Trafford.
The seniors who were honored that night were: Annas Fraser, Paige Baker, Libby Link, Autumn Serembo, Erin McGuisness, Josh Bauer, Tyler Patrick, Vicki Marflack, Zaki Lahlou, and Gavin Jaing. Many of these seniors’ favorite memories were being able to run and make many new friends.
“Getting to spend the practices and meets with my friends,” said senior partner Tyler Patrick, “And being able to support my friends and the school and its community.”
Despite all these obstacles, the Unified Track team still managed to get second overall in the track meet and first in a few events!
