Yelm High School’s gymnasium was full of smiles, dancing and dazzling plays on the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 20 as Unified Basketball kicked off its 2024 season. The Tornados, made up of three different teams of students with and without intellectual disabilities, faced teams from River Ridge, North Thurston and Olympia high schools.
When Unified Basketball came to Yelm in 2019, there was just one team. Five years later, the school boasts three teams and is nearing a fourth. Each athlete has the opportunity to learn the game of basketball and its rules, as well as sportsmanship and how to be a good teammate.
“Ultimately, we teach them about wins and losses. Sometimes it’s hard to take a loss,” said Jeffrey Warner, an assistant coach and former athlete with the team. “To see these kids not only learn the game of basketball but look like superstars, it’s amazing. There’s no better feeling.”
According to head coach Emily McIntire, the final scores when the buzzer sounds aren’t the most important thing. She wants all of her athletes to have their chance to shine on the court and take lessons from the team to everyday life.
“I teach our athletes that they can do anything, that they are included with everybody and that they can participate in anything and go out there and be a part of our community,” McIntire said. “For our peers, we teach them selflessness, how to be inclusive and how to help somebody reach their full potential.”
McIntire said the growth of the team’s skills has been significant, and she is appreciative of the community showing out and making noise for the Tornados.
Yelm Community Schools Superintendent Chris Woods and YHS Athletic Director Rob Hill attended, as well as special education teachers, para educators, interpreters and former athletes.
“It was just very cool. It has become a family and a community. It makes me very proud to see it,” said McIntire, who also teaches many of the athletes as a functional life skills teacher at YHS.
Unified Sports is a Special Olympics program that promotes social inclusion through shared sports training and competition. YHS also has a Unified Soccer team, also coached by McIntire, in the spring.
The Tornados will next host a game against teams from Black Hills and Tumwater at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 25.
They will also visit Black Hills High School on Jan. 27, Tumwater High School on Jan. 31 and Feb. 10, and Olympia High School on Feb. 3.
