Everyone needs a community, an outlet, a way to escape. The Unified Bowling team creates that for students. The Unified Bowling team gives students the opportunity to have something that they can turn to.
The Doherty Spartans Unified Bowling Team has worked hard this season, not only making a skilled team, but also a community. The community that has been created was evident as the season kicked off, and as the season goes on, the students come more and more together, creating a family, making everyone wonder if skill or community is the key to success.
Doherty teacher and coach Megan Henderson said, “The most important aspect of the team is working together and supporting one another. The team is great at this and really works to cheer and be there for each other.” They are doing more than just bowl and change history, they are also creating a community and family. Cheering each other on and being a good teammate play a huge role in the success the team has had.
The Doherty Unified Bowling team has worked and put effort in all season making it to Regionals and now making it to the State Championship, which is groundbreaking for this new activity.
While most kids have the opportunity to play whatever sport they wish to, or even have the opportunity to have competition within the sport, there also have been kids that have had missed opportunity. Now that CHSAA has made Unified Bowling a sport, not only as an activity but also as a competition, it gives the kids a chance to compete and show what they have to the school and the world. While there hasn’t been Unified Sports until recently, there still isn’t a big selection of sports for Unified Sports for students to be able to choose something new, which is something that needs to start changing.
Doherty is making history in the books as they take on the State Championship. As the team this year takes a leap into the championship, they are creating and doing something that they may not realize. They create opportunities for others that may not have a chance.
As the team prepares for the State Championship, they come together. The team, the entire season has worked on coming together, creating a family. They have all been creating a community and a place to turn to. Doherty students have stepped up and taken a leap of faith, taking on the competition and have succeeded. Making it to the State Championship along with creating something more than a team is creating history.
On November 17th this year the Doherty Unified Bowling team will go head to head with other schools around the state. One thing the team has shown is the family they have around them, the support and community. Win or lose, the team has done something that people have called impossible. They are all proving ideologies and stereotypes that have been made and throwing them away. Being a team that proves people wrong is something that can be put into the books as historically significant.
This date, November 17th marks a time where students have been given an equal chance. The students that have showed up and work hard have not only made an opportunity for them, but the future of generations coming in.
In the future, there is an outlook for more Unified Sports to come. Yes, the coming of competition of Unified Sports has just been developed; however, with the success of the sport there will be more to come in the future.
“The most challenging part this year has been that the team is not allowed to use bumpers. So the kids are really working hard on aiming and throwing the ball as straight as they can!” say the head of the department Megan Henderson. While there has been challenges for the bowlers they have adjusted, cheered, and pushed through all of the challenges that they were faced with, with that they were successful with their season.
The team is in competition; however, the Doherty team is not competitive itself. The team is there to have fun and cheer each other on. “Our team is not very competitive. We are just out there having fun and getting to participate in something great!” says Henderson. Though the team isn’t very competitive; however, they have been super successful this season, as far as making the State Championship!
The team finished the States Championship in 18th place out of 27th. Michael Mendoza led the team with strikes and spares. The team made a huge name for themselves by their hard work and their way with having fun with their sport. The biggest success is the family and change they created.
