Sports unify Central Oregon high schools

Team sports bring people together, and the Special Olympics Unified Sports Teams do that, and much more.

The Sisters High School Outlaws hosted the first Unified soccer game of the season Tuesday against the Bend High Lava Bears.

More than than 30 athletes from both Bend and Sisters High played in Tuesday’s games, including Sam Shepardson.

Sam, a student at Sisters High School, has been playing soccer since elementary school.

“I’m really excited that I get to play, it was amazing”, Sam said.

The Unified Sports Program aims to promote social inclusion through sport.

“It’s a great way to promote tolerance, understanding and respect for all the different kids at Sisters High School,” said Tim Roth, assistant principal and athletic director. “And it’s been a huge game-changer on the culture of our school for the last two years — huge.”

Unified Sports is a program that combines roughly equal numbers of Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities, otherwise known as Unified Partners.

One of those Unified Partners is Erynn Ricker.

“It’s just fun to be out here with the kids and get to experience it with them and the joy that they have for it,” Ricker said. “It’s exceptional to watch. It gives you such a good feeling to see them succeed.”

More than 1.2 million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports, breaking down the stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities through the power of sports.