This year, my teammates from girls varsity soccer, along with the boys team, got to help and 
participate in the End-of-Season Unified Soccer Tournament. The tournament included unified teams from Binghamton and Norwich, with the teams playing each other for two 15-minute halves.
When the unified teams weren’t playing a game, my teammates coordinated three different skill stations for players to work on shooting, passing and dribbling.
As a varsity team member, I got to work with these amazing athletes and build friendships that went beyond just playing a game of soccer. The energy was high with music playing and the unified student athletes having fun, exercising, and learning to play a game I enjoy.
Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. The unified program urges youth everywhere to play and ultimately live unified, breaking down the barriers that exclude people with intellectual disabilities.
I loved seeing all the smiles on the faces of the unified athletes as we varsity players spent time together teaching them a sport we all love. I am proud that U-E offers Unified Soccer to students in our district. Click here to view more photos
-written by Katelyn Shive
Communications Intern, Class of 2026