On Tuesdays and Thursdays around noon, the McCallum gym is filled with the squeaks of sneakers and rhythm of basketballs against the shiny wood floors, along with the encouragement and celebration of a small community. This is not a mid-day pick-up game, but rather the practices of McCallum’s first ever unified sports team. 

Unified sports is a concept merging special education and athletics in the Special Olympics program. Special education students (athletes) and general education students (partners) have the opportunity to play, compete and practice together on a team. 

“The purpose is to connect with the [athletes],” said sophomore partner Joaquin Navarro. “They can have someone to connect with them in an athletic setting since it’s not something that they’re really used to.”

At McCallum, the basketball team was formed by coaches Eric Sloan and Macie Jones in the fall of this year. The team practiced in preparation for the Area 13 Special Olympics Competition at Texas State on Feb. 21, where they placed second. According to Sloan and Jones, getting over the initial bump of newness and unfamiliarity was challenging for many athletes, but they ultimately grew their confidence, skills and fitness. 

“They had to push themselves,” Jones said. “They’ve never played in a formed basketball team, and some of them had never been coached before. It was really cool to see them get through that adversity.”

Sloan and Jones say growth was visible on both parts. Sloan saw the partners expand their leadership and take initiative, eventually able to run the practices on their own. 

“From the first practice to the competition, they weren’t too sure how to manage their game because they’re playing, but they’re there to support the athletes,” Jones said. “So you could see the growth of that too.”

In addition to watching the overall improvement as a team, Navarro appreciates the connections the unified basketball team brings.

“I like getting to help out the players and just connect with them,” Navarro said. “They’re all very driven people and have a passion for basketball. We’re all in it together as a team, we’re all pushing each other to do our best.”

Jones agrees with Navarro that the atmosphere of inclusion yields important bonds.

“It’s good for everyone,” she said. “Just forging new friendships [is a huge benefit]. To have that piece where everyone’s on a team with no barrier for once is super important.”

Freshman athlete Clove Becker echoes the sentiment, grateful for the teammates who have become friends. Becker joined the team to follow in the footsteps of her brother–a basketball player himself–and according to Jones, her enthusiasm for the sport never wavered. 

“My brother plays basketball and he inspires me,” Becker said. “I like basketball and I like to run. I want to keep playing.”

Looking back on the season, a highlight that stands out to Navarro was when one of the athletes scored his first basket at the tournament. Navarro notes the thrill of the moment, the celebration and exuberance. It’s moments like these that Sloan says make the unified team so special. 

“[It’s great] to see the kids get cheered on because they don’t really get cheered on that much,” Sloan said. “It just makes you happy. More than anything, it’s just the smiles I get to see, the joy. We’re going to do what we can to have fun today.”

Currently, the basketball team is McCallum’s only unified team, a fact which Sloan and Jones hope to change. They look to grow the program in the future, expanding to sports such as flag football and bowling. Additionally, they hope to create a UIL team, as well as an All-Star team.

“This is our pilot program,” Sloan said. “These are just dreams down the road, but we hope to expand.” 

According to Jones, another top initiative is spreading more awareness and participation across McCallum. She hopes to see this in coordinating a unified sports pep rally.

“[We want] more campus involvement because probably very few of the McCallum population know about the unified basketball team,” she said. “I know if I was in high school and I saw this, I would have been like ‘whatever they’re doing, I want to do too.’”

Navarro believes that the unified team presents many benefits and opportunities that others should experience. 

“I think I’ll do it next year because I like the opportunity and it’s a good program,” he said. “It sets you in a different environment that’s not one that you would be accustomed to. It’s kind of like a learning experience for us. I think if people are interested, they should definitely consider joining because it’s a new experience for a lot of us.” 

Like Navarro, Sloan is looking forward to next year when the season will continue. 

“It’s been a lot of fun and it makes you want to do it again because you see just the happiness of the kids,” he said. “For me, it’s a joy.”