I leave in a better mood even if I don't feel like going one day." "I see them in the hallway and they get so excited to see me, and I get happy every single time I go to practice. "It honestly changed my school experience so much," Gall said. During the past few months, she has discovered that the program benefits her just as much or more as the athletes. Mikayla Gall, a senior buddy at Jefferson, decided to join Unified Track this year as a way of getting to know the other students better. A lot of times it just forms friendships that really are lasting." "It's pretty much what it's all about," Wildermuth said, "and I think they really motivate each other. Throughout the year, she said, the athletes and their buddies develop close bonds that often continue outside of athletics. Wildermuth starts the Unified Track team in September, after which the program meets once a month until practices start in March. In each discipline, the athletes were paired with "buddies" - students from each school who volunteer with the program, to help out and encourage them to do their best. Seven high schools - Jefferson, Newton, Hopatcong, Vernon, Boonton, Morristown and Mount Olive - sent students to the event, where they competed in the long jump, shot put, javelin and sprint relays. To give these students the special feeling that comes with being a member of a varsity team, Jefferson hosted its second annual Unified Track and Field Meet Thursday afternoon. "They see it in the hallways, they go to the games, but they actually are not participating." "Many of the kids that we're working with, they are not a part of a team," said Nicole Wildermuth, a teacher of students with disabilities at Jefferson and the school's Unified Track and Field head coach. JEFFERSON - With large crowds watching and cheering as students participated in running, jumping and throwing events, the scene at Jefferson Township High School looked to outsiders like any typical high school track meet.īut taking a closer look at the athletes, many of whom grinned from ear to ear the entire time they were competing, it was clear that this was a unique experience for most of them.
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