You might look outside on the baseball field and see a team that you may not know about. That team is Unified Soccer, a team composed of students from Shorewood. The team pairs up students that need special assistance and students who don’t to form a five versus five team that competes against other schools.
Brandon Torrey, a Physical Education teacher, stepped into coaching again after COVID and is in his second season coaching Unified Soccer. “Unified Soccer is organized through Special Olympics Washington. Special Olympics Washington commits to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible community that empowers individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities to celebrate their similarities and differences,” said Torrey, “their goal is to foster a community of belonging and inclusion for all. Unified Sports integrates Special Olympics athletes with other athletes to build self-esteem and increase understanding of persons with different abilities.”
Unified Soccer began March 13 and for a couple weeks practiced Mondays and Wednesdays after school. Now they practice Monday and have a game on Tuesday at the Shoreline Stadium starting at 3:30. So far the season has been going really great after having their first couple of games. Torrey said, “Our returning athletes have a better understanding of the game of soccer this year so it’s been fun to expand on their skills. We have incredible partners that are great role models, leaders and teammates to the athletes. The different personalities and soccer skills are a fun mix so we have a lot of fun together.”
One of the volunteer coaches is Sophie Schindler, a junior who plays for the varsity girls soccer team. For Schindler one of the best parts of being on the team is using her soccer ability to help those that may not be able to play regularly and connect with those around her. “I really enjoy helping the kids get better at soccer and learn how to play the game,” she said. “I communicate with many of the other athletes a lot and have made buddies.” One of those buddies being sophomore Malakai McQueen.
Even though it may still be early in the season, the team has hopes to make it to state and compete against other teams in the area all while having fun and playing the game of soccer.
While Unified Soccer may be a lesser known sports team here at Shorewood that focuses on playing and learning about soccer, it is also so much more. Torrey said, “unified also provides the opportunity to bring people together with diverse abilities to work towards a common goal. I also enjoy being able to empower and amplify our partners’ voices to help others.”
