Elma-Hoquiam Unified game could be start of something big

Elma took on Hoquiam in a basketball game on Thursday evening, but it was anything but your typical February prep hoops game.

That night at the Elma High School Gymnasium turned out to be special in more ways than one.

With the work of school administrators, coordinators and coaches from both schools, a packed house witnessed what some hope to see becomes a staple of the local high school sports in the near future.

It’s what is called a Unified game, which features both Special Olympians and high school athletes competing on the same court at the same time, together.

“What it’s about is people with and without disabilities playing on the same team as peers,” said Crystal Stanley, the Elma School District Special Education Teacher and Elma’s Unified District Advisor. “So it’s trying to get away from that mindset of we’re trying to help somebody else but we’re actually peers playing together on a team.”

Under the umbrella of Special Olympics, Unified programs have been popping up across the state in recent years with Elma currently in its first year of running such a program.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOQUIAM HIGH SCHOOL A Hoquiam Unified player (8) defends an Elma Unified player during a game on Thursday at Elma High School.

In Thursday’s game, players with special needs stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest and brightest prep hoops stars from Elma and Hoquiam’s boys and girls high school teams, playing a game they love together in front of a standing-room only crowd.

Elma’s team coached by Lauren Thompson beat head coach Chase Taylor’s Hoquiam squad 26-22, with the game being refereed by boys basketball head coaches Matt Ferrier (Elma) and Jeff Niemi (Hoquiam).

Proceeds from the game went to benefit the Elma Eagles Unified Program, which raised over $1,000 for new uniforms, equipment and travel expenses.

The event was partly the brainchild of Stanley, who participated in similar events previously in King County and wanted to bring similar programs to the Twin Harbors.

“It changed the culture of that school,” Stanley said. “Everybody has something to give back to their community and this helps showcase that. We’re all unique, but we can be a part of our community.”

The Elma Unified basketball team currently competes against teams in the Olympia area and recently placed third in the District 4 Tournament on Saturday at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elma’s Unified team poses for a photo after finishing third in the District 4 Tournament on Saturday at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

But Stanley hopes to see idea spread across Grays Harbor County in hopes of a full-fledged Unified league on the Harbor.

“We want to start this kind of program in Grays Harbor County, so we invited Hoquiam School District to be a part of that. They were super excited, got really into it and began their own team,” she said. “(Elma athletic director) Ron Clark and (Hoquiam athletic director) Shane Krohn did a great job of partnering together on that.”

With Elma and now Hoquiam creating Unified basketball teams, the plan is to get other schools across the county on board as well and expand with spring and fall sports teams.

“I strongly believe that Grays Harbor County needs a league of their own,” said Stanley, who stated representatives from Aberdeen and Ocosta school districts were in attendance at Thursday’s game. “We’re already starting to hear some feedback. At the end of this month, we’re hoping to meet with everybody and get our own league started in the county.”

To qualify as a Unified Champion School, a school must offer Unified sports, have “whole school engagement” and meet leadership requirements.

As a school, Elma accomplished this by having a leadership class that invited the student body to design posters and eat pizza together ahead of the game.

With cheer teams from both schools and Elma’s band playing at the game, the environment at the Elma gym that felt more akin to a district-playoff game than a fundraising event.

PHOTO BY JOHN GUERRERO Members of the Elma and Hoquiam Unified teams pose for a photo after a game on Thursday at Elma High School.

“I was just so impressed with our community and our fans that came out to the game. Just how much they supported that and you could see it the next day at school. Teachers and students came up to me and were just in awe and were thrilled about this,” Stanley said. “It’s already starting to change the way people see each other and it’s mind-blowing. It’s exciting to watch, see and be a part of.”

Stanley hopes to see the program grow to offer opportunities in soccer, track and field, and robotics in the near future, with possibly more on the horizon.

“My biggest goal is our county growing this, so we can stay within our county and affect all the kids here,” she said.

For more information regarding the Unified programs, contact Crystal Stanley (cstanley@eagles.edu), Ron Clark (rclark1@eagles.edu) or call Elma High School at 360-482-3121.