On a bright afternoon in April, Klamath County students gather for one of their first track practices of the year.
Following the success of the Unified basketball team this winter, a handful of athletes are trying another sport at Henley High School today as the wind whips across the field.
Unified sports athletic director Alex Stork said the program's goal is inclusion, pairing students with and without disabilities while drawing athletes from multiple schools across the district.
"Now these students get to wear jerseys that say Mazama, that say Henley, that say their local school team," he said. "They get the pride that comes from that and representing their team."
The district hopes to add a Unified soccer team in the fall.
The track team includes 14 athletes and 15 partner athletes, who help out during meets.
Lincoln Schultz, a ninth grader and partner athlete at Henley High School, said he loved hanging out with the athletes during Unified basketball and looks forward to similar energy on the track team.
"Our first assembly game was at Mazama, and that was one of the loudest games out of the high school stuff that I’ve been to. Everybody was cheering," he said. "Frank made a buzzer beater. It was pretty awesome."
At practice, students prepare for the upcoming meets, which include three track events and three field events. In the program's first year, athletes compete against their own teammates during meets. Stork hopes to compete against other regional teams next year.
For now, he said, the focus is on technique, rather than raising awareness, like they did with basketball.
"This season, we really want to get more individual skill focused, so that we can develop techniques and training," he said. "They're actually growing in their knowledge and understanding of the techniques of the sport."
Students spread out across the field, working with coaches on their events.
Stork helped students practice the shot put, advising them to push it up higher.
Nearby, special education teacher Mike Eddy encouraged students to pick up their pace during the 50-meter walk.
Students also practiced launching themselves into a sandpit for the long jump.
Sebastian Aguilera, a sophomore at Henley, said he joined Unified track to hang out with his friends.
"I don’t really care about competitions," he said. "I prefer just to run, just for fun, for the thrill."
Another athlete, Frank Fleming, is 20. He’s in the county’s Transition program, which provides support for students transitioning out of high school with things like post-secondary education, career support and independent living.
His mom, Melissa Sparks-Ables, said Fleming loved doing Unified basketball in the winter.
"I think it’s an amazing program," she said. "He wants to go every day."
She hopes track keeps him active and socializing.
"A lot of kids benefit from it," she said. "It gets him out there with other kids, and they accept him, and that’s a big thing."
Coach Stork said he looks for those moments of connection.
"The interactions that the students had," he said, "that's just a huge part of the sports experience — just being on the bus together, being in a locker room before games, being on the bench together, and just having fun, making jokes —and so I really love to see that."
The track and field season recently concluded, and Stork said all athletes made great progress in their events. One relay team even qualified for the district meet in the Unified category.
But Stork said his favorite part of the season had little to do with the results on the field.
