The Unified Track program capped off their season in a fun-filled fashion with a home meet on Wednesday, June 2—an event that featured an encouraging atmosphere and several noteworthy individual performances.

Because of Unified Track’s shortened season, this was only their second meet and their first against another school. Nonetheless, they made sure to make this meet against Hudson High School count, and the enthusiastic performance of the National Anthem by the ARHS Unified Singing Club set off the afternoon’s festivities. 

The meet began with the javelin and the long jump and then transitioned to the track portion of the meet. 

Unified Sports Coordinator Kevin Hausmann praised junior Reed Probst’s performance on the track. 

“I got to see a fantastic performance from Reed Probst in the 800 meter, which is very far,” Hausmann said. “Reed attacked his race, held steady and finished with a strong kick.”

Hausmann wasn’t just impressed by the ARHS team, however.

“I’d like to give a ton of credit to the Hudson High School relay team,” Hausmann said. “They were a great team and worked incredibly hard.”

Both Hausmann and Unified Track coach Renee Moulton, who is in her first full year of coaching the team (it would be her second, if not for last year’s fully cancelled season), praised captain Kaleigh Barker. 

“Kaleigh Barker has been a phenomenal leader in our program,” Moulton said.

“Kaleigh Barker showed great improvement in javelin [from her past throw distances],” Hausmann said.

Moulton was also struck by the sportsmanship her team demonstrated over the course of the afternoon.

“The cheering of one another helped to motivate our participants,” Moulton said. 

“I like the encouraging atmosphere,” Probst said. “I [joined the team because I hoped] to beat some of my personal records and to meet new people.”

One of the hallmarks of Unified Track, and of all Unified Sports, is that athletes with and without disabilities are encouraged to get involved.

“I believe that Unified Sports is the future of athletics and provides the opportunity for more students to practice and compete toward a shared goal,” Hausmann said. 

This ethos, coupled with the kindness of the participants, make up the friendship-based backbone of the program. 

“Everyone on the team feels like they are part of something, and I think that is special,” Moulton said.