When Tri-Town police officers visit the Old Rochester Unified basketball team on Monday, November 7, in a 6:30 pm tipoff, they will need to take extra care to protect the ball from Kaylan Setler.
“I can guard pretty good and can steal the ball from people. I really just like to play defense, and I feel like I could be a football player,” said Setler, a 20-year-old transition student from Mattapoisett.
One of nine “athletes” among eight “partners” on ORR’s Unified team, Setler is in her first year with Unified sports. She may have special needs, but through MAICEI, the state agency designed for students with intellectual disabilities to make accessible college courses, she attends classes at Bristol Community College in Fall River.
“It’s a pretty moderate challenge. I’m studying Early Childhood Education and Theater,” she said. “What I enjoy is trying to being competitive, so I like trying to support my team, making friends. … I’m more of a competitive person.”
Historically, Unified’s competitive basketball model pits three athletes and two partners against one another.
Though governed by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), the Unified Basketball schedule for 2022-23 is nearly complete. At 5-1, the Bulldogs were at Bourne on Wednesday, and they visit Fairhaven for their regular-season finale on November 2 at 3:30 pm.
ORR recently lost for the first time this season against Somerset Berkley, mainly because of a very tall player whom ORR coach Becky Okolita described as phenomenal.
“We really are about meaningful involvement and inclusion,” said Okolita. “When you see that level of play … we’re going to play to his level. Sometimes my players will back off and give the opponent another shot, and they’ll do that for us. … It’s a really wonderful experience. You’re cheering for both teams.
“You learn that despite some of the adversities that these players face, they have that passion and desire.”
Matt Houde, one of a staff of four who work to meet technology-related needs for all six ORR District schools, has drawn from his experience with the Nemasket Group to run the track-and-field program when ORR joined Unified Sports in 2019.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic canceled what would have been ORR’s second season of Unified Track (a spring-season sport), but that didn’t stop momentum from building.
“Everybody was super eager to get back out onto the field of competition,” said Houde, estimating that the track program fields a team of seven or eight athletes and a few “partner athletes” (those in general education who are not part of a life-skills program or bring a level of severe need.)
“They can compete, but a lot of it’s to support the Unified Track athlete,” he said. “They come to practice and the meets, but they don’t necessarily compete. I’ve also gone to track meets where some of the general education students are competing.”
In that case, the MIAA and Special Olympics both provide competitive guidelines to ensure safe and fair events.
“The actual Unified program is supported by Special Olympics, the partner schools and the MIAA, so it is a varsity sport,” said Houde, noting that beginning in March in accordance with MIAA guidelines, ORR Director of Athletics Bill Tilden organizes five or six competitive meets and team practices on Wednesdays and Fridays that last 60 to 90 minutes. “Sometimes kids are tired after a full day, so we want to make sure the student-athletes are engaged and not too tired.”
It is young in the Unified program’s existence at ORR for general-education students to become influenced toward careers by their participation in Unified sports, but Houde had a senior athlete from the general-education side who wanted to be involved because of his interest in special education, a pursuit he carried to Stonehill.
“The whole idea behind unified track is to have inclusion on all sides,” said Houde. “It’s an opportunity to have a synergy. … We’re what they call a full-inclusion school. Our special-needs students are already fully immersed in the physical-education classes and depending on their needs, the regular classes as well.”
In between academic years, Houde works as a paraprofessional in ORR’s Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) program, spending three days per week with special and general-education students in Grades K through 8.
Between making sure every student in the district has a working Chromebook and that the school’s 60-something software platforms are operational, Houde is only energized when it comes time to spend in Unified sports.
“You can be having the absolute worst day of your life, and you can have a practice or a meet, and you come out of there feeling unbelievable,” he said. “You watch these kids practice or compete, and there’s a tremendous amount of camaraderie with these kids. It’s crazy, it’s really good stuff.”
“My hope is, down the road – there are talented players on my team – we can look toward establishing a Special Olympics adult basketball league,” said Okolita. “I do see a lot of talented young athletes in our area.”
A suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students attending the November 7 game will help pay for much-needed team jerseys and transportation costs.
By Mick Colageo