(Canyons School District)
SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday afternoon Utah’s top 16 Special Olympics Unified soccer teams competed for the state championship title at the RSL soccer stadium. Miss America 2022, Emma Broyles, kicked off the opening ceremony by performing the national anthem.
Out of the 16 teams, three from the Canyons School District competed. The teams are high school field teams from Brighton, Hillcrest, and Jordan.
All three Canyons School District teams finished second in their respective divisions, says a Facebook post from Canyons School District.
Concluding the competition was Zac MacMath, an RSL player, who helped hand out awards. Furthermore, Utah First Lady Abby Cox was in attendance.
“Unified Sports teams are miracles. These teams combine students of all abilities to work together, learn empathy and get to know each other,” Cox said in the post.
Also, she encourages students in the state to partake in the Unified sports team program through her “Show Up” initiatives.
Worldwide, 1.4 million people partake in Unified Sports, a program ran through Special Olympics. On the Special Olympics webpage it says through shared sports training and competition experiences, people with intellectual disabilities can share environments that are socially inclusive.
Sports teams are formed by age and ability in order to ensure fun, challenging, and exciting games. Furthermore, the site says many young people with disabilities do not get the chance to play school sports. However, this program gives them that opportunity.
Special Olympics also hosts youth leadership summits, supports you-led projects, and has Unified Schools to help create an inclusive community for young people of all abilities that go beyond the playing field.