Sr. Aidan Eppard hustled down the court, periodically dribbling the ball before reaching the baseline midrange. Eppard launched the ball through the air and into the hoop, perfectly executing an underhand shot from 12 feet out.
Before Eppard had time to process his amazing feat, countless students raced to the middle of the court to surround him. It was High School Musical’s basketball game celebration replaying in reality. The cheers thundered in the packed auxiliary gym. Referee Elijah Reynolds, jumping up and down, joined the participants and partners in the celebration.
This was the epitome of unified basketball.
Eppard’s mom, Jane Eppard, was thrilled with the unified experience for her son and for everyone else involved. “There were so many things to love about Friday’s tournament. The rules were loose. There was traveling—lots of it—and plenty of double dribbles, but above all, there was an abundance of smiles, pride, and UNITY. Because West Ottawa’s motto, We are One, is something they authentically live into, every student walks away as a winner.”
Sr. Lyndsay Neitzel said, “I want to cry, the atmosphere of everyone cheering for both teams, no matter the score, is such an amazing reminder to people who compete on school teams. It teaches us to not prioritize scores and put emphasis on everyone being included.”
On Friday, 20 middle school and high school teams consisting of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities found the perfect recipe for success at a local unified tournament. With teams coming from as far away as Forest Hills and as close as Holland, the gyms were chock-full of students from various parts of Michigan.
West Ottawa teachers shuttled their classes into the gyms to take a break from chemistry and calculus to support the teams. Sr. Alexis Cerritos went to the games with his advanced personal finance class. “It was cool. I was surprised by how many teams were there, teams from Holland and Grand Haven. For sure, it was entertaining.”
The buildup for this event was notable. The previous week, West Ottawa hosted an inclusion week, and two days before the tournament, the school participated in their first-ever polar plunge event to raise money for unified sports. The expectations for this event weren’t just met, they were exceeded.
“There are just smiles everywhere, pure joy. We start practicing late January one day a week. As a unified school, I know others will step up and coach. It’s beautiful, it’s truly beautiful,” said Elizabeth Pepper, head of LINKS at West Ottawa Middle School.
Teams had been preparing for months, and there was no doubt that their work showed on the courts. Teams competed on two courts in the main gym. On the near court, there was a student in a wheelchair rolling down the court with the ball in their lap, getting ready to shoot. Approaching the end of the court, Cameron Boove stood holding a small basketball hoop for the student in the wheelchair to score in. The shot was good, and an intense uproar followed.
Instructor Ryan Burke appreciates what unified basketball provides for the competitors. “I cannot say enough great things about it and all the ways we come alongside and celebrate all kinds of diversity, especially when it comes to the students with physical or cognitive disabilities. My older brother has cerebral palsy, and I was just reflecting on his high school experience this weekend and how absolutely terrible it was. Without getting into the specifics, his experience in high school as a whole has scarred him to this day.”
After attending the unified game the previous Friday, Burke noticed a group of students in the stands “losing their minds and celebrating everything that was going on on the court.” Burke knows that such support would have made a big difference in his brother’s experience.
“This is our first big tournament with our unified program and our second year doing it. It’s just awesome to see all of the inclusivity and all of the teams and different kids in wheelchairs. All of the kids have a shot to do it, and it’s pretty awesome,” said Hamilton supporter, Cameron Boove.
The expectations of administration were also greatly surpassed. An email had to be sent out to all teachers explaining that both gyms were full and could not fit any more students. Being the first-ever unified tournament at West Ottawa, the turnout was impeccable and posed a surprise to the coordinators when they had to begin turning away students due to a lack of room.
“We are at capacity in the Aux Gym, and there is no more room for spectators.
Please don’t send or bring any extra students down to watch the game at this time,”
wrote secretary Lisa Kephart in an urgent email to all teachers.
Supporters left happy, whether they could stay until the end of the day or had to get back to class.
“I’m here to support West Ottawa pride and all of the inclusion. We were cheering for Jenison too. Everyone played good,” said Jr. Brandon Berry.
The tournament was a great success. As Jane Eppard said, “Every student walk[ed] away a winner.”
