The Marblehead Unified Basketball team took to the court for their final home game of the season on Oct. 26 taking a 61-52 win over Beverly in the final game for head coach Tracey Lichtig.
Unified Basketball is a program run by a partnership between the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and Special Olympics Massachusetts described in the MIAA handbook on the sport as “[bringing] together students with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team while representing their school.
“It means the world to the students in my program,” said Lichtig, “They look forward to every game. They’re traveling, playing against other teams, we have other teams come visit us. We play with our peers. It’s friendship and competition.”
The Unified Basketball program is made up of students with and without intellectual disabilities, known as “players” and “partners” respectively. Most of the partners are members of the MHS Best Buddies club.
“We collaborate with the Unified teams and many of the members from our group end up on the Unified team,” said Michael Lavender, the faculty director of MHS Best Buddies. “It’s great when we have students that aren’t fall athletes because they have time to be on the bus for an hour to away games. It’s a really great program.”
For the players on the Unified team, the program is a key aspect of social enrichment and physical exercise.
“For us, it’s a great opportunity for him to get out and learn a little about team work and play with some of his peers,” said David Vargas whose son, Dante, is playing his first season of Unified Basketball. “It’s a great program. We’re glad it’s here, glad it got offered to him, and he seems to be enjoying it.”
For senior partners Lucy Rogers and Susanna Cuzner, the community and teambuilding aspects of the Unified team are of the utmost importance.
“Both of us have siblings that have special needs,” said Cuzner. “We’re very involved because we see what it’s like at home and we know how important it is to have friendship.”
Rogers added: “When we were freshmen our sisters were seniors. This was a big community for them. We joined and realized how special it was. It’s just a really special place to be in.”
Athletic Director Kent Wheeler discussed the importance of the Unified Sports program in the MHS Athletic Department and the example it sets for players on all different teams.
“We talk with our athletes all the time about ‘Why do you play?’” said Wheeler. “Make sure you’re playing for the right reasons. These are the right reasons.”
The game against Beverly marked the end of Lichtig’s tenure as the head of Unified Sports at Marblehead. Lichtig was honored in a brief presentation at halftime and a speech by Amelia Jaffe, a junior and member of Best Buddies.
“Anyone who knows Ms. ‘L’ knows that she’s much more than just a coach or a teacher,” Jaffe said. “She’s a smiling face that will go out of her way to make you laugh even when you are down. She’s the heart and soul of the Best Buddies community and her presence is what makes our team so special. The time, care and genuine joy Ms. L has brought to our community is immeasurable.”
Kate Trachimowicz, a behavior interventionist and instructional assistant at the high school, will be taking over Lichtig’s role as Unified Sports head coach at the end of the season.
“I would love for Unified Sports to expand as much as possible,” said Trachimowicz on the future of the program. “I would love to have more student athletes working with our students and the program… Just having a positive and welcoming community when we’re playing together.”
