Inclusive basketball programs have become so popular in West Michigan, they've made a league

HOLLAND - When schools in the Holland area began creating "unified" teams, the goal was simply to give everyone, of all abilities, an opportunity to participate in sports.

The concept was so popular, there's now a West Michigan league, including high school programs from Zeeland East, Zeeland West, West Ottawa, Holland Christian, Jenison, Grand Rapids Christian, Grandville, Kenowa Hills, and NorthPointe Christian — among others.

"We're in the middle of the first expanded (unified basketball season) and I consider it to be a huge success," said Zeeland coach and teacher Nate VandeGuchte.

"Our two Zeeland teams, consisting of more than 30 players, played a total of 12 games against eight different schools. It's been so much fun supporting schools who're just getting into unified sports for the first time, to competing against some teams we've been playing against for many years now.

"Each game is different in regards to the style and pace ... based on the abilities of the athletes playing at any given time. There's a place for everybody in unified basketball and I think that's part of what makes it so special."

VandeGuchte helped launch ZLinks in Zeeland in 2014, a peer-to-peer program that seeks to provide meaningful connections.

"At that point, there were only a few peer-to-peer programs of varying degrees in the area," he said. "After the successful launch of our program, our students were wanting more opportunities to deepen their friendships and create meaningful connections outside of the school day. (That's) where we first made the connection with Special Olympics Michigan."

According to Special Olympics Unified, unified sports "join people with and without" disabilities on the same team. "It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding."

"In unified basketball, we've been able to eliminate the barriers for our athletes who are in wheelchairs and our athletes who are completely blind," VandeGuchte said. "We've worked to eliminate some of the stigmas for those athletes who have intellectual disabilities in regards to their ability to play sports.

"Far too often, we give individuals with disabilities labels based on what they can't do. Through unified sports, we're providing authentic opportunities for our athletes to show their peers, families and our communities what they can do."

The league shows the solidarity of the programs, and a commitment to moving forward.

"I appreciate the league because we can play a wide variety of schools in the area," said Ann Pawloski, director of Holland Christian United. "It's been a great experience. I don't think people are aware we even have a league, but people are noticing that more schools are getting on board with it."

For VandeGuchte, the cause is personal.

"When I reflect on what unified sports means to me, it brings up a lot of emotions," he said. "I was drawn to a career in special education thanks to my high school friend Zach Aalderink, who has Down Syndrome. He was the manager of our football, basketball and baseball teams, and always helped me keep the right perspective when I played sports.

"He participated in sports through Special Olympics and we were able to attend his games to cheer him on, but he wasn't able to compete with us while representing our school and community. It would've been such a fun experience to participate and compete with him on the same team."

These days, Aalderink helps manage the Hope College women's basketball program, a post he's held for years. And he's not the only inspiration that's come from Hope — football player Brady Howe, a special education major at Hope, has been helping coach at Holland Christian.

"Right away, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of," Howe said. "I wanted to coach unified basketball because it's an opportunity to be around a group of people working towards a common goal. As a coach, I am able to impact, as well as be impacted by, my players in both practices and games.

"Special Olympics Unified Sports is growing because it provides a platform for students who don’t always get an opportunity to showcase their exceptional God-given talents and be a part of a team environment."

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And doing that to represent their schools — and now, even leagues — is an idea organizers hope continues to grow.

"Unified sports gives us a strong platform to spread the importance of inclusion in our schools and an opportunity for our students to demonstrate the abilities and gifts they have been given," VandeGuchte said. "It's truly a win-win, and something that's so special to see in-person."

— Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at dan.d'[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.   

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Inclusive basketball programs have become so popular in West Michigan, they've made a league