Masuk Free Press

This past Wednesday, our Unified Sports Team took on their Newtown opponents during a game of basketball in the Masuk gym. Both on team and individual levels, there was a show of skill and love for the game. There was also an additional boost from having excited spectators in the stands and two full courts of participating players.

What was originally supposed to be an ordinary practice day was made a special game day for Masuk’s Unified Sports Team. Left and right players demonstrated their athletic abilities, with many hitting smooth three-pointers throughout the match.

“This was an event that we had scheduled like three months ago, said head coach Donald Casey. “Newtown actually reached out to us, and they wanted to schedule a game on their practice day, which is Wednesday; we usually practice on Tuesdays, so we had this event today instead of our regular practice.”

Though Masuk and Newtown are rival schools, rivalry was not at the forefront of the game. There was nothing but respect and appreciation between the teams throughout the event. Masuk and Newtown collectively participated in creating an exciting and collaborative environment during the game, and it made the entire experience even more meaningful.

“Newtown is Masuk’s number one rival in the conference, and during practice  we tell everybody, ‘play hard, play for fun,” said Casey. “But most importantly, it’s not about winning, it’s about working together as a team, accepting everybody as far as our inclusion model, and learning and having fun.

Unified Sports works hard to be inclusive and friendly to both its team members and opponents, and this policy was extended to their rivals in an extremely positive way.

There was no booing or harassment from either team or from spectators. This is an uncommon but very welcome change from what one would normally see at any high school athletics event, no matter the game, venue, or participants.

What was present was a feeling of community and support for one another as Masuk cheered on Newtown and vice versa. It should be made clear that this reinforcement of the team’s values is present at all of their games, and in all of their players.

“Every week that we practice, we talk about inclusion, respecting each other and especially our opponents, and I really feel that our values are really strong and everybody is respectful to each other and to our opponents, and that really makes me really proud, ” said Casey.

On a more individual level, players and partners alike are all enjoying this part of the Unified Sports season, which has run from the fall and will continue through the spring. The Unified Sports team is particularly unique among the Masuk sports groups because they aren’t restricted to just one sport during their season; they do soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and even more during the spring.

“There’s been a lot of energy, and it’s been fun, said Junior Hadassah Gee, “Everyone is just nice, we’re just like one big happy family, and it’s just amazing overall.”
“All the athletes get a chance to score, everyone’s included, which is nice, safety’s always a big thing, [and we] make sure everyone’s feeling great, which is really nice,” said Gee.

The athletes themselves have been enjoying their season so far, and some big scorers during the game included Koi Maitland, Cameron Jones, Jake Cantino, captains Manuela Faria and Thomas Cremin, and others.
“I like being on the team because I want to be in the NBA. I want to be like Kevin Durant and Lebron James…I like doing offence and defence,” said Cremin.

With a lot of shots going into the net as easy as they did, it was hard to get more impressed, but the teams still managed to pull it off. Not only were there great passes on both sides back and forth, but also good ball control, handling, and teamwork from start to finish.

Some of the repetitive shooters and scorers also made great runs. Players also communicated with their team not just while advancing down the court but also before and after taking their shots.
This was allowed to the tune of cheers and clapping from the spectators who made sure the energy was never lacking.
 After the game ended, both teams gathered to not only shake hands, but also to exchange team cheers.

Coach Casey then pulled the Masuk team to their side of the court to hand out medals. The gift was also given to this Masuk Free Press writer, as well as someone from the Monroe Sun who had also come to the game and an additional student who had helped the team earlier.

“We still have four or five weeks left, with a basketball tournament in two weeks at Newtown Youth Academy,” said Casey. “All the Unified teams from the local area…have a round-robin tournament.”
With all that said, be sure to try to get out and support our Unified Sports team, who are not only winners of a national banner of recognition, but are also shining examples of values that we as Masuk students should try to embody as a whole community.