LPS students strike up friendships through unified bowling

Lincoln Northeast High School student Sydney walked into the conference unified bowling tournament wearing a stylish hat that featured many green shamrocks.
 
Her hat represented the lucky and deeply rewarding day everyone experienced at the bowling alley.
 
Unified bowling teams from East, Northeast, North Star, Southeast, Southwest and Lincoln High gathered at Sun Valley Lanes & Games on Nov. 20 for the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament. Unified bowling partners students with and without disabilities to participate in the sport together. 

Sydney said she has made many friends through the program. She bowled on Southwest’s team during the coronavirus pandemic and has been on Northeast’s roster ever since. She said her four years in the activity have been fun.
 
“I like it because I like bowling,” Sydney said.
 
Michael is enrolled in classes at Southwest. He has been bowling for the Silver Hawks for four years and has enjoyed talking with each of his teammates. He also said he liked trying to do well in the sport.
 
“My goal is to hit the pins and get a strike,” Michael said.
 
Southwest journalism teacher Brandi Benson has helped coach the school’s unified bowling team for seven years. She said students in the program focus on more than just strikes, spares and perfect scores. Their biggest goal is to build an inclusive community that helps all people feel valuable.
 
“The thing we take pride in is watching the ripple effect that happens outside of bowling,” Benson said. “We’re trying to create an open door at school that gives students from all backgrounds more opportunities to interact with each other.”
  
Unified bowling is sanctioned by the Nebraska School Activities Association and features regular-season, district and state tournaments. The program’s goal is to provide meaningful partnerships between students with and without intellectual disabilities.
 
Students in grades 9-12 form each five-person team. Teams must have at least one athlete and two partners playing in the game. Special education students are called athletes and students without disabilities are called partners.
 
Southwest students Mary Beth, Broklyn and Brandon said they have learned a lot from being partners in unified bowling. Mary Beth and Broklyn are both juniors and are in their third years with the program.
 
“It’s really fun,” Mary Beth said. “I’ve made a lot of new friends by being involved with the team.”
 
“I started freshman year and it’s been a fun experience,” Broklyn said. “I get a lot of excitement and joy from seeing how everyone on the team is having fun. It’s been really good.”
 
Brandon is participating in unified bowling for the first time this season. He said he was glad about his decision to try out for the team.
 
“I’ve liked it because I’ve been able to meet a lot of new people,” Brandon said. “I like helping people and this has given me a chance to do that.”
 
Benson said unified bowling has also given students opportunities to broaden their friendship circles outside of their building. Students from all six LPS schools in the HAC see each other at meets during the fall season, and those connections remain intact throughout the year. Lincoln Northwest also offers the sport and has become part of the unified bowling family.
 
“It’s been so much fun to watch these relationships happen across the entire district,” Benson said. “A lot of these kids participate in other unified activities too, so it’s something that’s ongoing.”
 
Athletes, partners and coaches gave hundreds of high-fives and smiles to each other throughout the HAC Tournament. Teams from Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Kearney and Norfolk joined LPS schools for action on the bowling lanes.
 
Each team began the day by bowling first-round games to determine who would advance to a bracket-style tournament. The top eight teams then competed in a match-play format. Fremont defeated Grand Island 636-586 in the championship contest.
 
Benson said activities like unified bowling are helping students build bridges between special education and general education every day.
 
“It teaches them that some things are bigger than winning,” Benson said. “While we certainly like to do well, the score’s not important in the grand scheme of things. They’re learning how to build a strong community with each other and how to make new friends. Those are things that they’re going to take with them the rest of their lives.”
 
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