East Longmeadow High School 2nd annual Unified Games Day
EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWL) – On the grounds of East Longmeadow High School, unified sports brought students of all abilities together.
This event saw nearly 70 middle and high school students from across the area. It provided them with a chance to celebrate and support one another. It was a day of fun and camaraderie at East Longmeadow High School as students from four different school districts came together for the 2nd annual Unified Games Day.
'It feels good,' said 9th-grade East Longmeadow High School student, Ronan Shaw.
'It's really awesome, it's like wicked awesome,' added 9th-grade East Longmeadow High School student Abby Pelletiar.
Out on the school's field and track, students with and without disabilities got to play and compete alongside each other in a series of sports and games. They got to take part in a 100-meter dash, whether it be through walking, running, or riding bikes. Other events included an obstacle course and hurdles, a relay race, and a long jump.
Organizers say this is not only a fun event but also provides a platform for students to inspire inclusive leadership and form meaningful connections. 'It's definitely about making friends and connections and just finding commonalities between people that you may not have known. You have commonalities with,' said PE Teacher at East Longmeadow High School, Mackenzie Paolini.
For 9th grader Abby, making new friends and playing sports is what the day was all about. 'I did the parachutes and Hoola hoops, it was like so awesome,' said Pelletiar.
11th-grade East Longmeadow High School student, Emma Roffe volunteered her time to make sure students with or without disabilities had a great time. 'It's amazing. I love all these kids so much. They become so small. We come so close over the past couple of months. So, you know, I'm just so excited to be here supporting them,' said Roffe.
And the impact goes beyond just one day, this event serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusion and acceptance in our communities. And at the end of the event, these athletes ran through a tunnel and received a medal from Special Olympics.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Mel Reid surprises golfer with news that she qualified for 2026 Special Olympics USA Games
FRISCO, Texas – As LPGA players made the turn at the Fields Ranch East Course on Friday morning, retired player-turned-television-analyst Mel Reid was on a special assignment over by the 10th tee. Reid surprised 38-year-old Erika Johnson with the news that she'd qualified for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, representing Texas. 'Unbelievable achievement. You're going to have to get some Olympic rings on you or something,' said Reid, pulling up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal her own tattoo from the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Johnson, it turns out, already had two tattoos of her own and was game to add a third at Reid's invitation. 'It would be my honor to take you,' said a smiling Reid, an LPGA winner and Special Olympics ambassador. The golf portion of the USA Games will be held at Victory Links Golf Course in Blaine, Minnesota, June 20-26, the same week as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska. Johnson came out to the KPMG Women's PGA in Frisco with her mom, Kim, and coach, Linda Walls. She first took up the game in high school and plays out of Woodbridge Golf Club in Wylie, Texas. While golf is her main sport, she began with the Special Olympics in 2002 and participates in basketball, bowling, flag football, floorball, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball. She also competed with the FC Dallas Special Olympics Unified Team. One of her tattoos is the FC Dallas shield and the other is a star. 'It means a lot,' said a grateful Johnson of heading to Minnesota. In March, Johnson flew to Italy to compete in floorball, which her mom said is like ice hockey but in tennis shoes and without the ice. Organized sports, she said, have given her daughter a strong community and boosted her confidence. 'She travels more than I do these days,' said Kim. 'She has really learned to know that she can stand on her own two feet.' After touring Golf Channel's set near the 10th tee, Johnson planned to take in more of the action at Fields Ranch East before heading to her job at the local movie theater, where she's worked for nearly 20 years. 'This is what it's about, isn't it?' said Reid. 'I've got a nephew with quite severe special needs, so it's very close to my heart. I just think they're more impressive than us, to be honest with you. … The way they just get on with stuff. Their fire, their grit, their strength. It's just something we can all learn from.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Jaguars for a day: The 6th annual Special Olympics Florida Fantasy Camp
Signed, sealed, and delivered! Nearly 40 athletes with the Special Olympics became a part of the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie class Wednesday afternoon. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Advertisement It's the mission behind the 6th annual Special Olympics Florida Fantasy Camp. The newly added members to the roster got to put pen to paper with Jaguars GM James Gladstone, take a tour of the Miller Electric Center, plus hit the practice field with the rest of the Jaguars Rookie Class. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Action Sports Jax Alivia Tassely spent the day down at Jags headquarters as the new rookies were welcomed into the NFL. Watch Action Sports Jax Brent and Austen Show discussing the Jaguars' training camp dates here.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Lynx sign 11 kids to one-day contract for Jr. Dream Team
It's a contract like no other to join the top team in the WNBA for a day — Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve signed 11 kids with Special Olympics Minnesota to the roster. "This is my favorite day of the season," Reeve said. Once they got the paperwork out of the way, the new players hit the court with the pros. Thirteen-year-old Havannah got to play with standout point guard Courtney Williams. "It was really fun to meet her. She was really funny and she was really nice," Havannah said. This moment inspired her to keep playing the game. "I feel like it opened a new door because my grandpa is our coach for every sport and he keeps on asking me, 'Do you want to play basketball?' and I'm like, 'No, I don't feel like that's me,' but now that I played with them I think actually might enjoy it," said Havannah. Twelve-year-old Jasmine could not contain her excitement to join this team. "That was so much fun and I like to have fun," she said. Dream Team members made sincere connections with pros they look up to. "I watched her every time and she was the most incredible woman I've ever seen," said Jasmine. For the pros who are always locked in and grinding, it was nice for them to let loose and be a kid again too. "The best part about it is they're just here to be with us. We talk too much about the season and all the expectations, but when we're out there on the court with them it's just about basketball and having fun, and we get to learn about them too," said Kayla McBride, Lynx guard. The Jr. Lynx Dream Team will be recognized on-court on Friday, Aug. 8 when the team hosts the Washington Mystics.
