Lake Oswego School District is hosting Oregon’s first Special Olympics Unified Sports track and field meet at Lake Oswego High School on Friday, May 19, 2023. Unified Sports teams from Lake Oswego and Milwaukie High Schools will compete in the dual event.
Unified Sports is an inclusive sports program that unites Special Olympics athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) as teammates for training and competition.
Track and field events will be held on Lake Oswego High School’s Cobb Field from 4:30-5:45 p.m. Track races include 50 and 100-meter walks, 100, 200, and 400-meter runs, and 400-meter relay. Field events include shot put, softball throw, running long jump, and standing long jump.
“Unified Champion Schools brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities to be the change agents in their communities so everyone can have an authentic participatory and competitive experience in school-based activities,” said Erin Cealey, a Learning Support Center teacher for Lake Oswego High School who serves as the school’s Unified Sports Coordinator. “We are excited to add a new sport to our program. It is inspiring to engage in physical activity, social interaction, and learn teamwork in a fun and positive way.”
Under Cealey’s leadership, Lake Oswego High School became a Unified Champion School in the spring of 2022. For the past two years, Lake Oswego has fielded Unified Sports teams in soccer and basketball. Track and field is new for LOSD this spring. The program serves more than 50 athletes.
Finishing off the spring season, the Lake Oswego High School Unified Sports 400-meter relay team is competing in the OSAA State Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday, May 26, 2023, during the Special Olympics race scheduled for 3:31 p.m.
About LOSD
Lake Oswego School District is the top large K-12 comprehensive public school district in Oregon, with a learning community dedicated to creating a culture of belonging and educational excellence. LOSD has been rated the best school district in Oregon, and among the top in America, for decades. The LOSD learning community comprises approximately 6,800 students and their families served by appropriately 850 educators and staff members in 11 schools. LOSD is a suburban district about 10 miles south of Portland, Oregon. Lake Oswego is recognized for its natural beauty, sense of community, and excellent schools.
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