Press release:
The Pembroke Central School District added a team to its athletic lineup this school year in Unified Bowling. Special Olympics Unified Sports joins people with and without disabilities to play and compete on the same team to bolster friendship, understanding, inclusion, and tolerance in schools.
Through Unified Sports, regardless of any disability, all athletes matter and are provided opportunities to proudly wear their school uniform while having a chance to shine athletically.
Pembroke was ready to field its first-ever Unified Basketball team last spring, but the pandemic and subsequent nationwide quarantine waylaid those plans. The school community was elated to learn that it could participate in Unified Bowling this season, even though everyone must wear masks and socially distance.
Section VI has graciously accepted Pembroke’s Unified team into its league, giving Pembroke athletes the chance to compete with schools that are geographically closer than some of its Section V counterparts.
This bodes well for some of Pembroke’s athletes who face unique transportation needs. When pandemic restrictions are finally lifted, the team will travel to its away matches at locations in Section VI. Until then, meets will continue to be held virtually.
The Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia has been a wonderful host for Pembroke Unified Bowling meets and has been very accommodating. Under normal circumstances, competitors travel to various bowling lanes in WNY to compete in person against other schools, but this season, all meets are completed virtually with each school bowling at their respective lanes and scores being reported online.
Unified Sports truly brings out the best in everyone, and Pembroke is honored to continue developing a school community rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and acceptance.
According to Principal Nathan Work, Ed.D., “Even though we all have masks on, you can still see the smiles shining through. There is not a day that goes by that one of these athletes or partners doesn’t inspire me and warm my heart; this is truly humanity at its finest.”
There are 17 students on the team and they are coached by Alex Kaminski, Matthew Lingle, and Work. Pembroke’s next Unified Bowling meet is scheduled for Friday, March 19th at 3:30 p.m.
The season runs from Feb. 23rd to March 25th and athletes will participate in a total of seven meets. School officials plan to add additional sports to Pembroke’s Unified Sports program as pandemic restrictions and resources allow.
