Junior Addison Ash had been involved in unified track throughout her high school career. She was inspired to do a unified track by participating in other unified events. Ash said she wanted to make a difference on people especially those who feel undervalued but in reality, are just like everyone else.

Ash has a deep love for soccer and has been playing for 13 years. Her involvement in unified track keeps her in shape throughout the off-season. Ash said, “Unified track compared to soccer are both good workouts and super fun. I would say unified track has brought me a lot of joy just being around people who are so kind and inclusive.” Soccer has always been a competitive sport for Ash, often taking the fun out of daily practice and routine. The pressure to compete and perform well can become a big stressor for Ash.  “In unified track, nobody cares how well you do in an event they care more about your effort and attitude and soccer is a lot more pressure and harder” Ash reported. Although she loves soccer, the excitement and fun of being involved in Unified has her heart.

Ash has been inspired by those in unified and being involved has taught her many different lessons. Ash’s biggest lesson she has learned from unified track is that in everything you do, do it with joy, have fun, and include others! Her favorite part about unified track is that everyone is so supportive and extremely inclusive. “I love going to practice every day and getting to have fun and also geta. good workout. The dance parties at the meets are some of my favorite memories too” Ash said.

Ash predicts that for the rest of the season, they will bring home some wins, but also have a lot of fun and improve as a team together and get better each time they compete. Overall, Ash thinks unified is such a fun experience where you can learn a lot and spend quality time with students just like us and with special needs. Ash concluded, “It has been one of my favorite parts of high school and gives me something to look forward to every day!”