Adapted Athletics growth continues in Jeffco Public Schools
LAKEWOOD — Jeffco Public Schools kicked off its 2016-17 school year of Adapted Athletics events Tuesday.
Nearly 250 high school and middle school students from 15 different Jeffco schools descended on at All Star Park in Lakewood for a cross country meet for special need students. Cross country, along with track and field, was added last year to the growing schedule of events for the nearly decade-long program.
Bryan Wickoren, Adapted Physical Education Coordinator for Jeffco Public Schools, started the program in 2007. He modeled Jeffco’s program after Minnesota’s success Adapted Athletes program that has been established since the 1970s.
“We just kept expanding,” said Wickoren who began the program with basketball games at Fletcher Miller School with students from Miller, Alameda International, Arvada West and Conifer high school participating. “We’ve just slowly evolved.”
Nearly ten years later, the Adapted Athletics program in Jeffco has at least one scheduled event every month through the school year. The sports include cross country, soccer, flag football, bowling, volleyball, basketball, hockey, softball, along with track and field.
“We always want to focus on their ability, not their disability,” Wickoren said as student-athletes started to arrive at All Star Park. “We want to empower them to enjoy physical activity.”
Wickoren said there has been an alarming increase in obesity for students with disabilities. The hope is to give students an experience in athletics that they can do with family and friends now and in the future.
Basketball is still the most popular sport in the Adapted Athletics program. Arvada West High School will host the north-area tournament and the Gold Crown Field House will host the south-area tournament. There will also be the addition of the I-25 Basketball Tournament in January at Gold Crown where schools from Fort Collins to Pueblo will be invited to participate.
“I think we are leading,” Wickoren said of Jeffco in the forefront of providing these opportunities for special need students. “Everyone is looking at us. That is one of the reasons we are doing the I-25 Adapted Basketball Tournament.”
Aurora, Brighton, Greeley and Grand Junction are some other Colorado school districts that have come to one of Jeffco’s Adapted Athletics events to get ideas of how to run their own.
“The unique thing about Jeffco is we have a big population of schools to be able to do it,” Wickoren said. “It’s nice to be a leader.”
Down the road Wickoren’s dream is to have state competitions in basketball, soccer, softball along with track and field. He would also like some of the Jeffco high schools to host some of the events like Arvada West does with basketball.
“There is still growth to be had,” Wickoren said. “The positive feedback from staffs is wonderful. They look forward to having these every month. They have gotten the tie-in with PE teachers to work on upcoming events so they can have success at these events. A day like today is like their test day.”
Jeffco Public Schools’ Adapted Athletics
- Monday, Sept. 26, at Creighton MS & Trailblazer Stadium — Soccer
- Wednesday, Oct 19, at Creighton MS & Trailblazer Stadium — Flag Football
- Friday, Nov. 18, at TBA — Bowling
- Thursday, Dec. 1, at Gold Crown Field House — Volleyball
- Thursday, Jan. 19, at Gold Crown Field House — Basketball (1-25 Adapted Tourney)
- Friday, Jan. 20, at Gold Crown Field House — Basketball
- Thursday, Feb. 16, at Gold Crown Field House — Hockey
- Wednesday, March 22, at Arvada West High School — Basketball (north schools)
- Thursday, March 23, at Gold Crown Field House — Basketball (south schools)
- Tuesday, April 18, at Gold Crown Field House — Softball (middle schools)
- Wednesday, April 19, at Gold Crown Field House — Softball (high schools)
- Friday, May 5, at Jeffco Stadium — Track and field
- Wednesday, May 10, at Gold Crown Field House — Tournament of Champions
