Looking Back: Expanded Opportunities for Unified Athletes

AURORA – With 2023 coming to a close, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is looking back at some of the moments that made 2023 so special.

While the Special Olympics and Paralympics have been a fixture at select Colorado high school state championships for over a decade now, CHSAA was excited to be able to expand those offerings this year with the first-ever athletes competing at the Gymnastics State Championships this fall.

Niwot’s Sophia Keronen and Palmer Ridge’s Taylor Connor made history as Keronen medaled on both the bars and floor and Connor medaled on the vault.

“To be able to give all of the amazing athletes within our membership a chance to do what they love, and what they’ve trained and worked so hard for, is truly special,” Assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig said. “The pride and joy these athletes have while they’re competing at a state championship event alongside their classmates is indescribable. We appreciate our schools and community partners for working with us to make these moments possible.”

Unified athletes also competed for medals at additional state championships throughout the year, including cross country, track and field, swimming and diving, basketball, spirit, and of course: bowling.

At the Spirit State Championships, the Douglas County School District’s unified spirit team performed for the crowd, while Regis Jesuit and Vista PEAK Preparatory Academy played each other on the biggest stage at the Basketball State Championships. Unified athletes had their own designated race during the cross country championships and athletes from schools such as Mead, South Park, Rangeview, Roosevelt, Simla and more competed at the track and field championships.

To cap off the year, Windsor became the first unified bowling team outside the city of Pueblo to bring home CHSAA’s Unified Bowling Championship, thanks to recording a record-setting pinfall total of 651.

These opportunities would not be possible without CHSAA’s partnership with Special Olympics Colorado, which extends beyond state championship events. This past fall, CHSAA Commissioner and Special Olympics Board of Directors member Mike Krueger and Associate Commissioner Bethany Brookens also attended Special Olympics Colorado’s 2023 Youth Summit at the Denver Broncos’ Centura Health Training Center, where CHSAA Assistant Commissioner Rashaan Davis served as the keynote speaker. CHSAA’s staff also attended the Special Olympics Colorado Hall of Fame, where Regis Jesuit was named the Chaka Sutton Unified School of the Year.