AURORA – Last year it was an exhibition, but this time it’s for a state championship.
 
Teams from Rangeview and Smoky Hill will square off April 24 in CHSAA’s first-ever Unified Mario Kart state championship. The Unified competition will be one of three state championships handed out as the in-person Esports State Championships take place at Localhost in Lakewood.
 
Multiple rounds, including the state championship finals, will also take place in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but the Unified Mario Kart crown will be decided in the matchup between friendly rivals Rangeview and Smoky Hill.
 
And it means a lot to the competitors.
 
“We’re really excited to be recognized by CHSAA the way that other teams have been,” said Kaly Warnari, Unified Coordinator at Rangeview. “And I think they’re excited to be able to go somewhere and play Esports. We always do it here at school. Going somewhere, to a gaming space, they feel like professional gamers.”
 
Unified sports combine students with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and those without intellectual disabilities (partners) in sports and activities. Young people with disabilities have limited opportunities to play on their high school sports teams. However, Unified programs create chances, and CHSAA has joined in by also sponsoring the Unified bowling state championships, offering Unified activities at other state championships such as wrestling and basketball, and is now sanctioning its first Unified Esports competition in Mario Kart.
 
“It’s just another opportunity for Unified to be showcased,” said Kelton Coppinger, Unified Coordinator at Smoky Hill. “Hopefully we can grow with more sports down the road. It’s an awesome opportunity for our kids. Doing championships with Special Olympics is an amazing thing, but for CHSAA to step in and do it as well, it’s even more exciting for the kids and more exciting for the school.”
 
Last year, Rangeview and Smoky Hill played at the Esports State Championships in a “showcase” event that provided the groundwork for the official state championship this spring. Of the Colorado teams currently competing this year, they are the highest-ranked teams, earning them the invitation to compete for the first-ever championship.
 
“Last year was really fun, but now we know that this is for real and the kids are really excited,” Coppinger said.
 
Having the opportunity to represent their school is inspiring for all athletes.
 
“It’s extremely awesome to represent our school at the tournament,” said athlete David Hamilton of Rangeview. “I’m extremely excited. Sometimes I get a little bit nervous. There’s a lot of people at the tournament and there are multiple rounds.”
 
Said Smoky Hill athlete Jrew Blessit: “It makes me feel very confident. It’s fun and I like doing it.”
 

Unified Mario Kart competitors have been sharpening their skills in practice, learning the ins and outs of the characters and vehicles available for races and determining which combination works best for them over the multiple track options.
 
When it’s time to compete, a track is randomly selected and the race is on.
 
Two athletes and two partners work together in an eight-player race that includes four players from the opposing team. Each race plays out on multiple screens.
 
“They aren’t watching each other’s screens, but they are communicating,” Coppinger said. “It’s cool to watch them strategize and work together.” 

The Smoky Hill team competing alongside Blessit includes athletes Gifty Baker and Anthony Cruz, as well as partners Reece Nuwash and Flynn Latta. Coppinger credits new staff member Stephanie Sturm for her guidance in coaching the Mario Kart team.

The Rangeview contingent includes Hamilton and fellow athletes Kannon Williams, Malachi Colson and Brayshawn Jones, as well as partners Jeremiah Delgado and Anthony Morales.

Rangeview won last year’s showcase event, but Smoky Hill is looking to turn the tables.
 
“I hope it’s us this time,” Blessit said.
 
Said Hamilton: “They say Smoky Hill is one of the strongest groups. I’m looking forward to it.”
 
At both schools, more than 30 students are involved in Unified sports.
 
“I think we were the first school in Colorado to do Unified Esports, and that was about six years ago,” Warnari said. “We started right before the pandemic – and we were lucky because once we had the pandemic it was one of the only sports we could do.
 
“I’m happy it’s two of the schools that started early on that are going (to the state championship). And Smoky and Rangeview have a really close relationship. Kelton and I talk all the time about supporting Unified.”
 
That support of Unified athletes creates a deep sense of pride.
 
“Unified is a big part of Smoky Hill High School, and one of the reasons I love being here,” Coppinger said. “It’s literally embedded in our culture from the top down. Our administration is very supportive, and all my kids are known throughout the building. We’ve won championships in basketball and flag football. Our kids are known, and they love that they represent our school and have an opportunity to play sports and do activities outside of being at school.
 
“They just want to be included and to do things that other kids can do, so when they can represent their school like this, they love it. They take great pride in it, and they’re representing other kids with disabilities and showing that they can do things that everybody else can.”
 
Partners join the programs from all parts of the school.
 
“Sometimes they are siblings, sometimes they have friends or siblings who have joined before,” Warnari said. “Sometimes they’re in a leadership class and this is a good use of their time for volunteering. Sometimes coaches will recruit them onto the team through classes.”
 

Teamwork and camaraderie are other aspects of sports that Unified athletes get to experience.
 
“It’s very inclusive, which I like about it,” Blessit said. “It’s very fun and interactive, and you get to know people while doing it.
 
“You get to meet a lot of new people. It’s a good way to make a lot of new friends. It feels like your own little group.”
 
Said Hamilton: “And the main thing is the word ‘unified.’ Because it means that people are equal, even people with disabilities, and I’m part of the Unified community.”