On March 3, at Bob Troppmann Field, the Unified Track team held its first meet of the season. Coached by juniors Asha Zlatoper and Cole Sandrich, the team ran the four by 100-meter relay, participated in long jump, and ran the 100-meter sprint.
Zlatoper has been working with the Unified Team for the last three years and loves how welcoming and inclusive the community is.
“My favorite part is being able to see all of the kids light up whenever they run. It makes them so happy, and it really makes me happy to see them reach their goals. I think one of the best parts is watching them succeed,” Zlatoper said.
Junior Cole Sandrich has been working with the Unified athletes since his freshman year, and loves the bonding of all the athletes on and off the track.
The building of friendship isn’t during events themselves, but rather the downtime between them when the athletes had time to socialize.
Redwood teachers Kayla Maslonkowski and Jack Goodman work with the athletes from their classroom to the track, and recognize the value of bonding between all the teams.
Maslonkowski sees the value the Redwood Track and Field team showing up and supporting their peer Unified athletes brings to the athletes.
“Everybody cheers for all the Unified athletes; they make it so special for them,” Maslonkowski said.
Similarly, Goodman knows the importance of the downtime between events, creating opportunities for the Unified Track athletes to bond with the Redwood Track and Field team.
“It could be half an hour, or 45 minutes, between events where you’re just hanging out. [The Unified athletes] are just talking about whatever teenagers talk about. That’s the really fun part, because my students don’t have a lot of practice at that. It’s fun to have the attention and [have] friendships develop,” Goodman said.
Sandrich and Zlatoper also understand how meaningful Unified Track is to them as co-coaches.
“As a track athlete myself, I know what this sport has done for me in a more general sense, all the fulfillment I get from competing. So, to be able to share that with people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate is hugely meaningful,” Sandrich said.
Zlatoper appreciates how Unified Track helped to shape her view of what she wants to pursue in the future.
“It really showed me how much I want to work with students with disabilities in the future. It’s always nice when you are here at these track meets, but being able to give them a chance really has shown me how much I want to lead that and carry on the legacy, especially here at Redwood. It’s really shown me that as a future career path, I would be 100 percent happy to do it,” Zlatoper said.
The Unified Track team meets every Thursday at lunch at the Bob Troppmann Field and does a variety of activities, from practice time to team bonding.
“We eat lunch and then start by warming up. We do arm circles and then usually start with one big lap around with everybody, whether that’s running, jogging or walking. After, we start doing real exercises, like a 100-meter or a 400-meter sprint. Then we all come together, and we thank everyone for coming,” Zlatoper said.
“The most important thing that’s happening is just the socialization that’s going on. Inclusion is the key part of it all,” Goodman said.
The Unified Track team’s next meet is on Wednesday, April 1, and students interested in training with the team can attend their Thursday practices.
