Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2018 UCW 33 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 4x100 relay teams that took 3rd and 1st. Third place finishers (on left) are Anthony Liszewski, Cord Grimm and Camdon Liszewski (Gabrielle Veauthier not pictured). Champions are Nick Quinn, Andrew Esterly, Devonte Pierce and Trace Bechtol. Joshua Jose Rivera Gray's Creek • Baseball • Sophomore Rivera has a grade point average of 3.58 for the Bears. June Kilpatrick Douglas Byrd • Soccer • Sophomore Kilpatrick has a 4.3 grade point average. She's a platoon leader for the JROTC and a member of the drill team and aca- demic team. She partici- pates in the speech and debate clubs. Away from school she volunteers for the American Red Cross. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop congratulates these amazing scholar athletes of the week and invites them to the Rocket Fizz Store at 1916 Skibo Rd. to receive a FREE gift recognizing their achievement! www.rocketfizz.com Unified Track opens door to special needs by EARL VAUGHAN JR. e Carver Classic track and field meet held annually at Reid Ross Classical High School's John Daskal Stadium has always been a high point of the local outdoor track season. But this year it made his- tory, special history. e event saw a new record set for the largest number of special needs athletes competing in an organized track meet. It's part of a program called Unified Track that was intro- duced to Cumberland County Schools by student activities director Vernon Aldridge. e Unified program is designed to give special needs youngsters with either physi- cal or emotional disabilities the opportunity to participate for an organized high school athletic team. So far, track is the only sport offered in Cumberland County, but officials are looking at the possibility of adding other sports by this fall. Aldridge learned about Unified Track during a presentation at last year's North Carolina Athletic Directors Association annual meeting in Wilmington. e presentation was made by a group of Uni- fied Track athletes, and Aldridge said it moved him. "I brought it back to our athletic directors and they wanted to get involved,'' Aldridge said. Currently, Cumberland County has Uni- fied Track teams at seven of its 10 senior high schools. Aldridge estimates there were some 70 to 80 Unified athletes competing at the Carver Classic, which according to Nathan Brookins of North Carolina Special Olympics made it the largest number of Unified athletes to compete in a meet held in this state. e team from Gray's Creek won the Unified di- vision of the Carver Classic meet. Earl Horan, who coached the Gray's Creek special needs team and has a son on the squad, said the Unified concept focuses on inclusion for the special needs youngsters. "We want to give them the opportu- nity to participate in a team sport,'' Horan said. "We're trying to get past a sport- ing event and bring it to the hallways and classrooms and make sure they are seen around the school and get a little more opportunity to be a typical student.'' Horan said the Unified track athletes wore their medals to school the day after the Carver Classic. "eir chests were bowed out,'' Horan said. "It gives them a sense of confidence.'' e special needs athletes don't compete alone. ey are paired with partners from other sports teams at their school who join them in the com- petition. e rules of Unified Track require one regular athlete for every special needs competitor. Horan said the wrestling team from Gray's Creek has stepped up to provide six of the seven part- ners for the Gray's Creek special needs athletes. As both the parent of a special needs athlete and a special education teacher, Horan has a unique appreciation for the benefits of Unified Track. "I see the pride my son has and the enthusi- asm from other teachers,'' he said. "e amount of support we get from students, administration and parents is very heartwarming.'' Aldridge would love to see the program grow countywide and thinks the key is getting the word out to parents of special needs children. "Some parents may be leery of turning their child over to us for an athletic team,'' he said. "If we can get the word out and show how positive the performance has been, we can get more kids involved.'' & BRINGING YOU THE BEST IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS March Athlete of the Month (Baseball): Justin Ebert, Terry Sanford HS 6-8pm May 3 rd PATRIOTS Conference Championship GAME Teams TBA on WCLN 105.7 FM Airtime 6:45 PM 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 THURSDAY MONDAY Join Don Koonce & Trey Edge for the Baseball Game of the Week