ROCKFORD, Mich. — The Rockford High School varsity boys and girls basketball teams both secured conference championships on Tuesday night. But the biggest cheers of the night may have come during an event that happened in between the two games.
Rockford recently joined several other schools from across the area in putting together a unified basketball team, made up of special education and general education students playing side-by-side. Tuesday was the first time Rockford has ever hosted a unified basketball game.
"It's about the kids being able to be out there and just to have the opportunity to really compete and have fun in front of their peers and with other teams," said Rockford physical education teacher Thomas Kowalski, who serves as the coach of the unified basketball team.
The opponents for Rockford on Tuesday were the Grandville Bulldogs. Usually the two schools are sworn enemies in athletics, but Grandville was a big part of the reason the Rockford students were able to enjoy this night.
"Grandville was really instrumental in getting us going. I was able to work with their coaches and their unified program. They've got a really well-established program, so they kind of helped pave the way," said Kowalski, who also noted that Special Olympics ambassadors played a big role in the process.
"I think, just to be able to do this, to do the same thing as their peers do, and to really just be showcased and be celebrated - I think it was amazing that our kids got the chance to do that and have a blast doing it."
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.