At Columbus High School one of our spring sports is Unified Track and Field. Mr. Kyle Anderson is the head coach but Mr. Chris Sander also helps out. According to Sander, Anderson has done a great job coaching and cheering on the unified team.

When asked what unified track and field is Sander said, “Unified Track pairs a student of a special education (the athlete) with a non-special education student (the partner).  The athlete and partner compete in four events: long jump, shot put, 100 M dash and the 4×1 relay.  To determine placing, they combine the totals of the events between the partners and the athletes.”

It has been a strong start to the beginning of the season with CHS hosting their first ever stand-alone unified track meet. The schools that competed were Columbus, Fremont, Norfolk, Omaha Burke and Grand Island. The team is also very strong with their biggest team ever, consisting of nine athletes and 11 partners.

Sander’s favorite part of Unified Track and Field is the support from everyone no matter the team. Also, the unified team is combined  with all the track and field as they are put on the state shirts with the other qualifiers.