Special Olympics Kaua‘i athletes and their high school Unified Peer partners from Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i high schools recently competed at the Statewide Holiday Classic Games played at the Hickam Air Force Base on O‘ahu. Tamarine Mapuhi and Erin Dunn, coaches
Special Olympics Kaua‘i athletes and their high school Unified Peer partners from Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i high schools recently competed at the Statewide Holiday Classic Games played at the Hickam Air Force Base on O‘ahu.
Tamarine Mapuhi and Erin Dunn, coaches for the Project Unify Club, said the two high schools combined to form 14 Unified teams consisting of 24 Special Olympic athletes and 24 of their high school peers without disabilities.
During the group’s trip to the statewide games, Mapuhi said they received commendations for their efforts with Project Unify Club.
“The coaches were impressed at this group of young people who took time to become agents of change by becoming advocates for people with intellectual disabilities through the promotion of respect and acceptance within their schools,” Mapuhi said in an email.
She said both Kapa‘a and Kaua‘i high schools have created “Project Unify Club,” a unique Special Olympics Hawai‘i school-based program which teams students with and without intellectual disabilities through social, recreational and sports opportunities.
Earlier in the year, with the aid of the Coca Cola Kaua‘i volunteers, the island witnessed the 48 student athletes compete at Unified Bowling at the Kaua‘i Bowl.
“This year, we had a total of 48 athletes and their peers participate in Unified bowling,” Mapuhi said. “Kaua‘i also offers Unified track and field relay as well as Unified soccer. Unified sports join people with and without disabilities on the same team. Special Olympic athletes and their peer partners train together, learn together and laugh together. Attitudes are changed and friendships are born out of this experience.”
For the Project Unify Club who traveled to O‘ahu for the state games, Special Olympic athletes included Bradley McDermott-Sa, Emily Sullivan, Carlos Solorio-Perez, Divine Navalta, Sarah Peck, Randy Bristol, Billie Jean Waiwaiole, Lucas Moore, Elaine Kato, Makani Kapua, Dylan Wasano, Surina Brustowicz, Kalea Snyder, Alexandra McClurg, Kaitlin Waipa, Kristin Costa-Brum, Jessica Miranda, Mikey Carreira, Chaunci Cummings, Katelin Heller, Tiffany Girard, Chad Okino, Mariana Munoz and Travis Planas.
Unified partners include Alexandra Mullins, Alicia Gilbert, Jaxey Cantu, Anna Keala Lopez, Ridge Oda, Natalia Alvarez, Nikela Alvarez, Josiah Alvarez, Tajh Mapuhi, Stanley Chock, Jacob Peck, Bianca Williams-Verasammy, Justin Williams-Verasammy, Juliah Peck, Stuart Beeksma, Alyssa Beeksma, Skyler Drayna, Danika Thompson, Kaila Funaki, Micah Young, Noelani Murray, Ellie Valentino, Brandon Elwin and Caitlin Tachibana.
Call Jocelyn Barriga at 652-8662 to enroll an athlete, or for more information on Special Olympics Kaua‘i. High school students interested in enrolling in the Project Unify Club can call Mapuhi at 652-9847, the Kapa‘a High School coach, or Dunn at 639-4876, the Kaua‘i High School coach.
