Junior secondary English education and Spanish major Sofia VanNoy is the founder and president of the new registered student organization Unified Sports, a Special Olympics program that offers students with and without intellectual and physical disabilities a chance to play together on the same team.
Teams within Unified Sports are made up of people with relatively similar ages and abilities. The Unified Sports RSO offers many different intramural sports such as basketball, soccer, softball, volley, cornhole, kickball and pickleball and is working to make more activities possible.They expect to have two or three nights out of the month for practices and events.
VanNoy was inspired to start the organization because of her past experiences working with people that have disabilities and wanted to create a similar atmosphere.
“I think the Emporia State community should have more opportunities to work with all different types of people and create an inclusive environment that can give anyone a space to be who they want to be without fear of being judged, and instead be lifted up,” she said in an email.
However, VanNoy is not running the organization all by herself.
“Katelyn Pedigo is my vice president, Craig Turner is our advisor and our sponsor is Special Olympics,” said VanNoy.
The Unified Sports team’s long term vision is to eventually build relationships with other Unified Sports teams and compete against them.
“We want to be able to travel to other schools and eventually have tournaments of our own,” VanNoy said. “As well, create an inclusive community on campus. I think Emporia State is very inclusive, but why stop there? We need to keep finding ways to adapt and bring more people together.”
The current Unified Sports team is working toward their goal of “advertising and getting this club out there,” with VanNoy saying “the more we spread the word, the more people will come.” She said that it was challenging for the team to get people involved during last month’s inclement weather. However, she indicated that Unified Sports has received more attention recently and hopes that February will be the last month they are unable to hold events.
She said their other goals include having three to four events before the end of the school year and forming relationships.
“I think in order to have a successful club going, we must start with getting to know people, so taking that extra step can go a long way,” she said.
VanNoy says she has learned important lessons during the process of starting an RSO at ESU, including those involving patience and communication.
“I have learned to be patient with the process, communicate effectively with my peers, meet them where they are at and learn how to promote information effectively to get other students’ attention. But, I am still learning and growing and gaining new information as I go,” she said.
To learn more about Unified Sports, students can scan the QR codes on flyers around campus or visit their instagram @emporiastate.unified