AIA Unified Sports

MISSION STATEMENT:

To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

SOAZ/AIA UNIFIED SPORTS® VISION: 

The main philosophy of SOAZ/AIA Unified Sports® is about inclusion and recognition of the Special Olympics athletes on their high school campus. We want the Unified Sports® athletes to enjoy the competition as it is happening by not being overly competitive, thus losing site of the overall spirit of inclusion.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

In June of 2011, a partnership was formed between Special Olympics Arizona and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) with the sole purpose of building a state-wide Unified Sports® system. Unified Sports® is an inclusive program that combines high school students with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and high school students without intellectual disabilities (partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Through a grant from Special Olympics International, the funds have been established to create a successful Unified Sports® league in high schools throughout Arizona.

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS INVOLVED: 

• As of 5/24/2012, there are 100 high schools committed to playing one or more SOAZ/AIA Unified Sports® for the 2012-2013 school year.
• 74 schools are participating in Track & Field
• 16 schools are participating in Basketball
• 6 schools are participating in Flag Football
• 4 schools are participating in Cheerleading

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

• A one-time credit of $250.00 will be given to each school to be used toward the purchase of equipment with Buddy’s All Stars (Ron Shepro of Buddy’s can be contacted at 480-921-0850 or by email at ron@buddysallstars.com)
• The cut-off date to spend the $250.00 credit is February 28, 2013
• Transportation of athletes and partners is the responsibility of the school district
• If a district is a “Pay to Play” district, it is the districts choice to charge the athletes & partners to play SOAZ/AIA Unified Sports®
• Athletes & partners will receive school letters for athletics