Jeffrey Davis dribbled the soccer ball downfield, avoiding defenders while keeping a steady eye on his target. Then, with a perfect strike, he buried the ball into the back of the net.
With a huge grin, Davis, 15, pumped his fists in the air while performing a celebratory dance as UNC Pembroke students, faculty and coaches clapped, whooped and cheered his name.
“That was fun!” said Davis, a 10th grader at Lumberton High School. “I liked playing soccer the most.”
Davis was among 70 high school students with special needs from the Public Schools of Robeson County who took part in the Sports Empowerment event at Grace P. Johnson Stadium on a chilly Monday morning. The annual event invites students with disabilities to UNCP to participate in a mini sports camp, building skills in football, soccer and baseball.
The youth were paired with UNCP student athletes, like junior Bradlee Haskell, who volunteered at the football station where participants honed their kicking skills.
“This was a great day,” said Haskell, who plays on the men’s basketball team and was among the 136 student volunteers. “They got a chance to get out of the classroom, do something different and interact with other students, but most importantly––have fun. Events like this show that no matter their ability level, they can still have fun and seeing them happy inspires me to be out here.”
Event organizers also used the event to provide students with physicals––a requirement to participate in the Special Olympics Spring Games at UNCP on April 10.
“This is a special population that our nursing students don’t have an opportunity to interact with, so they got a learning opportunity while providing a service to the community,” said Dr. Deborah Hummer, assistant professor at the McKenzie-Elliot School of Nursing. “It was a win-win!”
Juniors Sierra Denning and Cailyn Fontaine were among the 75 nursing students who took time out of their schedules to engage with the youth.
“This was an eye-opening experience for me because some of these students don’t have opportunities to participate in structured sports at their school, so to see how excited they are just to be here makes me feel grateful,” Denning said.
Fontaine agreed, saying the unique sporting event allowed her to interact with students with varying disabilities and intellectual challenges––a population she didn’t encounter during her clinical experience at the local hospital.
Mike Kozub, chair of the Kinesiology Department, was among several faculty members who joined in the fun with his students. Events like Sports Empowerment, Kozub said, give students an insight into the range of ability levels of individuals with severe developmental delays to those who are higher functioning as well as children who are autistic.
“This gives them an idea of maybe a population of students they may want to work with down the road,” Dr. Kozub said.
Cherie Stephens, an exceptional children’s teacher at Lumberton High School, said her students benefit from events like Sports Empowerment, which allows them to socialize with their peers and participate in physical activity.
“They are happy to be out here and cheered on,” Stephens said. “We appreciate the work that goes into making this program possible for our kids. It’s a great collaboration!”
