It was a picturesque day at the Clovis North athletic fields. The weather was perfect; student-athletes from all backgrounds were out and improving their craft, but overall, having fun.
“I think the key word is inclusion. In a typical varsity squad you have all the TRAC schools and you know how competitive they get trying to win a Valley Championship, but for Unified Soccer, it’s all about inclusion,” Unified Soccer founder Roman Gonzalez said.
Whether players were from Buchanan, Clovis West, Clovis East, Clovis and Clovis North, or Central, it’s about coming together to do something they all love. No disabilities, no obstacle can get in the way of being a part of Unified Soccer.
The program, which has been in existence for the past five years, continues to grow.
“Everybody is cheering everybody on, everybody is helping each other and encouraging,” Gonzalez said. “The whole unified process and the theory behind it is that everyone is working together. We all want to go out and play well and win, but here everyone comes together to make it whole.”
Unified Soccer, for those who aren’t familiar, combines student-athletes from the schools varsity/junior varsity soccer teams and special education student-athletes for a season of competition and bonding with fellow peers.
The peer relationship is one of the pillars of Unified Soccer, just as it is in the basketball version as well.
Every week the games are held at different schools, but the Broncos hosted the latest tournament. Games were previously held at Clovis West, Clovis East and other schools who form the Unified Soccer league.
And Wednesday performances from all CUSD high schools didn’t disappoint. All five high schools featured goals, accurate passing and above all, passion on the pitch.
Regardless of who scored or made a nice pass, all the teams and parents alike cheered for one another.
“It just goes to show how important this is and how we can include everyone in terms of high school sports,” Gonzalez said.
There is still time left in the season to go out and support your CUSD student-athletes.
Seeding will begin next week after this weeks TRAC tournament and play will be based off rankings.