COMMUNITY PARTNER OF EVERYDAY WELLNESS
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Ringo Kelvey and Emily Provencher radiated excitement as they sat huddled together, shoulder to shoulder, in one of the back rows of the Merrimack Valley High School gym.
Their teammates chatted around them on the bleachers, and on the court, the school band struck up a tune while students warmed up.
Kelvey and Provencher sported their green Merrimack Valley unified basketball uniforms, exchanging smiles and inside jokes. The pair has been playing unified basketball together for several years, having met through Best Buddies before realizing they were on the same sports team.
“We instantly clicked,” said Provencher, a junior who likes to go by the name ‘Eva.’
She and Kelvey practically finish each other’s sentences. Both on and off the court, they’re a team.
“I love unified. I love the friendship and I love how everyone works together,” said Kelvey, a freshman.
On Monday afternoon, students from Merrimack Valley, Bow, Plymouth, John Stark and Pembroke Academy faced off in a unified basketball tournament complete with referees and stands full of spectators.
Unified sports entail the “deliberate pairing of students with and without disabilities” on the same team, said Merrimack Valley Unified Cheer Coach Keely Gott. It offers exercise and camaraderie.
Gott and her co-coach, Meredith Imbimbo, relish the enthusiasm of the students and the supportive nature of unified activities.
“One thing that I think unified offers to the community at large is it really helps foster friendships and sportsmanship and understanding and empathy,” Imbimbo said. “All of those really wonderful skills that we want every student to leave with when they graduate from Merrimack Valley High School.”
Cheers echoed throughout the gym as players ran from one side of the court to the other and the game began. Whenever a player made a shot, joyful shouts resounded from all sides.
Izzy Densmore, a senior at Bow High School, initially joined unified basketball at her school because her brother was on the team. She encouraged her friends to play, too, and they’ve been teammates since freshman year.
“Everybody helps each other,” Densmore said. “We push ourselves out of our comfort zones. We work with different people. We’ve learned a couple of things along the way. But overall, yes, the friendship is very strong. Everyone comes with intention. It always turns out good.”
Their motto is “just have fun.” And indeed, they do.
“I like playing scrimmages during practice,” said Mae Morrow, also a Bow senior. “I think that’s the fun part, and then you get to use those skills in games.”
Concord Unified Basketball Coach Matthew Timmons sees the sport as a means of empowering students and getting them to come out of their shells.
“It gives them a voice and a way to express who they are,” he said. “Sometimes, like any student, they get bogged down with relationships or class, and this is just another way to be who they are.”
Some students ran on the court. Others walked or jogged or wheeled around in mobility devices. One player moved around in a series of ballerina twirls. Everyone smiled as the tournament progressed, no matter which team was in the lead.
Kelvey said she relishes each moment of every game and practice session.
“I love unified, and I want to do it all of my years,” Kelvey said. “I want there to be some unified thing after I graduate so I can keep playing.”
