There’s a program in the Southern Tier where the boundaries of high school drop away. Ithaca High School’s bowling team welcomes everyone.

The team is made up of pairs, one student and one athlete with special needs. The unified program started five years ago with basketball, and has grown to bowling.

What You Need To Know

  • Ithaca High School has a Unified basketball and bowling team, pairing a student and an athlete with special needs

  • Their program earned them the title of a banner school on the state level, and the Special Olympics Honor Roll with ESPN

  • It's a smaller team during the pandemic, but the kids are still having fun

“They inspire me and they inspire one another. And it’s just great to see the encouragement, and the excitement, and it’s something I’m proud of," said William Asklar, Ithaca Unified Bowling coach.

“Everything about it is very awesome," said bowler Ryan Griffiths.

“This year is a little different because of the pandemic so we have a smaller group than usual but the spirit is still there," said Asklar.

They actually went through a rigorous process to get state recognition as a banner school for Unified Sports.

“It’s just really fun to be here, to be part of the team," said bowler Remy Germain. “I look forward to just hanging out and having fun with my friends. Honestly, I don’t really care about the score, I bowl with all these lovely people, and it’s so much fun.”

They played a match against Elmira, at the end of the game they sent their scores to each other. So both teams can compete in different cities without spreading the virus.

“I hope we do well, get good scores, and do well, and win," said Griffiths.

The program got national recognition from ESPN Honor Roll last year it made the top 36 Special Olympics schools in the country, the only one in New York.

“I have a passion for bowling anyways but just seeing the excitement that they’re experiencing just brings me back to when I was much younger. And it’s something that I hope continues and stays with them as they move on after the season’s over," said Asklar.

The bowling season ended this week but the friendships will continue. The Ithaca Unified Sports program will be starting up their season of basketball, later this spring.