Marysville Getchell, Arlington ‘Pack the Gym’ for unified basketball

MARYSVILLE — One by one, Marysville Getchell students stepped down the bleachers and onto the court in the school’s gymnasium on Monday.

Splitting into two lines across from each other, the student section formed a human tunnel spanning from the Chargers’ bench to the opposite sideline in anticipation for the pregame introductions. No matter which jersey the player wore — Getchell’s home green or visiting Arlington’s blue — each one received a raucous cheer as their names were announced over the public address system. Each Chargers player got to run through the tunnel of their peers before lining up for the national anthem. The buzz rivaled that of a neutral-site state playoff game.

Except this wasn’t the playoffs. In fact, the result of Monday’s game would be secondary to everything else.

For one night, Marysville Getchell showed up loud for the unified basketball program in a ‘Pack the Gym’ game. As defined by the Special Olympics, unified sports “empower individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to engage through the power of sports.”

For Chargers coach Saundra Yon-Wagner, it was a long time coming. Nearing the end of the program’s second season of existence, Marysville Getchell got to host their biggest game of the season against the same team that inspired its start.

‘This is what Marysville’s missing’

Yon-Wagner attended Arlington’s first game four years ago at Mariner to support not only the unified players, but also the Eagles coach: her wife, Necole Yon-Wagner. Seeing the impact the game had on the students and parents moved Saundra Yon-Wagner, and she invited several of her colleagues at Getchell to go watch Arlington’s next game, which happened to be its ‘Pack the Gym’ night.

The turnout was immense. The Arlington community quite literally ‘packed’ the gym, so much so that there was a lineup of cars down Highway 9 waiting to fill up the school. Among those in attendance with Saundra Yon-Wagner was Marysville Getchell’s Special Education Native Liaison Amy Sheldon, who was profoundly impacted by the overwhelming support behind the athletes.

“I left there and I cried,” said Sheldon, who now serves as a coach alongside Saundra Yon-Wagner. “I literally was sobbing in the parking lot. I called my parents on the phone and I was like, ‘This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’ And my dad’s like, ‘What are you talking about?’

“And I’m like, ‘You don’t understand. They’re all playing together. Everyone’s cheering for each other. This is what we need. This is what Marysville’s missing.’”

Prior to attending Arlington’s ‘Pack the Gym’ game, Sheldon had been meeting with the Special Olympics, which provided a grant for four native tribes in Washington. Sheldon represented Tulalip on the planning committee for funding, where she ultimately raised the point of inclusion across schools and unified sports as a major focus. Shortly after, Marysville Getchell received the funding to start its own unified program.

Now in Year 2, the Chargers continue to follow the lead of Arlington, which has established a high standard through four seasons under coaches Necole Yon-Wagner and Maciee Delaney. Both are paraeducators in the school’s life skills program, and each had prior coaching experience at various youth levels, so when the unified team was being formed, it didn’t take long to determine whether or not they would get involved.

“We saw a need in this school, and we were like, ‘God quickened us,’ and we said, ‘We need to be the ones to fill this need,’” Necole Yon-Wagner said. “And so here we are four years later.”

While each athlete faces their own unique set of challenges, the coaches strive to make the experience as uniform as possible. The Eagles warm up like any other team. They work on skills in practice like any other team. Like any other program, the athletes have to be in good standing with the school in order to participate.

For a group of children who grew up being told ‘no,’ who never experienced the opportunity of having their loved ones watch them play organized sports in an official uniform, they get to be a part of a team.

“We have high expectations for our kids,” Delaney said. “We push them. We meet them at their level, but we also have an expectation as a program, and it’s been so amazing to be able to watch our kids meet that expectation and (exceed) that expectation. So we try and run our practice just like any other.”

‘The most positive environment’

Once the game tipped off, Arlington’s Shane Polomis got to work under the basket. He lived up to his nickname on the team, “Buckets,” by scoring the first layup of the game. Polomis hit two more shots before getting subbed out so his teammates could have their share of playing time. But during the moments he was on the floor, Polomis made an impact.

“(I like) helping people out, passing to people,” Polomis said. “And making 3s.”

The last point is especially fitting: Polomis named Steph Curry as his favorite basketball player. Every time they put on the Arlington jersey and step onto the court, Polomis and his peers get to channel their favorite players.

And they can’t get enough.

While the season does not start until mid-December, the first question Necole Yon-Wagner hears from the kids when school starts in September is when the first practice will be. So after settling into the school year, Arlington begins practicing in October at least once or twice a week.

“We practice for a good two months just because they want it,” Necole Yon-Wagner said. “They want to be in the gym. They want to be with their friends. If we can practice every day, they would want to do it. They just love it.”

While some players like Polomis can fly up and down the court himself, others require more assistance. That’s where the partner athletes step in, occasionally securing rebounds and setting teammates up with the ball, but often taking a back seat and letting the unified players dictate the flow of the game.

In most instances, the direct partner intervention is to ensure every player on the court has a chance to score a basket. When that happens, every shot is celebrated. Partner athletes from the opposing team will dish out high-fives, and coaches on both benches provide encouragement. There are two teams on the floor, but they share a common goal.

“It’s literally just the most positive environment you could ever be around,” Marysville Getchell partner Finley Howard said. “All the kids, obviously they want to win, but they’re also here to help these other kids have a great time, too. It’s just amazing seeing everyone. It’s like a bundle of joy and kindness, to have everyone be so kind to each other all the time. It’s something we don’t have in this world that much these days, so it’s like a vacation away from the real world.”

Of course, unified sports do not come without their challenges. With varying levels of ability across such a large roster, determining the right combination of players on the court and managing substitutions is a big task in its own right, but the biggest goal is safety. Some kids have more trouble managing their emotions, and it’s up to the coaches to maintain a secure environment while also fostering a competitive atmosphere that the players enjoy.

Necole Yon-Wagner and Delaney referred to it as “a labor of love.” Emphasis on ‘labor,’ even bigger emphasis on ‘love.’

“I think that’s the beauty and something that I think we love about coaching these kids,” Delaney said. “It challenges us. Challenges us every day to be better at our jobs, to do what’s best for our kids and to give them the best experience, and even when those challenges arise, it’s like, ‘Okay, this is how we’re going to tackle it.’ … It’s exhausting sometimes, to be real, but we love it and our hearts are just so invested in it.”

‘I feel like I’m a real NBA star’

Andrew Fucanian was on fire from behind the arc.

Wearing No. 29 for Marysville Getchell, Fucanian knocked down his first 3-pointer with around 5:30 left in the first half, generating a pop from the student section.

“He’s like that,” a Getchell student exclaimed after the ‘Let’s go Andrew!’ chants subsided.

Fucanian knocked down another one from long range later in the second half, which prompted an even bigger eruption. After running back on defense, Fucanian dropped to his knees and shredded an air guitar solo, which prompted his teammates to follow suit. Minutes later, Fucanian struck again, and after jumping up and down at half court, he formed his hands into a heart towards the Getchell student section. The fans responded by chanting ‘We love Andrew!’

It isn’t March yet, but Fucanian and the rest of the players got to experience one shining moment after another.

“It feels amazing. I actually feel like I’m a real NBA star,” Arlington player Gideon ‘The Rebound Raptor’ Piecola said. “Because all the crowd roaring and everything, it’s awesome. It’s the best.”

Playing in front of a packed gym in front of peers, and even riding a bus with teammates to away games are things some high school basketball players may take for granted. For the unified athletes, it means the world.

Even more than having fun on the court, it builds their confidence at school. Players will get recognized in the hallways and receive high-fives from fellow students, and it breaks down a wall between the special education and general education students.

“It just takes away the fear of not knowing and understanding kids that are different than you,” Saundra Yon-Wagner said. “Our kids now, they run down the halls. You saw them cheering for the kids. They know them. They’re in classes with them, and they see them. It’s beautiful. Before they were so isolated. … All that stuff is so important to them that people don’t realize. They see it all and they just want to be like every other kid.”

‘We just want to continue to show up.’

Following two 20-minute halves of intense play, big shots and loud cheers, Marysville Getchell walked away with a 44-39 victory. After the final buzzer, the Chargers swarmed at half court, where the student section climbed down to celebrate with them. It was a result even bigger than the final score.

According to a couple of the Chargers partner athletes, efforts earlier in the season to replicate Arlington’s fan support fell disappointingly short. After seeing their peers show out on Monday, they hope it marks the first step towards something consistent.

“Earlier this season, we had a very big letdown. But today, it was definitely something that was special,” Marysville Getchell partner Aliyus Garcia Sheldon said. “I’ve been really trying to get everyone out that we could. Me and my friend, (Howard), have been really advertising it to all of our classes. … After today, I really hope that can continue, and not just once I’m gone, but even further than that. And people start showing up without having to be told, without having to be asked.”

The Eagles held their ‘Pack the Gym’ night on Feb. 2 against Monroe, and experienced tremendous turnout as usual. With both programs growing each year, the coaches want to add new experiences in the coming seasons.

Arlington aspires to host a jamboree, bringing multiple unified teams together to compete in a full tournament. For the Arlington-Marysville Getchell matchup specifically, there will be a ‘Battle of the Nine’ Trophy that the two teams will compete for annually beginning next season.

On a larger scale, Marysville Getchell hopes to become a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, which is “one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community,” according to the Special Olympics.

Above all else, the biggest goal is the simplest for the students and community at large to achieve.

“In the next year, we just want to continue to show up for them,” Delaney said. “Because a lot of them don’t have people to show up for them, so we’ve always wanted to be those people.”

On Monday, Marysville showed up. In the future, perhaps every night will have a packed gym.