Stanwood’s Inclusive Track Field state champions blaze trail

STANWOOD — When Levi Stiers received the baton heading into the last leg of the mixed unified 400-meter relay at the WIAA Track & Field State Championships in Tacoma on Friday, the Stanwood junior had a couple of opponents in front of him. Needing to make up ground, and quickly, Stiers wasted no time.

“I thought in my head, ‘I need to catch this guy,’” Stiers said, recalling his mindset from inside Stanwood High School on Wednesday.

Stiers and his 400 relay teammates also competed in the mixed unified 800 sprint medley relay (SMR), where they finished third. Stiers learned that he needed to sprint as fast as he could, not letting up for a moment in such a short race. Just as he had been working on all season, Stiers got up on his toes and started to reel in the competitors ahead of him.

Xander Krause, Stanwood’s leadoff runner, ran across the field towards the finish line. The junior executed a perfect start to the relay, despite his nervousness about false starts, which he had been working to avoid all season. Until the starter gun went off, Krause was telling himself in his head to “not false start.”

He didn’t, and clean handoffs between Krause, senior Ciara Beam and sophomore Camrie Ingram — both partner athletes on the unified relay — set up Stiers for the final leg.

Krause couldn’t help but feel excitement as he sprinted across the field to see Stiers’ finish.

“I was cheering him on a lot,” Krause said. “I was yelling at him to finish and try to win it.”

By the time Stiers crossed the finish line, he had passed everyone in front of him. In a team record 53.21 seconds, Stanwood’s mixed unified 400 relay was state champion. And the entire Spartans team needed every point they could get.

Thanks in large part to the relay team’s efforts, Stanwood won the Inclusive State Championship with 28 points, narrowly edging out Kentwood (27). It’s the first state championship, in any sport, in school history.

“There’s not many feelings like being a champion,” Stanwood coach Michael Randall said. “As a coach, getting to stand there in front of them and getting to watch our unified partners and athletes stand up in the middle, and then the rest of our team come around them, you know, we work really hard as a coaching staff to make this team a family. You could feel it then.”

Unified sports, as defined by Special Olympics Washington, “promote social inclusion through shared sport experiences for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities.” The latter are referred to as “partners,” who assist and mentor their teammates while also competing together.

The WIAA recently partnered with Special Olympics Washington to start offering unified events, and this season marked the first time the WIAA Track & Field Championships combined the inclusive division — which consists of unified, ambulatory (physical disabilities) and wheelchair events — into its own scoring category.

So far, Stanwood’s inclusive track & field athletes are 1-for-1. In every sense of the word, Stiers, Krause and the partner athletes are blazing a trail.

“It felt nice knowing that I was able to help these athletes achieve something that I know they really wanted,” Beam said. “And just know that I was a part of, like, starting something and being on the path to start something new.”

The presence of unified sports is growing across the state of Washington. Stanwood is not officially a fully unified partner school, which offers complete unified sports programs, but Randall hopes the Spartans’ unified track & field and swim & dive programs are just the beginning.

For the athletes with intellectual disabilities, unified sports provide a competitive atmosphere in which they can not only grow as athletes, but also have fun. Both Stiers and Krause expressed appreciation for that opportunity.

“I did track because it was an event I was good at, because I was good at running,” Stiers said. “And then I decided to do the unified relays because it was, like, a good opportunity. I could head to districts and state in that event. It was, like, an opportunity to compete there.”

For the partner athletes without intellectual disabilities, it’s all that and more.

After watching the unified events as a freshman last year, Ingram realized it was something she wanted to be a part of. So at the beginning of this season, when Randall started asking around about who wanted to help out as partner athletes, she immediately stepped in. After the first few meets, she realized she enjoyed it more than last year.

“They all enjoy it so much, and they like, have so much joy and you can see it,” Ingram said. “It feeds back into me, and it’s less about, like, the competition and comparing yourself to others, but more about, like, ‘Okay, let’s do better than we did last time,’ and do it for our team rather than compare to everyone else.”

Beam did not start participating in unified events until closer to the postseason, but she figured it was a good way to branch out during her senior season while helping these athletes “who have overcome a lot.”

Amelia Allen, who started the season in the 400 relay but was sidelined with mononucleosis towards the end of it, pointed out that she would not have qualified for the state championships individually.

“With this opportunity to run together, it gives kids like me an opportunity as well, and that feels really good,” Allen said. “It feels like you’re doing something not only for yourself, but for everyone. You’re doing something for kids that deserve it.”

As deserving as the unified athletes are, not everyone sees it that way. Randall said he’ll hear whispers from students at meets calling unified events, “an easy path to state,” or “not real events,” which only makes it harder on Stiers, Krause and the rest.

Make no mistake, the medals placed around their necks are not for show. Nowhere on the state championship trophy they hoisted can the word “participation” be found. Stanwood had to beat out 52 other teams to claim their title. Every athlete on the team put in the work at practice every day to make that happen.

“It’s become something where they’re not just out there to participate,” Randall said. “They’re against their peers on a level playing field, and it is competitive, because you have the same advancement process as any other athlete; varsity, JV or otherwise. … The WIAA is doing a lot to improve it. There’s always oversights as this grows, and things, but I think it’s definitely… It’s a battle that’s worth fighting.”

Not every day is easy. Each individual faces their own challenges, and Randall credits the indispensable work of the district’s Special Services Program, which provides para-educators to come to practice and help manage any complications. The athletes’ parents are also, naturally, a big help in communicating their child’s needs.

Allen was also quick to credit Randall himself and the effort he’s put forth to create a supportive environment, leading the charge to improve the overall experience and make sure everyone is treated properly. Ultimately, everyone involved works together to create the best experience possible.

“That’s why we’re out there for all of them, right?” Randall said. “We’re out there to serve and provide the opportunity. And yeah, not every day is easy, but the good things in life aren’t easy.”

In the face of that negativity, positivity shines through. After the district championships, Stiers, Krause and the other unified athletes were allowed to wear their medals around school. With every step, the medals clinked together, and it brought smiles to the faces of anyone within earshot.

Not every student and teacher at Stanwood keeps up with the sports teams, but they know how successful the unified track & field program is.

“It was awesome, wearing my medals around the school and stuff,” said Krause, who had students coming up to congratulate him.

With their state championship in tow, the athletes hope their success inspires more students to join. Randall is organizing a midseason inclusive invitational, since as of now, it’s only the postseason where all the inclusive teams get to compete against each other. Stiers hopes events like the 800 meters and the mile will be added to give him and others an opportunity to try those out.

Randall is also taking steps towards gaining approval from Special Olympics Washington to make Stanwood an official unified champion school and create teams in every other sport.

But with that major step forward comes a major downside: It would mean the unified athletes would become their own separate team, not assimilated amongst the varsity program, which isn’t something any of the athletes want.

“The way that we’re all together right now is really important to our unified program,” Allen said. “I think if you separate, it’s really easy to just brush off, and it is important for everyone to see that, ‘This is a state champ, like, take it seriously.’ This is a real thing. This is a part of our team, and everyone can appreciate it and also be a part of it.”

It’s a balancing act, but Randall assures every new step will be considered carefully.

In the meantime, the athletes will head into summer looking to improve their 400 relay time, which is only 2.61 seconds away from the state record. To do that, Stiers will continue to channel Ric Flair.

Right before their championship-winning relay, Randall gathered the team at one of the fences on the edge of the track. Wanting to build up some hype and confidence — and knowing how much Stiers liked the WWE — Randall quoted the wrestling legend: “To be the man…”

“You gotta beat the man! WOO!” Stiers yelled back, finishing the line Randall set up.

After that, Randall knew his team would be a great race, and he was proven right.

And now, Stanwood track & field is ‘the man’ to beat.