AUGUSTA and ROCKLAND — The Maine Principals’ Association and Special Olympics Maine are pleased to announce their partnership in developing and promoting Unified Sports.

The MPA, and its Unified Sports Committee, are committed to offering the first ever MPA Unified Basketball season starting in January, 2015.

Unified Basketball partners students with developmental disabilities (Unified Student Athlete) with students without developmental disabilities (Unified Student Partners) to train, compete, and represent their school. Unified Sports impacts all kinds of students and helps promote physical activity, teamwork, sportsmanship, and social inclusion.

Over the past year, the MPA Unified Sports Committee witnessed first-hand Special Olympics Maine’s one-day Unified Basketball Tournament for high schools and expressed their support of this Special Olympics of Maine program by providing assistance for more Unified Basketball teams to train, compete, and represent their school.

To help a school start a Unified Basketball team, Special Olympics Maine will offer scholarships to help offset costs associated with starting a new Unified Team. Schools can apply for a scholarship by submitting the School Project Funding Application to Special Olympics Maine. Special Olympics Maine is capable of offering up to $3,000 per school for the first two years of involvement.

The MPA and Special Olympics Maine are now encouraging you to find your “Champions” in your school and start your school’s Unified Basketball team today.

The focus of MPA Unified Sports is competition (not simply participation). The opportunity to compete in sports teaches many life lessons: to work as a team, to follow rules and to be committed. Through sports we can find shared interests that allow friendships to form. Through MPA/Special Olympics Unified Sports program we have an opportunity to make real positive changes in the lives of students with and without disabilities.

As of Sunday, Dec. 7, the following schools were committed to fielding a unified basketball team this school year: Bonny Eagle, Brunswick, Cony, Edward Little, Gorham, Greely, Hampden Academy, Leavitt Area, Lewiston, Lisbon, Messalonskee, Oak Hill, Oceanside, Oxford Hills Comprehensive, Poland Regional, Waterville Senior, Winthrop and Yarmouth.

Teams will begin practicing Monday, Jan. 5 and the regular season will run from Friday, Jan. 23 to Thursday, Mar. 12, with the playoffs beginning Monday, Mar. 16.

Teams may play a minimum of a four game schedule and a maximum of an eight game schedule and 67% of the teams participating will qualify for the regional tournament.

During games, a team must have at least three Unified Student Athletes and two Unified Student Partners on the floor at all times. Each school will be allowed 22 individuals on their roster and no more than 15 of them may be players in uniform. Each team may have up to five adult coaches & two Unified Student Assistants.

Schools that have a large number of participants may request to sponsor more than one team.

A regulation game will consist of four quarters of eight minutes running time. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation, a four minute running overtime will be played until a winner is decided. This procedure will be repeated if neccessary. 

Each team will play with a women’s regulation ball (28.5) and will be given six timeouts for the game. If an overtime period is needed, each team will be granted one additional timeout per overtime period. 

Unified Student Partners are not allowed to score more than 25% of a team’s total points. A forfeit will be given to a team that does not adhere to the “75% rule”.

The MPA will award the state champion and runner-up awards to the top two teams, like in other sports, in addition to 22 individual medals to each the champion and runner-up teams. 

In each game, one adult official will be used for the entire game. 

Game Schedule

As of Sunday, Dec. 7, the following contests have been announced for the Oceanside unified basketball team. It is not immediately known if the school will schedule three more contests, the maximum number of regular season contests allowed. 

Friday, Jan. 23 at Cony (4:00 p.m.)
Friday, Jan. 30 vs. Hampden (4:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, Feb. 2 vs. Messalonskee (3:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, Feb. 11 vs. Winthrop (4:00 p.m.)
Thursday, Mar. 5 at Waterville (4:30 p.m.) 

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.