Unified in its mission, Hingham girls’ hockey plans to lift its play and its community

“Every time I go to SNAP hockey or a Unified track meet, there is never a time when I am not smiling,” said Caroline Doherty, a junior forward. “The atmosphere brings so much happiness to everyone around. It is contagious.”

Doherty and her teammates participate in social activities with their Unified and SNAP teammates as well, such as going to Nona’s Ice Cream or trick-or-treating.

“I think the most important part of participating in these sports are the friendships you build with all the athletes and the excitement of seeing them progress throughout the years,” said Doherty.

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Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one to one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our players who are involved with Best Buddies meet every other week to discuss inclusion opportunities at school for students with disabilities. They also host a wide array of social gatherings including friendsgiving, pumpkin painting, gingerbread house decorating and a prom in the spring.

Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Hingham offers Unified Basketball and Track for all students to participate in.

Unified Sports practices twice a week for one hour each and usually has 5-6 meets or games per season. These games combine with other towns with unified programs and provide an opportunity for athletes to participate against multiple towns.

SNAP is a non-profit organization providing athletic and recreational activities for children and young adults with different abilities and special needs across the South Shore.  Most of our players participate in SNAP hockey as well as SNAP soccer.

SNAP hockey and soccer are one hour practices for 10 weeks every Sunday. Each practice is structured with direct instruction on sport but also allows for plenty of opportunities for social interaction and team bonding.

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From Coach Courtney Turner:

Each of these programs allows for meaningful inclusion for individuals in the community with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Unified Sports program at Hingham High School is particularly meaningful as I am a teacher in the RISE classroom, which is a program for students with disabilities in grade 9-12 as well as POST graduate students. We work on academics as well as life skills and vocational opportunities. These Unified Sports provide meaningful inclusion within the school. Students on these Unified Teams or in Best Buddies often stop in the hallway to initiate conversation with the athletes. Their games are filled with camaraderie, teamwork, encouragement and sportsmanship.  We also host a Unified Skating Christmas Party over break in which we invite members of the Hingham community to join our team on the ice for a fun free skate with fan favorite music and hot chocolate. This will be our second year hosting this and it is one of our favorite events of the year!

Growing up my mother has my siblings and I volunteer with Special Olympics and it has been extremely impactful in not only my career, but my entire life. I am proud of this team for their involvement in each of these programs and I know that they will be very successful in their future given the time they dedicate to their community. This is truly a very special group of players that we have on this team. They are kind and compassionate and want to give back. Their interactions are so heartwarming and natural. Among the many great things they do on the ice, they also foster a supportive and inclusive environment throughout Hingham High School.