On the first day of practice for team handball, WMHS student-athletes meet up with their coach in the small Woodlands gym. Practice always begins the same way; the 12 team members sit in a circle and take turns leading the warm-ups which include stretches and movements for a count of 15 seconds each and running two full laps around the gym’s perimeter. After warm-ups, the coach reviews the rules of the game and then the drills begin. Dribbling, moving down the court with the ball, and working on passing to each other are the focus of this day’s practice. It may sound like a typical approach to practice but these students aren’t part of a modified, junior varsity, or varsity team. These Falcons make up WMHS Pioneer Team.
The Pioneer Team is an extension of the Special Olympics of Hudson Valley, a league dedicated to students with developmental disabilities in Westchester and Putnam Valley. The league’s season begins in the fall with soccer, followed by team handball in the winter, and concludes in spring with basketball. An end-of-season dinner that takes place in the spring is hosted each year by a different school.
Team Coach and Special Education Teacher Kevin O’Donohue started the program early into his two-plus decades at WMHS. For the first couple of years, Mr. O’Donohue didn’t have enough players to field a team so Woodlands students played with Sleepy Hollow on a combined team. Today, the WMHS Pioneers are a team of 12 with four middle school and eight high school student-athletes. “This operates just like any other modified, JV, or varsity team team sport,” said Mr. O’Donohue. “We hold practices after school and have one game week with other area schools in the league. This opportunity offers all the benefits that general education students receive from participating in a school sport, such as team building, socialization, and physical fitness.”
The spirit of the league is predicated on the belief that all students should have the opportunity to participate in athletic competition no matter their ability level. “Many of my students wouldn’t have access to playing a team sport; this program gives them that opportunity,” said Mr. O’Donohue. During this first day of team handball practice, the students demonstrate coordination, taking direction, making adjustments, and the ability to work together as a team. “I joined the Pioneer Team last year in seventh grade, and I continued with it this year. This will be my final year on the team as a middle schooler,” said Victoria, a Pioneer teammate. “What I like most about The Pioneer Team is that I get to be with other kids with the same needs and to be part of a team. For me, this feels much better than a regular gym class. On the Pioneer team, I get to do the things I like to do and want to do.”