This year Middleton High School (MHS), DeForest Area High School, and Waunakee Community High School joined the Adaptive Sports League (ASL), which was created in 2023 by the Sun Prairie Area School District. The ASL is a sports league designed for 9-12 graders with cognitive or physical disabilities as well as those with safety concerns. Players are able to develop various character-building skills such as leadership, sportsmanship and teamwork. The ASL also allows these athletes to receive varsity credit on their high school transcripts.

The Adaptive Sports League offers three sports: soccer in the fall, floor hockey in the winter and wiffleball in the spring. These sports are played inside to be more accessible for the athletes, who are given the option to play all three sports. 

MHS gym teachers Jessica McIntosh and Kevin Bavery will coach soccer and wiffleball, while math teacher Matt Lane will coach floor hockey. 

Teams meet two times each week in sessions which combine practices and games. Each season will be roughly six weeks long, with four to six games scheduled. The amount of games may increase if more schools join the Adaptive Sports League. 

The inclusion that the ASL brings gives opportunities to all athletes. 

“Having them be a part of something that the rest of their school community is recognizing and also enjoying and supporting, gives them that sense of belonging,” McIntosh said. 

“They are excited to see the people in the stands jump up and down. [For] plenty of our players that was their favorite part, yes they wanted to compete and win, but as long as the fans were there and cheering them on, they were excited to be a part of something that they have never experienced before,” McIntosh said.

“For a lens of equity and inclusivity, just being recognized in a different way, like when people say ‘hey I saw your game last night’ because that happens to athletes in other sports all the time and to have that happen, and to notice their senior banners, shows they’re not invisible,” Bavery said. “They are students and now they are being recognized in a different way and that’s really powerful and feels good to be included, and feels good to be recognized.”

As the soccer season ends, it is clear that the MHS community comes together behind this new sports team and its athletes.

“Because we had so many people who cared so much about giving students opportunities, all of our athletes got to experience something awesome.” McIntosh said.

To help enhance these experiences and support the ASL, readers can attend their next Floor hockey home game on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the MHS Varsity Gym.