As treasurer for UNL Unified, junior statistics student Dominic Sander is helping build an atmosphere of inclusivity, camaraderie and friendly competition around sports that gets everyone in the game.
"UNL Unified partners UNL students with athletes in the community who have intellectual or developmental disabilities to play intramural sports together," Sander said. "It's such a positive experience—everyone chooses to be there and comes in with a great attitude. It's always just so much fun."
Sander, who grew up in Lincoln, first got involved with Nebraska Special Olympics in high school. This strong community helped connect him to UNL Unified, where he’s been a committed partner to the group and their athletes with disabilities all three years of his Husker career. And while he's a big fan of all the sports UNL Unified offers, Sander said relationships are the focus of the group.
"We make sure that an athlete is involved in every single play—letting everyone get the ball, letting everyone have a chance to try to shoot a goal or shoot a basket,” Sander said. “When we set those rules to encourage everyone to mingle, that's when the relationships are formed, and that's when everyone gets to enjoy the games that we're playing."
UNL Unified not only benefits from the participation of Huskers from all backgrounds and athletic experiences, but also from having two athletes with disabilities on their executive board who work directly with the Special Olympics.
“We’re so lucky to have their guidance. Along with our president, Grace Bany, they work with athletes and their parents to help make sure everyone feels comfortable when they're with us and are getting what they want out of the group.”
At the end of the day, whether it’s competing for their traveling team or just having fun at the weekly gatherings on campus to play their chosen sport, Dominic says everyone wants the same thing out of UNL Unified.
"A lot of our athletes that come to us have never had the chance to be a part of a team like this before," he said. “I don't know how to describe it other than it's just joy. Totally unrestricted joy."
