Unified Track team wins D1 title with heart & grit!

“(Unified athletes) are amazing, a coach’s dream. … They relish every opportunity to compete and be on a team, & they are amazing teammates.”
~ Unified Track head coach Ryan Middlemiss

Methuen has been home to many a championship team across an array of sports, but the latest title team might just be the most inspirational and determined. I speak of the newly crowned Division 1 Champion Unified Track Team.

Unified Track and Field is an MIAA spring sport option at Methuen High School. The team consists of a combination of special education student-athletes and regular education students who serve as partners. The program is in collaboration with Special Olympics Massachusetts. Most of the Merrimack Valley Conference schools have Unified teams with several others across the state.

MHS coach extraordinaire Ryan Middlemiss is the head coach of the championship club.

“I began coaching our Unified Basketball and Unified Track and Field team back in the 2021-2022 school year,” relates Middlemiss. “They needed a coach, and I thought it was a great opportunity to get more involved in the school community. It was one of the best decisions I have made professionally. It has been such an amazing experience working with this population of athletes.”

Assistant coach Pam Bryant, one of the truly special parents and supporters of all Methuen sports, talks about her involvement in the program: “This is my eleventh year working in the Methuen School System. Three years ago, when I transferred to the high school, I already knew some of the students from helping out with Methuen Youth Unified Basketball alongside (husband) Bill (and children) Connor, and Julia. I asked Ryan Middlemiss if I could help, and he brought me on as an assistant coach. When track season began, continuing to coach seemed like a natural next step.”

The natural enthusiasm and passion of these athletes is not lost on Middlemiss. He states, “They are amazing, a coach’s dream. Every practice and meet, the athletes come in with great energy and excitement. They relish every opportunity to compete and be on a team, and they are amazing teammates.

“It is truly incredible to witness how excited they are to see their teammates succeed. Their attitude is one of the main reasons I continue to coach this group and plan to for a long time. And they are very competitive. They want to win, but in defeat, their attitudes remain good.”

When asked what draws her to coaching the Unified athletes, Bryant’s response is clear: “To me, it is all about championing the athletes’ success and helping them discover their capabilities. Being able to do this is incredibly satisfying and inspiring.”

Track and field events in Unified competition include the 100M and 400M dash and the 4x100M and 4x400M relays. The relay is a combination of 2 athletes and 2 partners. Field events include the long jump, javelin and the shotput. The athletes are generally between ages of 14 and 20 with a few older competitors as well. Boys and girls compete together.

Currently the head coach of the Methuen High School varsity boys’ basketball team, Middlemiss talks about what he gets out of Unified coaching: “Truthfully, this coaching experience has been one of the more fulfilling things I have done. The athletes have taught me a lot through the years about gratitude, perseverance and just enjoying every moment of life.

“Many of our athletes have significant intellectual or physical disabilities, but they never use any of that as an excuse to feel bad for themselves. Witnessing this has grounded me to be a better person. Some of my favorite coaching memories have been coaching these teams.”

With Middlemiss and Bryant at the helm, the Unified team could not have two finer coaches or people as leaders and role models. Says Bryant, “Bill and I have been fans of Ryan’s coaching style since Connor was in high school. Ryan and I really click. We both share a passion for seeing the kids succeed and love helping them reach their goals.”

Adds Middlemiss, “Coach Pam is the absolute best! It has been such a privilege to work with her over the past few years. She is amazing with the athletes, very patient but pushes them when needed. … She originally joined the staff as a volunteer and showed up continuously not asking for anything in return. She has been a huge piece of our success over the past few years and has now taken over as the Head Unified Basketball Coach, and she did an amazing job this past fall. She is just awesome.”

Awesome also describes the driven and dedicated athletes themselves. Ryan King is a senior at MHS and a second-year Unified competitor running the 400M and 100M. He discusses his experiences on the team: “It has been great, and I’m very proud of myself. It was very exciting. I like my team and have good friends on the team. It’s fun to compete with my friends.”

King talks about his coaches stating, “My coaches encouraged me and cheered me on. They gave me confidence. Coach Pam encouraged me to join the team and have a new experience.”

MHS junior Josiah Rodriguez also runs the 400M and 100M, and is in his third year of Unified play. He states, “Being part of this team was super fun. It was a great experience, and I made some new friends. They encourage me to run fast and were always cheering for me. My friend Donovan Rice was joining, and I wanted to do it with him. I always wanted to run fast.”

Among the other many fine athletes competing for the Unified Track team, Coach Middlemiss highlights Anthony Cardone who has participated in both track and basketball, and has never missed a practice or game, Jordaly Jerez with a charismatic personality and trademark muscle flex after a successful shotput throw, and Nicholas Cardon, a fun-loving free spirit who enjoys competing.

Middlemiss also teaches Unified Physical Education at MHS and talks about the importance of such programs: “These opportunities are so crucial for a school community and especially for our special education students. They are yearning for the same opportunities that our other athletes get, and they deserve to be on a team and learn all the great skills that come with being a teammate.

“It also is a great opportunity for our regular education students to work with this population of students. It provides great insight to them on how fortunate they are to be able to do the simple things they take for granted.”

John Molori is an author, columnist, and a 2011 inductee into the Methuen Athletic Hall of Fame. Facebook: John Molori, Twitter @MoloriMedia. Email molorimedia@gmail.com