Feature Photo By: Coach Kaly Warner – Senior Micheal Shumake (#11) along with a teammate pose for a photo with Brighton High School’s unified players. The team has a game today vs. Gateway at 4pm.
Michael Shumake is a senior athlete here at Rangeview playing on one of the most dedicated teams: the unified sports team. He was recently named Colorado’s Special Olympics Male Athlete of December.
“I feel very honored and proud,” said Shumake.
He has participated in every sport that Rangeview has offered including basketball, soccer, football and track for the school.
Not only is this an accomplishment for Shumake, it is also an accomplishment for Rangeview. This is Rangeview’s first year having a Unified Athlete of the Month in the four years the program has been at the school. This accomplishment brings the well-deserved recognition to the team for their hard work.
Varsity girls basketball player and senior Zahla Neal-Coleman says, “They’re not more focused on winning, they’re focused on having fun and making sure this is like a great opportunity,” adding, “…I feel like that rubs off on our community because as the times keep going and [sic.] watching them play, we’ve learned to embrace everybody, we’ve learned to make sure everyone is participating, we’ve learned to show that love that Rangeview is about: that family aspect.”
Shumake has left a mark in his final year here at Rangeview. Unified Coach Kaly Warner raves that he is a great representation of what a Rangeview Raiders is.
“He is a very hard worker; he encourages other students to do well. Sometimes he can be a little hard on himself, but he’s learned to be positive throughout the years…” said Warner.
Coach Warner says that making unified fun as a whole is her main purpose. She wants the team to be recognized for their unity.
“I try to make it really fun; I think that I want them to have that fun sports experience of being on a team, and having that comradery and representing their school and having that positive experience,” says Warner.
The team has always kept the unity between them, some say they have seen the connection between the players as a team and as students in the hallways.
Shumake says, “Being a part of unified means a lot, learning more about people with disabilities… they’re people just like us they shouldn’t be treated differently — they deserve as much as normal people.”
Come support Shumake along with his teammates at their last few home games of the winter/basketball season:
Tuesday 2/26 vs. Gateway at 4:00
Wednesday 2/27 vs. Regis 7:00
