By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Hudson – Nancy Hudson, 65, a retired physical education teacher and coach who worked in Hudson for 34 years has not let her absence in the school stop her from giving back to the students. She is currently running the Hudson Unified Basketball program – for the fifth year – pairing developmentally delayed (physical, intellectual or behavioral) kids with “typical” kids in an effort lay the foundation for teamwork and acceptance.
“I felt that there was a need for programs in Hudson to offer competitive opportunities for kids with learning or physical disabilities,” said Hudson. “All kids should be able to enjoy the positive social experiences that being on a team makes available. We have a wonderful atmosphere in Hudson where kids are always involved in inclusive teaching situations, side by side as much as possible. And sports should be no different.”
Hudson credits Mary O’Malley, a teacher, school psychologist, tutor, advocate and mentor for more than 40 years in the Hudson school system, for helping her understand how to support and develop programs for challenged students. Sadly, O’Malley passed away last year. Her husband Bob, son Frank, and sister Pat Bergeron continue her legacy by coaching
in the Unified Program.
With the help of Cathy Kilcoyne, Hudson director of pupil services, and Linda Ghiloni, former director of the Hudson Recreation Department, the Unified Basketball Program has grown to include 50 participants including 24 partners and 26 athletes. The program also includes the dedication of eight volunteer coaches.
The program, which runs from Thanksgiving to February vacation, meets at Quinn Middle School. Athletes practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and scrimmage on Saturdays.
“My goal for these kids is for them to have fun, first and foremost, and to learn how to work together in a competitive setting,” Hudson said. “My hope is that partners learn empathy for and understanding of their classmates with challenges that may have precluded them in the past from participating in sports opportunities. Unified Sports are a social experience in both directions, and it is my hope that both athletes and partners will leave the program, whatever it is, feeling good about themselves.”
In addition to unified basketball, Hudson runs unified bocce in the fall and a track and field program in the spring which culminates in a Special Olympics meet with other schools in the area. The event is held at Bowditch Field in Framingham and is run with the help of students at Framingham State College.
Using the unified basketball program as her platform, Hudson works to break down barriers and foster relationships between her athletes so that, as the Special Olympics encourages, they will become “friends on and off the field.”
“The program means the world to me,” she said. “It does my heart good to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they are successful at performing a physical skill or task at school.”