Shaler Area unified bocce team advances to state championships

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, March 7, 2019 | 10:47 PM

James Bernick, a freshman at Slippery Rock, joined the Shaler unified bocce team during its first season last year with an eye on the future.

Bernick liked the values sports can teach and wanted to focus on getting a teaching degree with an emphasis in special education.

The Titans didn’t win a game last year, but Bernick enjoyed the program and stayed as an assistant coach. Shaler’s sophomore season has shown major progress.

The Titans beat Elizabeth Forward, 8-7, in the Allegheny County championships and will compete at the state championships March 20-21 in Hershey.

“This season has been very exciting for us to say the least,” Bernick said. “Last year, we finished without a win, so we had our work cut out for us. Through practice, hard work and positivity we have been able to improve in a major way this season.”

The unified bocce program is through a partnership with the Special Olympics. All of the special-needs students who participate are the athletes, and the other students are referred to as partners.

During the regular season, Shaler went 2-1 before winning four matches in the postseason. Following the championships, the team was greeted by a crowd of about 100 spectators at the school.

Members of the Titans’ team include Angie Robertson, Eli Deutschbauer, Roman Tortorea, Joey Broderick, Kassidy Steinmetz, Lauren Donnelly, Skyler Tortorea and Nakeisha McCoy. Gina Chmielewski is the head coach and is assisted by Bernick and Christin Pintar.

Chmielewski has enjoyed the experience of taking over the program.

“I’ve coached basketball and softball before,” Chmielewski said. “This is different than coaching a sport with all regular-ed students on it. You have to take a different approach to it. Seeing the kids when they got handed their medals was pretty nice and amazing to see the kids’ faces.”

One of the team’s bigger triumphs was winning its first home match Feb. 27 against Moon. The Titans enjoyed having a festive atmosphere.

“We lost at Hampton,” Chmielewski said. “Our last match was a home match. It was nice to win in front of a home crowd. There were a lot of students, faculty and administration there. That was nice. The kids appreciate it.”

Having Bernick along has provided Shaler with extra support since he has experience as a player and now a coach.

The biggest difference for Bernick is as a coach he is able to see how the entire team is doing.

“I like to see how we can make minor adjustments that may be able to put us in a better position to win the match,” Bernick said. “I pride myself on being encouraging to everyone on our team throughout the match. I believe if you feel good, you’ll play good.”

Tags: Shaler