Boltz Middle School Unified Basketball 

Special Event: December 1st at 3:30p.m. we will have our 1^st annual Project Unify Staff-Student basketball game. The goal of this event is to come together as staff and students of all abilities to celebrate diversity and practice inclusion. CBA and Club Council students will be running concessions. This is an awesome opportunity to celebrate all of the unique and diverse things about Boltz. Shirts are available here: https://www.custommisports.com/boltz_project_unify/shop/home They are $15 and will be available to purchase until November 19th, they will be delivered to Boltz by game day.

Unified Season is open to 7th and 8th graders!

Online Registration: Register online at https://poudreathletics.sportngin.com/register/form/788375463

Participate: Student must have an ORANGE CARD issued to them by the Athletic Secretary to participate. They will be issued an orange card once it's been verified that they are registered, have a currents sports physical on file, and fees have been paid. The student will give this orange card to their Coach. Student WILL NOT be allowed to participate on the first day of practice without the orange card. Please plan ahead.      

Head Coach: Elija Collum ecollum@psdschools.org

First Official Practice: Monday, April 1, 2024

Practice Times: TBD

Games Begin: TBD

Band App: 

Schedule: Can be found under documents

Picture Day: TBD

Parent Meeting: TBD

About Coach Collum: 

My name is Elija Collum and I am the head coach for Unified Basketball this year! I am a paraprofessional in the center-based Autism program at Boltz. Unified Basketball is a school based Special Olympics sport. It joins students of the same age with different abilities on the same team. The idea is that playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.  

Boltz is home to one of PSD's center-based Autism programs and the new Bridge program, both programs serve students with special needs. Students with differing abilities that are on an IEP qualify as "athletes" and students that are part of the general population are "partners". It is not advertised who is who, coaches are the only ones with this information. During games, we have to keep three athletes and two partners on the court at all times to abide by Special Olympics Unified rules.

This team is open to all 6^th - 8^th graders that attend Boltz Middle School. However, students that want to be peer partners need to apply through a Google Form that will be sent to their email when they express interest. Part of this form is teacher recommendation and a few sentences as to why they want to participate. We do this so that students know what they are committing to.

Expectations of being a Unified Partner:

• You are on time to practice and games
• You represent Boltz appropriately through the PRIDE matrix
• You are kind to your peers
• You have good sportsmanship
• You understand that playing time is not the priority, helping your peers is

Sports Fee: $70. Fees can be paid online on School Pay or in the Boltz front office.

Waived Fee: Qualifying students may apply to have their sports fee waived. Apply online for this program on the Free and Reduced Lunch Web Page. Once the form is submitted and your student is approved, parents must complete the permission to share the form online via ParentVue. Once these steps have been completed their athletic fee will be waived. This will include all sports played for the school year.

Boltz Athletics: Where we inspire students to be a great person, a great student and then a great athlete!

Please read and complete all PSD paperwork (below) so that your child can participate on the first day of practice/tryouts:

1. If your child does NOT attend Boltz, please follow this PSD Placement Guideline link: PSD Placement Guidelines

2. ONLINE FORMAT: Online sports registration for any sport at Boltz. This process will also allow you to pay online.

3. Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch must have a new fee waiver on file each year in order to have fees waived. We can assist parents with this process during check-in. It is a two-step process with applying for free/reduced lunch first, then applying for additional fees to be waived (on the Parent View “fees” tab).

4. A signed Sports Physical must be filled out by physician before a student can play a sport. Below are a some low-cost resources. Please keep a copy of your sports physical and turn in a copy. Families are responsible for knowing when sports physicals expire. They are good for one year from "date of exam." 

   1. ​Make an appointment soon with your primary care physician.

   2. UC Health Urgent Care Center Harmony Campus- 2127 E. Harmony Rd Suite 140. (970) 297-6250. Walk-ins welcome. $30 for a sports physical. 

   3. The Little Clinic: Low-cost physicals, 1842 N. College Avenue, (970) 494-6975 (Inside King Soopers). $29 for a sports physical. Appointment required. 

   4. The Health and Wellness Center: Centennial High School Location and Lincoln Middle School location. Offers sports physicals/well-child exams/acute medical care/mental health Counseling. $0-35 sliding scale (for qualifying families). No co-pays/deductibles required. They accept Medicaid/CHP+, most insurance plans, and offer fee-for-service. No student enrolled for care is ever turned away for an inability to pay for services provided at the Center. Call 970.488.4900 to schedule or log on to our website at hwcenter.org for information and forms. 

Click HERE for the link to register online.

Click HERE for a copy of our registration form in English.

Click HERE for a copy of our registration form in Spanish.

Click HERE for a copy of our sports physical form. (take with you to your doctor's)

If you have any registration questions, please contact:

Gabriel Vigil AP/ Athletic Director

gvigil@psdschools.org

970-472-3704

or

Jenae Huffman Proctor/Athletic Secretary

jhuffmanproctor@psdschools.org

970-472-3708