Liam Chau is a popular kid at Stillwater High School.

A gregarious senior with a permanent smile, Chau rarely makes it an hour without other students waving, stopping to say hi and taking a few moments to chat.

Jill, Liam’s mom, said a simple trip to Target can take more than an hour because of Liam’s lofty standing within the community.

“We can’t go to a store or a restaurant without him being hailed by other students,” said Jill, who works in administration within the school district. “Kids are always coming over to give him a fist bump or a bro hug. They go out of their way, and it’s so warm and sincere.”

It wasn’t always like this for Liam, who is naturally outgoing. The fist bumps, the hugs and interactions with other students weren’t as overt.

Over the years, his network of friends grew. It came via the Unified Sports program at Stillwater, a Special Olympics program that supports teams composed of students with and without intellectual disabilities.

Liam has Down syndrome.

The goal of Unified Sports is to bring together “friends” and “partners,” students with and without intellectual disabilities. They play together on the same teams, with two groups of athletes working together.

For students with special needs, broad acceptance within the hallways of a school can be difficult. In the Unified program, there is no separation.

“This is why we are proud to be a part of [Unified Sports],” Stillwater senior Victor Malchav said. “When you first meet someone with special needs, they may not feel really comfortable, but once you really get that relationship going, that deep friendship, it grows [into] something bigger.”

“I’m famous”

On a chilly January day, Liam Chau is clad in a beige suit with a black tie. He spent years as a Unified athlete, but he’s since moved up to being a coach for the school’s Unified basketball team. He also competes for Stillwater’s adapted soccer and softball teams and is a member of the varsity boys swimming team. The Minnesota State High School League’s adapted athletics programs are designed solely for student-athletes with cognitive or physical impairments.

At Shakopee High School for the Unified basketball regional tournament, Chau is on site to help guide the three Stillwater basketball teams playing that day. Liam sat proudly on the bench next to a co-coach, with a clipboard and an endless stream of encouragement for his team.

Between games, Chau jovially socialized with the others, both partners and friends. He’s popular, and he’s happy.

“I’m famous,” he said, with a grin.

There are three levels of Unified Sports: A, B and C. Stillwater played in three games at the tournament that took place Jan. 15, all against Le Sueur-Henderson.

LeSueur-Henderson Unified basketball coach Lauren Berndt is a special education teacher at the school. This is the school’s first foray into Unified basketball. It may be new, but Berndt is a strong supporter of the program.

“It’s so unbelievably awesome to see general education kids and special ed kids come together and play as one,” Berndt said. “You know, sometimes there’s that barrier with special ed kids, and here there’s not. Everybody’s here to support them, and it’s really a great opportunity for them to feel success when they don’t always get that in mainstream sports.”

Traveling to Shakopee for the regional tournament was a high point for many Unified athletes. Riding together on the bus with their teammates made the day memorable.

“The energy was awesome. It’s heartwarming to see them so excited to be a part of something,” Berndt said. “To see these kids come together with no barriers between them, I can’t even put into words how special it is. Truthfully, it could bring me to tears.”

At the tournament, Zumbrota-Mazeppa juniors Karsten Miller and Cooper Meyers stood in the lobby outside the large doors of the school’s field house.

Both are tall (Meyers is 6-3, Miller is 6-6), fitting of basketball players. Although they’re members of the school’s varsity team, they’re not here to play. They are coaching their Zumbrota-Mazeppa Unified team.

Both got involved with Unified through a health class. “I thought it was just going to be a normal class,” Miller said.

It turned out to be much more.

“This is the most fun class I’ve taken in my life,” Meyer said. “Every day we do something new and fun. We’re meeting people, developing relationships and friendships that we can hopefully keep throughout the rest of our high school careers and the rest of our lives.”

Inclusive of all students

Liam joined Unified about eight years ago. After that, his social standing began to climb.

“I can tell you the exact moment when we knew we were part of the Pony Family,” Jill Chau said. “Liam received an invitation from the Unified Club. The varsity football team was putting on a football clinic for the kids with special needs.”

It didn’t take long to see that both groups were having a blast.

“Liam was all of 8 years old, and it was one of the best days we’ve ever had. I can’t tell you who had more fun, the varsity players or the special needs kids,” Jill said. “By the end of the day, your face hurt from smiling so much, laughing and giggling.”

Months later, in the spring of that school year, Jill and Liam were shopping in downtown Stillwater when they decided to visit a local candy store.

“A big, blond kid came in. He remembered Liam from that football experience and made it a point to come over and talk to him,” Jill recalled. “They had made a connection. That would make an impression on any insecure 8-year-old boy. It was lovely.”

Most students are exposed to Unified sports through the TRUST Club, its acronym standing for True Respect Unifies Students Together. Often, what begins with uncertainty soon becomes dedication to their mission.

“I’ve been involved since I was in sixth grade,” Stillwater senior Lyla Polehna said. “TRUST Club helps us build stronger relationships. I love it. There are days when I might not feel like going, but I know if I don’t go, I might not get the chance to see some of these kids. And what we’re trying to do is create relationships that not only last through school, but will last for a lifetime.”

Unified Sports first appeared early in the 2000s. More than 400 schools across the state are sponsoring Unified Sports, according to Special Olympics Minnesota.

“It has really taken off,” said Zak Armstrong, a college and transitions program manager for Special Olympics Minnesota, which also administers the Unified Champion Schools program. “We forecasted some growth, but we did not foresee it growing this rapidly.”

Stillwater won the A division at Shakopee, while Prior Lake took the title in the B division. Both advanced to the state tournament, which will be held in February at Target Center.

Stillwater will be joined by Watertown-Mayer, Crosby-Ironton and Bemidji in the four-team A bracket that will take place on Feb. 10. The four-team B division will include Prior Lake, Champlin Park, Proctor and Pequot Lakes and will be held on Feb. 12.

Congratulations are in order to all teams that advanced, but there’s more to sports than wins and losses. The goal of Unified Sports is building connections and fostering inclusion. Those last long after results are determined.

“Inclusion is a superpower, and we like to show that,” Malchav said. “I think that it’s the most important thing.”