Coach Jacki Wincek helps to keep MPS "Unified"

The cheers went up in the gym as the banner was revealed. Not for a state title. A continental one, and now it’s official: Roosevelt High School is the first Unified Champion school in Minneapolis to receive the national banner recognition from Special Olympics North America.

“It’s kind of a big deal,” said Jacki Wincek, Unified Sports Program Director.

Unified Sports joins people with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and without disabilities (partners) on the same team. Wincek says that when the program started in 2019, the two groups stayed pretty separate. But that changed over time.

“Now we see the athletes and partners go down the hallways, say ‘hi’ to each other, high five each other, even dance with each other between classes,” Wincek said. “It’s amazing, just the bonds that they’re making, the camaraderie and the confidence you see building.”

Wincek’s love of sports and students touches every season. At Roosevelt, in addition to heading up Unified Sports, she’s a physical education teacher, head girls softball coach and adapted floor hockey and soccer assistant coach. Adapted sports are specifically modified to allow people with physical or cognitive disabilities to participate.

We should probably also point out that Wincek was named the 2024-25 Minnesota State Assistant Coach of the Year for Adapted Sports.

When asked what drives that full-court commitment, the answer comes quickly: The kids.

“Just watching some of these kids–some who you’d never guess would try–throw up a ball, and they make a basket…when the crowd goes nuts and they play off of it, it just warms my heart,” Wincek said.

We hear a lot about inclusion at school and how important it is. But this Unified Sports program, under the guidance of Jacki Wincek, is one banner-worthy example of what it looks like in action.

Photos: Matt Maly, Chris Martin, MPS staff