It’s been five years. Evidence of destruction still lines the suburbs of New Orleans. Recovery is almost complete, but the legacy of Katrina remains. The Superdome still stands as the sacred home of the city during the disaster. Since then, the city has been rallying around the team performing under the lights of the enclosed arena, their hometown Saints.

For the first time in franchise history, the New Orleans Saints are headed to the Super Bowl with an impressive 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings. In a showdown of superstar quarterbacks, Drew Brees overcame the ageless Brett Favre after an offensive shootout for the record books.

The contest was back and forth for all four quarters with ties at 7, 14, 21, and 28. On a last minute 4^th quarter drive, turnover-prone Favre threw an interception just inside field goal range, sending the game into overtime.

Less than five minutes in, young Saints kicker Garrett Hartley sealed the win with a dead center 40-yard field goal, fulfilling the long overdue dream of a chance at a New Orleans Super Bowl.

Under the same roof where thousands of people escaped the horrible storm in 2005, Saints fans celebrated as their hometown team donned NFC Championship apparel and held the George Halas Trophy high. The victory represented much more than a football win: it represented a victory for the entire city. As the sportscasters continually proclaimed, “Hell froze over” and an emotionally attached New Orleans celebrated all night long on Bourbon Street.

New Orleans natives will without question be hooked to their television sets next Sunday, Feb. 7, as the Saints take on Peyton Manning and the high-powered Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

Middletown High School is now offering a unified track team to individuals with and without disabilities. The team is a great way to improve fitness and make new friends in a calm pressure-free environment.

The Unified Track Team was created as a result of a new law that was passed saying there had to be an equal opportunity for kids with and without disabilities to participate in extracurricular activities.

All Frederick County Public Schools will be involved in the Unified track team, which operates under the partnership of the Special Olympics of Maryland, an organization that was created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence and social skills.

An e-mail sent to all teachers asking if anyone was interested in coaching this unique track team, was enough to generate MHS science teacher Scott Bean’s and MHS special education teacher Jaime Pryor’s attention.

 “They asked for a volunteer to come to a meeting and I was the only one who volunteered,” said Pryor.

 Later, Bean became interested similarly after he saw an e-mail and responded.

“I am really excited to be part of this team,” Bean said. “I am hoping I can get exercise and I look forward to seeing the smiles on the athletes’ faces when they succeed.”

 The team is very loose but still holds the standards of any varsity sports team.

“You don’t have to be a good runner to join the team.  Anyone is welcome that does not participate in varsity track,” said Pryor. “Some kids who have indicated that they are interested have learning disabilities or are in wheelchairs.

The only difference is that “the numbers of events are fewer, the practices are shorter, and the meets are less,” said Bean.

All of this makes the Unified Track Team a very welcoming group for anyone of any skill level to join.

 It gives students a chance to be on a team without the “intimidation of a varsity sport,’ said Angelica Whye, an MHS substitute who is thinking of helping out the team.

MHS sophomore and Learning for Life student Searia Dutrow looks forward to meeting new people and doing something that she loves, running.

Participants will wear orange and black uniforms and travel to different schools to participate in two inter-county meets in mid- March and one final meet at Towson University in mid-May. Students will even miss school like other track teams for events, such as the polar plunge.

“[The polar plunge] is a fund-raiser where you jump in the water and raise money for the Special Olympics of Maryland,” said Pryor.

Each meet will consist of a variety of track and field events. Activities will involve relays, running around a track (maximum of two laps), shot put, and running long jump. A mini javelin will also be used which is “a little arrow that you can throw,” said Pryor. 

Wheelchair participants will be involved just as much as other kids.

“There will be running events, and if they are fast in their wheelchair, they could definitely win,” said Bean.

To prepare for these meets, students will begin practices in mid -March. Practices will take place mostly two days a week from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.  The practices will end in mid-May.

The practices “will be fun,” said Bean. “I just want everyone to increase their physical fitness and enjoy themselves.”

Pryor said that she hopes to have a full roster of about 20 kids. “I want a mix of students with and without disabilities.” She is trying to get the MHS Junior Civitan service club involved.

“Getting people to sign up will be tough, but when students decide they want to do it, they will see how fun and rewarding it is,” said Pryor.

To get the word out, the coaches have hung numerous posters around the school, put information about it on the morning announcements, and plan on putting a note about it in the bulletin.

Senior Clarissa Haidon is excited to be filling one of the spots on the roster.

“I already work with challenged kids at the elementary school and I really like working with special needs kids. I look at this as an opportunity that will be enlightening and beneficial to me,” said Haidon.

Junior Hailey Gunther is another eager participant of the team. “I was a manger for the boys track team and I loved it so much that I decided to do this too,” he said.

Whye loves the idea of a Unified Track Team. She feels that a Unified Track Team should have been established sooner because she wishes she could have been a part of one in high school.

“The Unified Track Team seems like a sport that I could have done in high school because I am not very athletic and I never wanted to try out because I was too intimidated by talented athletes,” said Whye.

There was a short meeting held on Dec. 17 for interested students and as March approaches, there will be another meeting to collect paperwork. Any interested students who did not attend the meeting are still welcome to join. For more information about the team, students should talk to Bean or Pryor.