Natalie Knorr and Morgan Martindale have been a part of Columbus East’s Unified track and field team, but this year, they’ve taken on larger roles with the program.
As her senior project, Knorr is taking care of most of the administrative process involved with the team. Martindale is a manager and is helping coach and serve as a “buddy” to the Unified athletes.
“Natalie has plays an enormous role,” East coach Peggy Myers said. “We still have our other five coaches that are there and making sure everything is going all right, but Natalie is organizing everything. She’s putting in a lot of work.”
Knorr started in February by having a table at school where for students could sign up and say they were interested. There was an application process, where she and the coaches checked grades and any student or teacher references. She also led a parent meeting.
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Since the season began, Knorr is in charge of what they athletes do at practices, including their stretching, warmups and workouts. The team practices three days a week, and each practice is different.
Prior to Wednesday’s unscored season-opener against Columbus North, Jennings County and Seymour, Knorr helped time everyone in the 100 and 400 meters and measure their distances in the long jump and shot put. She went through time sheets with other coaches to decide who was going to be doing what in the meets.
“It’s just a really good way for (the Unified athletes) all to be included, but really, it’s getting to see how excited they all get that’s the most rewarding part of all of it,” Knorr said. “They don’t care about who wins. They just like to come out and have fun. They love running, and they love just being a part of a team.”
Knorr ran track at Northside Middle School and did Unified track each of her first three years at East. This year, Knorr, who plays to attend University of Indianapolis and study nursing, decided to take on a bigger challenge as her senior project.
“They said to pick something that you knew something about that would also be a stretch for you,” Knorr said. “I was really good friends with the girl that did it as her senior project last year, Kary Horner, and since I’ve always been a part of it, I knew how much I loved Unified track. But it was stretch for me because I’ve never led a sports team before. I’ve never been in charge, but I also knew I was passionate about it.”
Martindale also was involved in Unified track last year after being a hurdler for the East track team her first two years. She partnered with Damon Reese last year.
Now, Martindale is working with all of the Unified athletes.
“Morgan is playing every role,” Myers said. “She helps with the practices. She helps with the athletes. She runs errands. She helps with students who are reluctant to come to practice.”
Martindale also was a four-year starting defender for the Olympians in soccer and earned third-team All-State honors last fall. She may play intramural soccer at Indiana University, where she intends to study speech pathology.
This spring, Martindale wasn’t taking enough classes to compete for the Unified track team, so she’s contributing in another way.
“I didn’t have enough classes because I like having my resource (periods) to work on my senior project,” Martindale said. “I knew I could still help out, so I didn’t necessarily feel like I needed to run to help out.”
Both Martindale and Knorr say their experience with Unified track has been a rewarding one.
“They have these built-in friendships, and really is like one big family,” Knorr said. “We’re all very close-knit. I love getting to see them in the hallways and getting to wave at them and say, ‘Hi’ when I see them around the school because now I know who they are through this experience.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Student leaders” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Natalie Knorr
School: Columbus East
Year: Senior
Future college: University of Indianapolis
Intended major: Nursing
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Name: Morgan Martindale
School: Columbus East
Year: Senior
Future college: Indiana University
Intended major: Speech pathology
[sc:pullout-text-end]
