BY ELMA LETIC
Webpage Editor

Most sports tournaments are designed to determine a winner. But the Partners PE volleyball tournament is much different.

The main goal of the tournament is not to win, but rather to “create a social atmosphere for people with a variety of disabilities and non-disabilities through sports, which is a universal language for everyone,” physical education teacher Tim Laughlin said.

The event was organized by Laughlin, transition coordinator Eric Jankoski and special education teacher Joshua Stahl. The three do a lot of work with communicating with other schools, coordinating the event, and then Laughlin runs everything the day of the event, Jankoski said.

“The energy that (Laughlin) brings is definitely a plus for an event such as this,” Jankoski said.

The volleyball tournament was held on Nov. 22 and lasted for about four periods. Schools that participated were Avonworth, Belle Vernon, Carlynton, Chartiers Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Keystone Oaks, Montour, South Allegheny, and South Fayette.

Originally, Baldwin hosted every special needs sports tournament, but as other schools started to host some sports events, Baldwin needed to think of an event that would be its own.

Baldwin chose to do a volleyball tournament because no other school had done it, and Jankoski credits Laughlin for the idea of tournament.

“I feel like it really helps to raise awareness for individuals with disabilities,” Jankoski said.

About 175 students participated, with 50 volunteers from Baldwin, and there were about 40 student and staff members from the school at the tournament. The volunteers from Baldwin came from the volleyball teams, the Partners PE class, and others who wanted to volunteer.

Students in the Partners PE class had practiced for the event in class, but the volunteers and volleyball players did not.

“Students absolutely love it for a lot of different reasons,” Jankoski said. “It gives them the chance to do something different, like make friends from other districts, and it gives some of them the opportunity to participate in something physical.”

The event coordinators were Katie Thorpe, Hannah Vetere, and Corinne Kirk. Kirk, a senior, has been coordinating the event for several years.

“The kids just love it. They have a ball. We’re kind of like a big family,” Kirk said.

The tournament did not have a winner because “everyone’s a winner” in Laughlin’s eyes, and the event was just held for fun.