Rarely in scholastic sports or any other venture does one find something recognized as an unqualified success. In some ways, that also makes it harder to write stories. It can be boring to hear repeated anecdotes and quotes about how great something is. When the story is about the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® program and specifically the tenure of Executive Director Lou Pear, there simply isn’t much choice but to be effusive with the praise.

That successful tenure came to an end for Pear, who retired from his position at the end of June after a seven-year stretch leading the CIAC Unified Sports® program. Fortunately the many leaps and bounds the program moved forward during this time will continue on well into the future.

The best metric for measuring that success and legacy may be these numbers: 104 out of 144. That represents of 144 high schools in Connecticut capable of sponsoring a Unified Sports® program, 104 of them currently feature programs. That’s a success rate of greater than 70-percent, which translates to a large number of students enjoying the impact of Unified. It is probably fair to ask whether the expansion and success of Unified opportunities might have happened regardless of who sat in the director’s chair, but there is no doubt that the explosion of Unified participation and the effectiveness of the programs can be attributed to the work of Pear and his staff.

“We wanted all the students and schools to have the opportunity to participate in Unified programs, so the outreach piece that [Assistant Director] George [Synnott] and I have worked on for three years has really done well,” Pear explained “We increased the amount of schools that are interested and the most rewarding part of the outreach program is that initially when there were people I knew that I thought might be interested, I would call them and they would go forward. Now we are getting calls from schools that see what neighboring towns are doing and they want to get involved.”

Synnott, who assumed the director reins from Pear and has seen firsthand the impact of Pear’s leadership, attributes much of Unified’s explosion to Pear’s influence.

“Lou is an extremely personable guy, and that personality helped the growth of the program,” He explained. “Unified grew by leaps and bounds while he was the director and a good portion of that was Lou’s influence and the relationships he had with Principals, administrators and teachers across the state.”

That personality and passion for the Unified Sports® experience is evident in any conversation with Pear as with little prompting he will roll through the various components of the Unified program, the wonderful events associated with those programs, and the benefits they provide. Given that passion, it’s somewhat surprising he came to the position mostly by accident.

Pear was already on staff at CAS-CIAC after a distinguished career as an elementary school principal when a series of casual conversations and a trip to check out a Unified Sports event led by a classmate he hadn’t seen in 20 years caught the eye of then CAS-CIAC Executive Director Michael Savage and retiring Unified director Anne Malafronte. Before he could blink, Pear was accepting the position.

“I walked into Mike Savage’s office and he said ‘Lou, you’re the new director,’” Pear explained. “I thought that sounded pretty good, and as much as I enjoyed other aspects of what I was doing, this brought my career full circle back to coaching and working with kids.”

Though his experience with Unified Sports® specifically was limited, he had seen firsthand and in discussions with Savage the large role the program could play in providing valuable opportunities and benefits to schools and athletes.

“The interplay between the Unified athletes and partners is a wonderful thing and what really drew me in,” Pear explained. “And Mike’s comment to me was that CIAC offers wonderful programming for athletes, activities, sportsmanship, but there is a large population in our schools that it does not serve. This might be the opportunity for kids who may like sports but aren’t committed to practicing every day, to play with students with disabilities who find it difficult to socialize, interact, or participate to be part of a school. It was opportunity to reach both those groups.”

That simple goal of reaching both those populations through Unified Sports® was the focus of Pear and his team over the past seven years. The team element of both the program and the CIAC Unified Sports® staff had him reverting back to his coaching background to direct and lead the effort.

“I think one of the nice things of working at CAS is we all do things as a team,” Pear said. “Working with a staff of five other people that are a group of people that are teachers, parents, administrators, it’s a collaborative effort. I tried working like a coach – a coach of adults – which is what I was as a principal. When you have a team of people that want the best for the students that are out there and are committed to this idea and working as a team we got great results.”

There may have been some hesitancy for him at the beginning as the daunting task of getting schools onboard and administering larger Unified Sports® tournaments and events. This was a big project, and one with lots of moving parts and different pieces making up the whole of the entity. It did not take long to assuage the doubts and demonstrate just how powerful the work he and his team were doing could be for all the students.

The recognition banquets are one of many areas where the benefits of Unified Sports can be seen.

“At our first recognition banquet, reading the essays of the students who are partners, it was such an eye-opener,” Pear said. “I read the essays from kids saying they weren’t sure how this would work out and were hesitant and nervous, but that once they got to know the students it was enjoyable and that now many of them are saying they want to go on and study special education or occupational therapy. I saw the sincerity on the part of the students, and it is very rewarding that students are being impacted so much that it is a worthy effort on the part of what we do.”

You can read any story or talk to any school that participates in the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® program and hear the overwhelming benefits for everyone involved. The Unified athletes get a greater sense of being part of the school and establish friendships that might not have otherwise been presented. The partners also see the benefits of inclusion, including the physical activity and having that participation opportunity often leads to a rise in academic performance and involvement in other elements of school. As schools grapple with school climate issues and strive to provide a supportive environment for the education of all their students, the CIAC/Special Olympics Unified Sports® program has become a powerful tool in the tool box.

These are the many values and philosophies Lou Pear espoused during his time leading Unified Sports®, and it’s clear he truly believes in what this program can do for students and the schools. That belief has helped spread the word, and he can also rely on others that have experienced the program to make believers out of others.

“When I’m promoting the program athletic directors might not trust what I have to say, but when we have other ADs who are involved talk to them about it, they trust their opinions,” Pear said. “Athletic directors know the logistics, know how it can be funded and tell others that it will be your happiest days of being an AD. The kids are good sports, the parents are good sports, the administration are going to be so pleased with the fact that you’ve gotten more students involved, and gave students with disabilities opportunity.”

That passion and good feeling have driven the expansion for Pear and it is also what makes him a bit melancholy about stepping away from his team.

“Probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the job, and it’s funny saying this, is our team meeting at lunchtime,” Pear said. “You have this collaboration of six people with the same interests who all want the best for children. We have wonderful conversations around that table, like having a staff meeting every day, but a staff meeting that you love and where you cherish the people that you work with.”

Those relationships with the staff are special, but equally as special are the students he was able to interact with at the Unified Sports® events. The chance to be around the dedicated Unified athletes and partners certainly made an impact on Pear and one that is difficult to give up.

Lou Pear brought his personal touch to his time with Unified Sports.

“A big piece is missing the tournaments where students that you have seen for four or five years participating, students that come up and give you a hug and say hello when you walk in the door,” Pear mentioned. “Those students will still be competing and I won’t be there missing the students that I’ve developed good friendships with over the years.”

The tournaments will go on, and there will continue to be Unified Sports® events without Pear as Executive Director. In fact, there will probably be even more in the future as his legacy of the program expansion continues. Just as likely, those friendships he referenced and the students for whom he helped provide opportunities will remember his good work just as fondly as he will remember them