Challenging special-needs students with bowling

Tzvi Lewisohn, a Calhoun High School senior, loves to win. Basketball, bowling, you name it, Lewisohn is a competitor. But, he is quick to note, more important than winning is sportsmanship.

“We always congratulate the other teams,” Lewisohn, a member of Calhoun's Challenger bowling and basketball teams, says with a smile. “We don't want them to think we're out to win; we're just trying to have fun.”

Of course, it doesn't hurt that both teams are undefeated for the past two years. They have not lost since the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District started the Challenger basketball league for special-education students with a handful of other Nassau County school districts in 2008.

The idea behind the league is to normalize school to the greatest extent possible for students with special needs -- those who suffer from a range of cognitive and physical delays and disabilities and are too often excluded from varsity sports, said Saul Lerner, the Central District athletic director.

With the success of the Challenger basketball league in the spring of 2008 and 2009, the Central District started a bowling league this fall, and 26 Calhoun students are taking part. The team will wind down its season against Plainedge this week.

Socializing with the opposition over hot dogs and french fries in between frames is not only not frowned upon, it's encouraged. Emily Paluseo, chairwoman of the Calhoun Special Education Department, said the students "become very supportive of one another. They praise each other naturally. It's really nice to see it."

Yes, opposing teams often cheer each other on. "We always have a lot of respect for our opponents," said Lewisohn.

"My favorite part is how many high-fives they get," said special education teacher Marissa Levinson, who created the Challenger bowling league with fellow teacher Amanda LaNoce.

Maria Mazeo, a member of the Calhoun bowling team, who also participates in a Town of Hempstead bowling program for special-needs children, said the best part about bowling is "making new friends." And, Mazeo added, "When you get a strike, you're happy."