A ring hums through the air as a student hits a pop-fly across the gym. The space echoes with a small thud of a ball hitting the floor and the squeaks of sneakers as the students chase after it. While an indoor softball game may seem unusual at first, this is an ordinary practice for Whitman’s corollary softball team.

Corollary sports are programs not specifically governed by the Code of Maryland Regulations for Interscholastic Athletics in the State. They are specifically designed to combine groups of students with and without disabilities. The Maryland athletic board requires every school system to design policies that work to include students with disabilities in sports teams. Additionally, every school system must have a sport for disabled students offered in the fall, winter and spring.

Whitman offers three walk-on corollary sports teams: pickleball in the fall, bocce in the winter and indoor softball in the spring. The co-ed teams allow disabled students to play sports year-round on a varsity team. 

Senior Aurora McAfee joined the bocce team in her sophomore year and has played every year since, allowing her to form new friendships, she said. 

“I think corollary sports definitely connect the Whitman community,” McAfee said. “It’s so inclusive and allows everyone to play a sport they love.”

In 2010, MCPS and Special Olympics partnered to pilot the county’s corollary sports program to provide inclusive opportunities for everyone to participate in high school athletics. The program kicked off with co-ed softball in 2010, followed by track and field and bocce in the spring and winter. 

Due to demand for a sport not already offered by MCPS, track and field continued for only two years before being replaced by handball. By 2024, almost all MCPS schools had stopped offering handball as a high school sport. The MCPS Department of Athletics picked pickleball to replace handball, deeming it a good fit for the corollary sports program due to its inclusivity. Schools are offering pickleball in the 2024-2025 school year for the first time, marking MCPS as the first school district in the country to offer pickleball as a varsity sport.

Since its introduction in 2010, bocce has become the most popular corollary sport across MCPS, according to Whitman head coach Ryan Mullin. Mullin emphasized the important social role corollary sports play.

“They really bring a lot of people together that may not have interacted otherwise,” Mullin said. “Being part of a team naturally helps build bonds, but when you add in the inclusive nature and the enthusiasm for the sport and team, it really is a great experience.”

Similar to other sports offered at Whitman, each corollary sport has a playoff bracket and championship game. Each sport follows the national rules very closely with a few modifications. For example, if a player in a pickleball game is in a wheelchair, they must have both rear wheels on the court behind the baseline and cannot touch the court on or inside the baseline.

Senior Justin Schwartz has participated in all three corollary sports teams for all four years. He said the corollary sports program brings the Whitman community closer together by allowing people to connect when they may not have otherwise. 

“Winning is not the focus of the team; instead it is about fostering collaboration, bonding and mutual support,” Schwartz said. “Pickleball, bocce and softball give students, including myself, the opportunity to prioritize the joy of athletics over competition.”