Windham Unified bocce ends season showing improvement

By Matt Pascarella

During the final game of the season, Windham’s Unified bocce team showed they have kept improving game-after-game. Windham tied Gray-New Gloucester 3-3 on Tuesday, June 3 after falling to GNG 2-0 less than a month ago.

Windham senior Colby Schmid keeps his focus during the 
final Unified bocce game of the season against Gray-New
Gloucester at Windham High School on Tuesday, June 3.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Since it was the last game of the season, Windham players were geared more toward having fun and celebrating a successful season. It was also Senior Night; Windham’s TJ McAllister, Colby Schmid along with unified partner Talia Campobasso and each of their parents were presented with a gift and thanked for their time and dedication to Windham Athletics. Jacob Smith was not present for the game but coaches say he deserves recognition for his time with the team.

“It’s really important to me to be involved in the unified programs because I see how much it means to them,” said Campobasso, who has been a partner for unified bocce and basketball; her job is to assist the players in learning the game and guide them if they need help. “With other people helping out it makes their day and their year. I’ve definitely seen a lot of improvement in how they work together. I saw how well we worked with the other team; we played Gray New-Gloucester a few weeks ago, but the chemistry and sportsmanship today was a lot better.”

This match consisted of three 15-minute games played on two separate courts. Gray New-Gloucester won the first set of games, 5-4 and 9-1. Windham answered GNG when they won the next sets, 5-2 and 5-4. In the final set, Windham won a game, 5-3, and Gray New-Gloucester won the other, 8-1, resulting in the tie.

Windham junior Zach O’Brion thought the team played very well. They had more wins than last time and played a lot better as a team. It was fun for him to play one last game with the seniors. O’Brion said he likes learning the game and having fun with his team.

“I think it’s been really exciting (to be part of the season),” said Windham’s new Unified bocce coach Kendall Dolan. “Getting involved in the unified sports was always something I really wanted to do, but unified sports happened the year after I graduated high school, so I wanted to find a way to get involved and luckily ... I was able to step in with Connor as the co-head coach, and it was just really nice to be able to do that. Even against Gray New-Gloucester I think they shut us out in all games the last time we played them, but we won a handful of matches today and we’ve just really learned more about the rules of the game and creating the amount of force on your throws. I’m really proud of them; they did a great job today.”

Dolan said sportsmanship will stand out when she reflects about this season. There were a lot of teams that Windham mixed and mingled players and partners in and out and she believes that it is a really important piece of social interaction involving different kids from different places; this was her favorite thing about the season. Windham was really standing behind the seniors and making it a special day for their senior game; they are going to miss Colby, Talia, Jacob and TJ.

Congratulations are in order for Colby Schmid, TJ McAllister, junior Mary Jean O’Brion, freshman Tristan Stanley, junior Jack Shirley, freshman Maddi Small and Jacob Smith on another great season of fun and good sportsmanship. <

Windham grad establishes Strong Girls United Golf Tournament fundraiser

By Matt Pascarella

Windham graduate Tara Flanders benefited greatly from athletics growing up and because of this she began working with the nonprofit “Strong Girls United” whose mission is “to empower girls through sports, mentorship and mental health programming.” Flanders, who began volunteering for the program in summer 2024, is helping to organize the first ever SGU Golf Tournament fundraiser at Point Sebago in Casco on Saturday, Aug. 23.

Windham High graduate Tara Flanders
high-fives Strong Girls United participants
after she completed an obstacle course 
the girls set up for her in York on May 20.
Flanders has organized the first SGU Golf
Tournament fundraiser which takes place in
Casco on Saturday, Aug. 23.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

“I got involved with Strong Girls United, whose average range of girls in the program are typically kindergarten through eighth grade, through my passion for youth sports and women empowerment,” said Flanders. “I was drawn to SGU’s mission of combining athletics, mentorship, and mental skills development for girls. I ... soon took on a larger role within the organization full time. I focus on building awareness, partnerships, and funding opportunities that support the growth of our programs. I work to ensure SGU can continue offering high-quality, accessible programming to more girls – especially in our local communities like Windham.”

One of the ways Flanders has helped to spread the mission of SGU is through an after-school program she recently launched for second and third graders at Windham Primary School. The six-week program aims to engage girls in a mix of movement activities, like yoga, relay races and games paired with group discussions focused on confidence-building, friendship, and positive self-talk. Each session ends with a reflection prompt, helping the girls build strong mental habits along with physical ones.

SGU centers around three fundamental pillars, physical activity and sports, mental health and well-being activities, and mentorship of strong female role models. They partner with communities, volunteers, universities, and athletes from around the country to run teams, events, conferences and other programming all rooted in their motto: “Strong bodies. Kind hearts. Unstoppable minds.”

“I’ve seen how tournaments bring together people of all ages and backgrounds, whether they’re athletes, families, coaches, or local business leaders,” said Flanders. “These events build community, spark conversations, and create shared memories. They also offer a chance to rally around a cause. With the SGU Golf Tournament, it’s more than just a day on the course, it’s an opportunity to support girls’ confidence, connection, and growth through sport.”

Flanders wanted to start the tournament to create a fun, inclusive and impactful way to raise money and awareness for SGU. She had also worked at Point Sebago since she was 16 and knows this tournament will be a great way to spread SGU’s mission while having fun. Point Sebago is a beautiful course with strong ties to the community and golf offers a relaxed social setting; the two felt like the perfect fit to bring community together in support of empowering girls in Maine.

Community members who participate will enjoy a day of golf while supporting local programming that builds confidence, leadership and mental resilience in young girls. Every registration helps SGU expand their reach, especially in areas like Windham.

The best way to register is online through their website: https://www.sgunitedfoundation.org/golf

SGU is also looking for sponsors, raffle donations, and volunteers. If any local businesses or individuals are interested, please visit the website.

You can also contact Flanders with questions at: Tara@sgunitedfoundation.org. <

Windham High School Playoff Scoreboard

Complied by Matt Pascarella

Boys’ tennis

11th-place Windham traveled to Apex Racket and Fitness in Portland on Friday, May 30 to play sixth-place Scarborough in the Class A South preliminary playoff.

Windham battled but lost to the Red Storm 5-0.

In the singles matches senior Zachary Noonan lost 6-0, 6-1, junior Nolan McPhail lost 6-1, 6-0, and junior Carter Mathieu lost 6-4, 7-6 (7).

In the doubles matches seniors Asher Knott and Brian Gilheany lost 6-2, 6-1; juniors Padrick McGuire and Nate Paulding lost 6-0 and 6-1.

Girls’ tennis

Fifth-place Windham headed to fourth-place Scarborough on Monday, June 2 where they played in the Class A South quarterfinal playoff.

Windham left it all on the court, but Scarborough got by 4-1.

In the singles matches, junior Jasmine Lucas lost 6-4, 6-2, senior Katelyn Cotter lost 6-2, 6-3 and sophomore Denali Momot won her match 8-6 in a pro-set match where the match is won by the first player to win eight games, with a margin of at least two games.

In the doubles matches, senior Afomiya Timerga and junior Ellise Gallop lost 7-5, 6-1 and senior Zoe Dries and junior Sydney Harmon lost 6-2, 6-3. <