Members of the United Spinal Association Yankees wheelchair softball team in conjunction with the City of New York Parks & Recreation ran a wheelchair softball clinic for kids ages 8-18 with Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation. It was hosted at Victory Field in Forest Park, Queens, New York on June 2, 2007.
The clinic was part of Turn 2 Foundation’s New York City Baseball Clinics, and United Spinal was honored to assist younger members with spinal cord injuries and disorders to learn wheelchair softball basics. Included in the above photo, seated fourth from left, are Department of Parks Accessibility Coordinator Victor Calise, and seated fifth from left, United Spinal Association’s Sports and Recreation Director Bill Hannigan.
“United Spinal hopes this first collaboration with Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation will be the first of many such events,” said Hannigan. “Sports help kids with disabilities and without disabilities build self-esteem and confidence, and teach them to relate appropriately with their peers.”
Wheelchair softball was invented in the mid-1970s and its rules are adapted from slow pitch softball. It is played on blacktop, which is easier to maneuver in a wheelchair, and each team must have at least one quadriplegic on their team in active play. Sponsored by the New York Yankees and the United Spinal Association, United Spinal Yankees practice and play at Victory Field and are working on creating a metropolitan area wheelchair softball league. To find out more about the United Spinal Yankees and adaptive sports, please contact Bill Hannigan at 800-404-2898, ext. 268 or by email at bhannigan@unitedspinal.org.
About Turn 2 Foundation
The mission of Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation is to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2″ healthy lifestyles. The Foundation strives to create outlets that promote and reward academic excellence, leadership development, and positive behavior. Turn 2′s goal is to see the children of these programs grow safely and successfully into adulthood and become the leaders of tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.derekjeter.com or www.turn2foundation.org.
