By Mark Maghran and Steve DeMott
Bass Master Elite Series Comes to Buffalo
The Bass Master Elite Series came to Buffalo, New York, during the weekend of July 19, 2007. This is a National bass fishing tournament sponsored by various fishing tackle manufactures including Bass Pro shops with a $100,000 pay off to the winner. Local bass pros were on hand the last day to take anglers with disabilities, including members of United Spinal Association, out for their own tournament.
Western New York Adaptive Water Sports was instrumental in all the setup including contacting the guides; putting up a booth display, which featured United Spinal Association publications, membership applications and pins; and running the food stand.
An estimated crowd of 2,000 showed up to watch the fish weigh- in won by professional angler Edwin Evers for Oklahoma with a tournament total of 65 lb., 7 oz. The real winner, however, was a young angler with a disability named Tyler Ball from Lancaster, New York, who hauled in a 3.5 lb. small mouth bass with his dad Kevin by his side. The only thing bigger than Tyler’s bass was his smile.
United Spinal would like to thank charter boat captains Don Morrison, Walt Babiarz, Scott Gaulb, and Al Rodriguez who donated their time, boats, gas, tackle, and bait for taking our members on an outstanding venture into Lake Erie. Members Mark Dunford (sheephead champ), Steve Spitz (gobbie champ), Tyler Ball (small mouth champ), and Jake Hipps (walleye champ) were a few of the top anglers lucky enough to go for 60 mph bass boat rides and catch a variety of different fish species. Board member Dave Leonard manned the information booth, with the help of Jeff Santiago, Tony Anderson, and Ed Kuberacki from the Western New York Adaptive Water Sports Club.
Fishing is just one of the many activities this club does; sailing, scuba diving, and water skiing are also on the agenda during different times of the summer. If any of our members are interested in joining this organization please contact Western New York Adaptive Water Sports (www.wnyadaptivewatersports.org), 3621 Stony Point Rd,. Grand Island NY 14072, or call 716-553-7670.
The Bass Masters Elite Series is coming back to Buffalo next year and we’ll get information out to our members about joining in the angler tournament for people with disabilities. Until then, Tyler Ball is our reigning small mouth bass champ!
Athletes With Disabilities Participate in the First United Spinal Association Karting Cup Race
On July 21st, 2007, United Spinal Association’s Sports and Recreation department hosted it’s first ever Go-Karting Cup Race through an established partnership with F1 Boston, a racing venue and indoor karting track located in Braintree, MA. Through their generosity, the use of the track, as well as competitor entrance fees were provided free of charge. The event was a collaborative effort between United Spinal Association and F1 Boston to raise spinal cord injury (SCI) awareness and promote Sports and Recreation’s Motorsports program, getting the message across that the only boundaries that exist are the ones you set for yourself.
F1 Boston is home to New England’s only two indoor karting tracks. It is equipped with state of the art exhibition and conference facilities, a full-service restaurant, pool hall, shops, lounges, and, of course, racing.
Ten wheelchair athletes from New York and Boston competed in the event, including Sports and Recreation Vice President Bill Hannigan and Chairman of the Board Clair Russell Hesselton, PhD.
The karts that F1 Boston utilizes at their indoor tracks have 6 horsepower engines, a single-speed chain drive, and achieve speeds of approximately 40 mph. The karts do a good job of providing a realistic racing experience, especially for those who are new to the sport.
The event consisted of 8, 12 lap heats (races) during which the competitors lap times were recorded. All of the Karts are identical, so the lap times that were posted were extremely close. At the end of the event, the trophy was awarded to the driver with the fastest lap time of the day, which turned out to be Sports and Recreation Coordinator Steve DeMott.
The event was a great success and United Spinal Association’s Sports and Recreation department plans on scheduling similar events on a larger scale sometime in the coming months.
For more information about F1 Boston, please visit their Web site at www.f1boston.com.
Mark Maghran is regional service director and Steve DeMott is Sports and Recreation coordinator.
