| SPORTS ROUNDUP
By Tom Scott
Summer is just around the corner. It’s time to awake from the winter slumber for some fun in the sun. Here are a few upcoming events and recreational opportunities that are sure to make the next few months very enjoyable for you as well as your friends and family.
Hands Helping Anglers
Volunteers from the North Florida Gulf Fishing Club (NFGFC), and the Tallahassee Northside and Tallahassee Capital Rotary Clubs are hosting a free fishing outing on Saturday, June 5. This event includes lunch and transportation. You may bring an assistant with you (space limited for 25 people). For more information, please contact the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association at info@fdoa.org or 850-201-2944.
10th Annual Jana Hunsacker Tournament
From June 10-13, the 10th Annual Jane Hunsacker wheelchair tennis tournament will return to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Flushing, NY. If you ever wanted to learn more about the sport of wheelchair tennis, now’s your chance. There will be wheelchair tennis demonstrations, a kids clinic, and $10,000 in prize money! For more information on attending or participating, call 718-592-9488.
Kids Sports Spectacular
On Saturday, August 7, United Spinal’s 6th Annual Sports Spectacular will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Continuing its tradition of offering educational sports and recreation opportunities that leave lasting, positive effects on participants and their families, United Spinal created the first KSS event in August 2004. Ever since, the program has been bringing smiles to thousands of children’s faces offering them an opportunity to interact with their peers in fun and games. If you’re interested in attending, please visit www.unitedspinal.org/kss.
34th National Wheelchair Softball National Championship
From August 19-2, Citi Field will once again play host to New York City’s biggest wheelchair softball tournament bringing together the very best Major League Baseball-sponsored teams from across the US. There will be fun for the whole family, including a wheelchair softball clinic where attendees have an opportunity to meet the pros and learn some fundamentals of the sport. For more information, call 917-519-262 or email info@wheelchairsportsfederation.org.
Bike MS—Accept the Challenge
The National MS Society is featuring more than 100 extraordinary rides across the country to promote a world free of multiple sclerosis. If you are a cyclist seeking a personal challenge, visit www.nationalmssociety.org/racemap.aspx or call 800-344-4867 to find a ride near you.
Hit the Course
The Florida-based Adaptive Golf Foundation (www.agofamerica.com) is a nonprofit organization that consistently conducts weekly golf clinics for people with various disabilities since 1998. For more information, email info.agfa@gmail.com or call 941-359-8555.
Live in the Fast Lane
Do you have a need for speed? Adaptive karting may be your ticket. Karting2Live (www.karting2live.com) is currently offering opportunities for 1 on 1 driving experiences in Southern California. These are zero cost arrive and drive programs that are designed to introduce you to karting using special hand controls. For more information, contact eric@karting2live.com.
Take to the Sky
Freedom’s Wings International (www.freedomswings.org) is a nonprofit organization that provides people with disabilities the opportunity to fly in specially adapted sail planes, either as a passenger or as a member of the flight training program. To learn more, call 800-382-1197.
Scuba Diving
Handicap Scuba Association (www.hsascuba.com) is dedicated to improving the physical and social well-being of people with disabilities through the sport of scuba diving. Made up of over 4,000 underwater educators, scuba divers with disabilities, and supporting members, the organization operates in over 45 countries. For more information, call Jim and Pat Gatacre at 949-498-6128.
Therapeutic Horseback Riding
There are over 700 therapeutic horseback riding centers certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) in North America. NARHA promotes equine facilitated therapy and activity programs throughout the US and Canada for people with and without disabilities. Fore more information, visit www.narha.org.
SummerFest
The Disabled Sports USA SummerFest Tour is a nationwide series of events and programs offered through the organization and its chapters and partners from spring through fall. It’s the only event of its kind, providing youth and adults with disabilities across the country with state-of-the-art instruction, adaptive equipment and opportunities to compete in a variety of athletic events. For more information, please contact events@dsusa.org or 301-217-9838.
Adaptive Waterskiing Clinics
If you’d like to learn more about adaptive water skiing, Florida-based UCanSki2 (www.ucanski2.com) has clinics throughout the spring and summer hosted by professional instructors. For more information, contact Anne O’Brine-Satterfield at annsitski@ tampabay.rr. com or 863-224-3042. Another great organization based in Texas offering a chance to experience the thrills of water skiing is Texas Adaptive Aquatics (www.taasports.org).
Here’s a list of other organizations that offer many recreational activities for people with disabilities during the spring and summer months.
Adaptive Sports Center, Crested Butte, CO—www.adaptivesports.org , 866-349-2296
Adaptive Sailing Opportunities––www.sailability.org
American Association of Adapted Sports Programs—www.adaptedsports.org
Disabled Sports USA— www.dsusa.org, 301-217-0960
Life Rolls On— www.liferollson.org, 866-939-4559
New England Disabled Sports— www.nedisabledsports.org, 603-745-6821, ext. 5663
Paralyzed Veterans of America— www.pva.org, 800-555-9140
Stride Adaptive Sports— www.stride.org, 518-598-1279
US Handcycling Federation— www.ushandcycling.org, 303-459-4159
Wheelchair Sports USA— www.wsusa.org, 719-574-1150
Wheelchair Sports Federation— www.wheelchairsportsfederation.com, 917-519-2622
YAI National Institute for People with Disabilities— www.yai.org, 866-2-yai-link
Please Note: This is not a complete list, for more information on adaptive sports opportunities near you, please visit www.disabilityresources.org.
Tom Scott is staff editor.
