The sky is no limit for United Spinal member Kim Walters as she goes from spinal cord rehab to [...]
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By Tom Scott On June 18th United Spinal Association wheelchair basketball athletes hit the court in a rematch against a team from Merrill Lynch to raise awareness about wheelchair sports and spinal cord injuries and disorders. The grudge rematch, which took place at Merrill Lynch’s Corporate Campus in Pennington, New Jersey, netted a big win for United Spinal. Final score: 48-42. Merrill Lynch staff and personnel were in attendance to support their team and discovered just how thrilling it is to play wheelchair basketball. United Spinal Board members, Thomas Cooke and Chris Fossel also attended to cheer on United Spinal. Many of [...] By Tom Scott A recent opinion poll commissioned by the organizing committee of London 2012 (www.london2012.com) found that the UK public has a limited understanding of the Paralympic games and very little knowledge of the athletes who participate in them. Poll results show that 69% of the public cannot name a single Paralympian and only 27% can name Britain’s most successful athlete with a disability, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson (born with spina bifida), who won 11 Paralympic gold medals between 1988 and 2004, held over 30 world records, and won the London Marathon six times. The statistics are rather disappointing in Europe, where [...] By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD I am in the early stages of designing the landscape for my new home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory. This home and garden will be open for tours to the public when it is completed, estimated to be spring 2009. My husband and I purchased a 1.5-acre treeless lot and will be building a 3,500 sq. ft. national demonstration home on it soon. The rest of the property will be designed for outdoor living and scenic views from inside the home, as well as from the patio area. United Spinal New York Jets quad rugby team. A force to be reckoned [...] Off you can go into the wild blue yonder. By E. M. Treston “Do you want to fly?” asked the voice on the other line. “Do I wanna what?” I asked, perplexed. “Fly,” stated the voice. “Ya mean like an airplane?” Suddenly I remembered that I had e-mailed a company I found on the Internet about flying for people with disabilities. “Yes.” I didn’t hesitate, especially since my significant other had been touting his prowess on Real Flight Simulator for months and my attempts at the game landed my 747 in Jamaica Bay off Long Island, New York, at every take-off. [...] By Tom Scott Adaptive sports gets a fuel injection. What is the most heart-stomping, adrenaline-inducing adaptive sport in the world today? Some might say rugby, or maybe basketball or hockey, but times are changing fast. Strap yourself into a kart and rocket to speeds in excess of 60 mph with your backside about 2 inches from the asphalt and your fond memories of competing in those other sports will fade fast. Karting has a rich history, deeply rooted in motorsports. It’s also considered a “relatively” low-cost and safe way to introduce people to motor racing. Many professional drivers began their careers on [...] Compiled by Tom Scott United Spinal Association has received a generous donation from Pontiac and General Motors Corporation of Motorati Island in the Second Life (SL), a Web-based virtual reality community. You can learn more about the newly-named Motorability Island at www.unitedspinal.org/motorability/. Motorability Island in SL is a vast, complex with seven separate simulated environments (or sims), designed specifically to promote United Spinal Association in SL via the Education Center and other builds dotted around the Island. Visitors to the Island will find two full oval circuits, a full inter-sim road system, car-themed nightclub with live DJs, go-kart racing, car dealerships, scooter [...] United Spinal Association, in partnership with Joe Hurley and the Bart J. Ruggiere Adaptive Sports Center of Peru, Vermont, took to the slopes of Bromley Mountain, Vermont on Saturday, February 23rd and Sunday, February 24th to host a skiing clinic for United Spinal members. Participants received two full days of lessons including extensive one-on-one instruction from the Bart Center coaches and volunteers. All attendees were individuals with spinal cord injuries. Some of United Spinal’s athletes used “mono-skis,” in which the user sits in a molded seat mounted to a frame above a single ski. A shock absorber links the frame to [...] Chicago’s Focus on Accessibility Could Be Key in Bid for 2016 Summer By Tom Scott Linda Mastandrea, Paralympian and While the Windy City is famous for a lot of things, one of the least mentioned is its good accessibility. But Chicago is making great strides at offering an even more welcoming atmosphere to its disabled visitors and citizens. With the support of the Open Doors Organization, a disability-based nonprofit, Chicago recently released a 54-page comprehensive accessibility guide for travelers with disabilities titled Easy Access Chicago. A full PDF of the guide can [...] By Craig Kennedy If Christopher Reeve were alive today, the first piece of advice he would have for us all would be to live for today. Despite all the work he did to find a cure for paralysis, Reeve lived in order to find a way to make each day better. He strived to improve his quality of life so that he could live a meaningful existence until he could walk again. It’s hard to imagine that the world’s progress in this scientific field over the last decade could have anything but a positive affect on people with disabilities, but perhaps it [...] Compiled by Tom Scott Local Wheelchair Quad Rugby Team Sweeps to D.C. Area Tournament Title The United Spinal Association New York Jets quad rugby team won five straight matches over two days to win the First Annual Capitol Clash wheelchair quad rugby tournament held at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, Virginia, at the end of October. On Saturday, October 27th, the Jets “ruggers” eked out a victory over the Carolina Crash team by a score of 37 to 28. Their second rugby match of the day was not as difficult as the Jets flew past the Connecticut Jammers by a [...] By Tom Scott PepsiCo Hosts “Sports Spectacular” for Youth With Disabilities PepsiCo’s campus in Purchase, New York was the most recent site of United Spinal Association’s “Kids Sports Spectacular”—a fun-filled and exciting event for children with varying disabilities that teaches the importance of self-esteem, teamwork, and friendship through participation in wheelchair sports including basketball, softball, tennis, and handcycling. The event, held on Tuesday, October 16th, was hosted by PepsiCo and its in-house enAble Leadership Council—which puts a focus not on the person’s disability, but rather on the individual’s different or varying abilities, whether it is as an employee, a supplier, [...] Subway Series at Shea: United Spinal Mets bat against the United Spinal Yankees in the 2007 Major League Wheelchair Softball Tournament in New York City in September. Wheelchair Softball Hits Homerun at Shea The rainy weather wasn’t going to dampen the spirits of the fans who came out to watch the final game of the 2007 Major League Wheelchair Softball Tournament at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. With support from New York City Parks and Recreation, this is the seventh year that United Spinal Association and the New York Mets have hosted the annual tournament, which took place on Friday, [...] The 2007 United Spinal Navigators United Spinal Association Helps Give MLB Fans a Showcase of Wheelchair Softball On July 7 and 8, United Spinal Association helped promote the game of wheelchair softball during the Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fan Fest, which was held this year at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco, California. Wheelchair softball athletes from around the country participated in several games at the venue to demonstrate to MLB fans that you can compete in the great game of baseball even if you use a wheelchair. Thirteen players from various MLB-sponsored wheelchair softball teams were represented at Fan Fest, including [...] United Spinal Association and wheelchair athletes the world over lost a close friend and tireless advocate last month. by Rob Ingraham Albert Youakim, a nationally known pioneer in the early development of wheelchair sports and a tireless advocate for people with disabilities, died Sunday, August 19, at the age of 82. Youakim, an influential coach, mentor, and counselor, was a driving force behind the sports program at United Spinal Association and volunteered on behalf of people with disabilities for over 60 years. He was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame and coached track and field at the first [...] I expect many of you will be on vacation this month (as will I), and will therefore be interested in the theme of many of the articles in this issue: Recreation. Planning a mile-high vacation? Here are three ways to have extreme fun in Colorado for the adventure-loving adaptive sportsperson. By Andrea J. Kennedy Downhill mountain bikers can test their skills on stairs at the top of the trail leading to the road down the mountain. Colorado is one of the most adventurous destinations in the world. Lovers of the outdoors are attracted to the state’s endless mountain landscapes, bountiful rivers and lakes, and four seasons of fresh air, blue skies, and perfect weather. But perhaps contrary to popular belief, Colorado is also one of the most accessible states in the US. Small ski [...] |
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