ADAPTIVE ATHLETES ON A ROLL

Nestled between the last week of summer classes and the start of the fall semester, the empty halls of Southwestern College come alive with the sound of laughter and the smash of metal against metal.

For the past 25 years SWC has hosted a rigorous sports camp for kids from four to 18 years old designed to find the athlete in each child. Split into team colors by age group, these kids have the opportunity to test their skills at 17 different sports, including archery, tennis, scuba diving, rugby and basketball.

And they do it all on some very nifty sets of wheels, through the organization and dedication of the San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation.

Through the SDASF, athletes participate year-round in a number of sports, including over-the-line, hockey and soccer. It also offers opportunities for winter sports later in the year, such as snowboarding, and skiing. Parents of younger children are cautious at first, not sure if their child can participate in any of the sports at camp. But they are quickly impressed at the number of things they may never have known their child could do. Hovering parents are encouraged to sit back and learn.

Camp Counselor Sara Cantor, 22, enforces self-made independence in her athletes from the first day.

“Some of the kids have spent their whole lives being pushed wherever they want to go,” says Cantor. “They just don’t have the arm strength to push themselves long distances, so we’ve really been working on making sure that the campers are able to do as much as possible for themselves.”

Jorlina Bailey, mother of one of her campers, explained on the first day of camp that her daughter had never pushed up a curb cut by herself. By day four, with encouragement and tips on technique, Bailey said her daughter pushed up a really big ramp leading to the tennis courts completely on her own. Cantor was not surprised. Her counselor would not let her give up.

“It wasn’t the technique, it was the encouragement and the opportunity to succeed at it,” she said.

Cantor, a former camper herself for 10 years, recalls teachers who told her she couldn’t participate in activities with her peers due to her disability, and she believed them.

“When I came to this camp and they were trying to tell me I could do things, it was really confusing,” she said.

“My mom always talks about how coming to camp totally changed my attitude. Before, it was really easy for me to set myself apart from other kids and be like, ‘Well, I have a disability, so I’m different, so I can’t go on with you, so we can’t be friends.”

Participating in sports camp changed her entire attitude about herself and her disability.

“I was normal. That we were all normal and relating to all these other people really made me realize that I could be friends with anybody, that I could be part of any group,” she said. “It made me feel like I could be part of a team, and I never felt that before.”

Jazmin Garcia, administrative program assistant for SDASF, has helped organize the camp for the past three years. Prior to coming onboard, however, she had never been involved with the disability community. Now she said she cannot imagine her life without this connection. Eight sports programs running year-round keep her very busy.

Garcia said she recruits at schools, malls and anywhere she meets people who might benefit from this program. She considers the connection to sports as a gateway to finding a connection to the disability community, as well as a connection to improving self-esteem and the encouragement to succeed in all aspects of life. Sports camp, for many, is just the beginning.

“One participant has done her bachelor’s and Master’s, and now she’s going to Santa Barbara to do her Ph.D.,” says Garcia.

Coaches—some of whom are former Parolympians–are on hand to show kids how each sport works. Learning to block, catch and score are just the first steps. More rigorous sports, such as rugby and basketball, require kids to transfer into chairs designed especially for that particular sport, preventing damage to their everyday wheelchairs and their bodies. For some, the switch from their own chairs to a completely different style is a big change. But it is a bigger change for the athletes who do not have their own wheelchairs, or do not use them on a regular basis.

Rugby is considered the “roughest sport on the court” by older athletes. It requires athletes to use specialized wheelchairs designed to withstand the forces of slamming wheelchairs, their tires and titanium-built chairs specifically designed to resist tipping over and spilling athletes onto the court, though that does not stop spills entirely. Originally called “murderball” due to its aggressive and full-contact nature, it is internationally known today as “quad rugby” and is a rough combination of football, basketball and hockey without the added padding or protective gear.

Most sports are less aggressive. Most of the kids’ favorite sports were swimming, scuba diving and basketball.

The camp, which costs between $25-30,000 to run each year, survives entirely on donations from sponsors and would not be possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers, nurses, counselors and coaches who donate their time and equipment to make it happen.

SWC donates its facilities every year, an estimated in-kind value of $17,000.

Budget cuts forced many gymnasiums and theraputic centers across the county to close their doors, leaving SDASF scrambling to find ways to keep athletes on courts or in the water. Many cities, however, offer very few opportunities for wheelchair athletes. This year’s sports camp introduced 10 new athletes who had never participated in sports activities, to the fast-paced world of wheelchair athletics. Some travel from as far as Texas and Mexicali to be a part of this camp.

Campers, counselors and volunteers could be found all over campus wearing t-shirts which represented their team colors. Track and field featured archery, while the tennis courts were home to soccer, tennis and lacrosse. SWC’s swimming pool was host to snorkeling and scuba diving, while the gym was alive with teams competing in basketball and rugby.

Through this camp experience, they send a message to their peers and family – and most importantly, to themselves – that there are no boundaries, even at the finish line.

For the past 25 years SWC has hosted a rigorous sports camp for kids from four to 18 years old designed to find the athlete in each child. Split into team colors by age group, these kids have the opportunity to test their skills at 17 different sports, including archery, tennis, scuba diving, rugby and basketball.

And they do it all on some very nifty sets of wheels, through the organization and dedication of the San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation.

Through the SDASF, athletes participate year-round in a number of sports, including over-the-line, hockey and soccer. It also offers opportunities for winter sports later in the year, such as snowboarding, and skiing. Parents of younger children are cautious at first, not sure if their child can participate in any of the sports at camp. But they are quickly impressed at the number of things they may never have known their child could do. Hovering parents are encouraged to sit back and learn.

Camp Counselor Sara Cantor, 22, enforces self-made independence in her athletes from the first day.

“Some of the kids have spent their whole lives being pushed wherever they want to go,” says Cantor. “They just don’t have the arm strength to push themselves long distances, so we’ve really been working on making sure that the campers are able to do as much as possible for themselves.”

Jorlina Bailey, mother of a camper, explained on the first day of camp that her daughter had never pushed up a curb cut by herself. By day four, with encouragement and tips on technique, Bailey said her daughter pushed up a  big ramp leading to the tennis courts completely on her own. Cantor was not surprised. Her counselor would not let her give up.

“It wasn’t the technique, it was the encouragement and the opportunity to succeed at it,” she said.

Cantor, a former camper for 10 years, recalls teachers who told her she couldn’t participate in activities with her peers due to her disability and she believed them.

“When I came to this camp and they were trying to tell me I could do things, it was really confusing,” she said.

“My mom always talks about how coming to camp totally changed my attitude. Before, it was really easy for me to set myself apart from other kids and be like, ‘Well, I have a disability, so I’m different, so I can’t go on with you, so we can’t be friends’.”

Participating in sports camp changed her entire attitude about herself and her disability.

“I was normal. That we were all normal and relating to all these other people really made me realize that I could be friends with anybody, that I could be part of any group,” she said. “It made me feel like I could be part of a team and I never felt that before.”

Jazmin Garcia, administrative program assistant for SDASF, has helped organize the camp for the past three years. Prior to coming onboard, however, she had never been involved with the disability community. Now she said she cannot imagine her life without this connection. Eight sports programs running year-round keep her very busy.

Garcia said she recruits at schools, malls and anywhere she meets people who might benefit from this program. She considers the connection to sports as a gateway to finding a connection to the disability community, as well as a connection to improving self-esteem and the encouragement to succeed in all aspects of life. Sports camp, for many, is just the beginning.

“One participant has done her Bachelor’s and Master’s, and now she’s going to Santa Barbara to do her Ph.D.,” said Garcia.

Coaches—some of whom are former Parolympians–are on hand to show kids how each sport works. Learning to block, catch and score are just the first steps. More rigorous sports, such as rugby and basketball, require kids to transfer into chairs designed especially for that particular sport, preventing damage to their everyday wheelchairs and their bodies. For some, the switch from their own chairs to a completely different style is a big change. But it is a bigger change for the athletes who do not have their own wheelchairs or do not use them on a regular basis.

Rugby is considered the “roughest sport on the court” by older athletes. It requires athletes to use specialized wheelchairs designed to withstand the forces of slamming wheelchairs. Tires and titanium-built chairs specifically designed to resist tipping over and spilling athletes onto the court, though that does not stop spills entirely. Originally called “murderball” due to its aggressive and full-contact nature, it is internationally known today as “quad rugby” and is a rough combination of football, basketball and hockey without the added padding or protective gear.

Most sports are less aggressive. Most of the kids’ favorite sports were swimming, scuba diving and basketball.

The camp, which costs between $25-30,000 to run each year, survives entirely on donations from sponsors and would not be possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers, nurses, counselors and coaches who donate their time and equipment to make it happen.

SWC donates its facilities every year, an estimated in-kind value of $17,000.

Budget cuts forced many gymnasiums and theraputic centers across the county to close their doors, leaving SDASF scrambling to find ways to keep athletes on courts or in the water. Many cities, however, offer very few opportunities for wheelchair athletes. This year’s sports camp introduced 10 new athletes who had never participated in sports activities, to the fast-paced world of wheelchair athletics. Some travel from as far as Texas and Mexicali to be a part of this camp.

Campers, counselors and volunteers could be found all over campus wearing t-shirts which represented their team colors. Track and field featured archery, while the tennis courts were home to soccer, tennis and lacrosse. SWC’s swimming pool was host to snorkeling and scuba diving, while the gym was alive with teams competing in basketball and rugby.

Through this camp experience, they send a message to their peers and family – and most importantly, to themselves – that there are no boundaries, even at the finish line.