Loosen Up Discover the many benefits of stretching - The Magazine for Wheelchair Sports and Recreation Vol. 47 No. 1 - Southeastern PVA
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Magazine for Wheelchair Sports and Recreation Vol. 47 No. 1
January 2021
Loosen Up
Discover the many benefits of stretching
Inside
SPORTS ’N SPOKES
Features
14 Rising Phoenix
Paralympic athletes say a recent Netflix
movie has been well-received and
brought awareness.
by Shelly Anderson
18 Sports Go Virtual
Paralyzed Veterans of America’s sports
programs are finding new ways to help
members virtually during the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
by John Groth
24 Convenience & Luxury
For the athletes who use it, the Boston
Sports Institute is far more than a unique
athletic facility with an accessible pool and
sled hockey-ready ice rink.
by Lisa Van Loo
18
Digital Highlights on sportsnspokes.com
Scan This!
Or go to
GIGI CHANGES THE GAME CYBATHLON MOVES DESPITE DISTANCE sportsnspokes.com
Even at 65 years old, Paralympian Margaret Fifty-one teams from 20 countries competed in No-
“Gigi” McIntosh continues to compete in the vember’s 2020 Cybathlon Global Edition, an inter-
sport of para equestrian. Find out what led national competition where people with physical
her to compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro disabilities race to complete everyday tasks using
Paralympic Games. state-of-the-art technical assistance systems.
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 3
Inside
SPORTS ’N SPOKES
6 MY OPINION
Optimistic & Smart
by Tom Fjerstad
12 FITNESS
Stretching Helps
For Daily Health
by Jennifer Best
30 PEOPLE
Life-Changing Decision
by John Groth
14
33 INNOVATIONS
New Clothing Designs
by Jennifer Best
Also in This Issue
7 Sports Associations
8 In The Game
36 On The Sidelines
38 Classifieds
38 ProShop
39 Final Frame 24
On the cover: Stretching not only SPORTS ’N SPOKES (ISSN 0161-6706). Published bi-
monthly in January, March, May, July, September, and
helps wheelchair athletes achieve November, by the Paralyzed Veterans of America,
peak performance, but it’s also Inc., at 7250 North 16th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ
85020-5214, U.S.A. (602) 224-0500. Periodicals postage
imperative for daily health. Photo by paid at Phoenix, AZ, and at additional entry offices.
Getty Images/GoodLifeStudio. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPORTS ’N
SPOKES, 7250 North 16th Street, Suite 100, Phoenix,
AZ 85020-5214, U.S.A. Subscription rates: $21 annually.
Foreign orders: $27 (U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank).
4 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021
TOM
FJERSTAD My Opinion
Optimistic & Smart Team sports are no doubt where the great-
W
est challenges come into play because of the
elcome to the first entirely
often extremely close proximity of the players.
digital issue of SPORTS ’N
Wheelchair basketball, softball, rugby and simi-
SPOKES magazine.
lar sports may be some of the last to fully return
The magazine may be follow-
to a pre-pandemic normal, but I’d like to think
ing the trend of the publishing in-
we’re smart enough to find a work-around in
dustry, but its content still relies on
the real world until that time comes.
real, in-person, physically tangible events and ac-
Last July, a number of wheelchair softball
tivities. If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of the
players got together in Kansas City, Mo., for a
pretend, virtual world and want to get back to en-
few games. They made some minor rule mod-
Published by Paralyzed Veterans of America joying real sports and real activities.
ifications, and everyone had a great time get-
7250 North 16th Street, Suite 100 I’m not discounting or minimizing the impor-
Phoenix, AZ 85020 • (602) 224-0500 ting out in the fresh air for some much-needed
tance of doing whatever we can to stay active
competition and camaraderie. To the best of
EDITOR and connected during challenging times, but
my knowledge, it didn’t turn
I’ll never accept the cre-
Tom Fjerstad, ext. 100 into a super-spreader event
tom@pvamag.com ative alternatives of 2020
and was a great example of
as a “new normal.” Athletes
responsible modification
OPERATIONS MANAGER such as quad rugby players
and accommodation.
Sherri Shea, ext. 102 need to be crashing and
I really hope 2021 doesn’t
sherri@pvamag.com bruising, not getting blis-
turn into a continuation of
ters on their fingers from a
ASSISTANT EDITOR last year and its never-end-
computer mouse.
ing disappointments. The
Andy Nemann, ext. 112 The SPORTS ’N SPOKES
andy@pvamag.com Tokyo Summer Paralympics
staff is as anxious to cover
can’t be postponed again.
real events in 2021 as you are
EDITORIAL COORDINATORS I understand the sheer
NS
to participate in them. To me,
TIO
size and complexity of this
PVA PUBLICA
John Groth, ext. 105 it seems that many sports
john@pvamag.com event make last-minute ad-
should be continuing to
Brittany Martin, ext. 110
justments much more dif-
offer viable, real-life options
brittany@pvamag.com ficult or even impossible.
for participation. Social dis-
But decisions that may not
ART & PRODUCTION tancing is a phrase that can’t
be either ideal or ultimately
disappear from our vocabulary soon enough, but
Ann Garvey, ext. 103 even necessary must be made.
anngarvey@pvamag.com
until it does, I can’t help but use the grocery store
Smaller events and competitions have much
as a measuring stick of acceptable socialization.
Kerry Randolph, ext. 104 greater flexibility in this regard, and I hope
If it’s OK to roll up and down the aisles of the
kerry@pvamag.com every attempt is made to make them happen,
store, passing by other shoppers, I think some
if at all possible.
ADVERTISING minor modifications or simple precautions should
Let’s be optimistic, while at the same time
allow for the return of most of our cherished
Steve Max, 215-284-8787 being smart about our choices. I’m hopeful for
steve@max4media.com sports and activities.
a 2021 filled with wheelchair rugby and other
I don’t need to go down the list of sports and
SUBSCRIPTIONS sports being played as they should be and
offer suggestions because I’m sure most of you
SPORTS ’N SPOKES being there to cover every ac-
Suzi Hubbard, ext. 109 have already come to your own realizations as
tion-packed moment.
suzi@pvamag.com to what could work and what would not be ac-
S’NS
ceptable to you.
WEB CONTENT
Christopher Di Virgilio, ext. 106
chris@pvamag.com Now in its 46th year of publication, SPORTS ’N SPOKES is the nation’s premier magazine for wheelchair sports and recreation primarily for
those with spinal-cord injury, spina bifida, amputation and some congenital defects. Not responsible for unsolicited material. SPORTS
’N SPOKES neither endorses nor guarantees any of the products or services advertised. © 2021 Paralyzed Veterans of America. All rights
reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without permission is prohibited.
6 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021
Sports
SportsAssociations
Associations
AMPUTEE SPORTS International Wheelchair Aviators Move United SKIING
82 Corral Drive 451 Hungerford Drive, Ste. 608
Move United Keller, TX 76244 Rockville, MD 20850 Move United
451 Hungerford Drive, Ste. 608 (817) 229-4634 moveunitedsport.org 451 Hungerford Drive, Ste. 608
Rockville, MD 20850 wheelchairaviators@yahoo.com Rockville, MD 20850
moveunitedsport.org wheelchairaviators.org World T.E.A.M. Sports moveunitedsport.org
4250 Veterans Memorial Highway,
Ste. 420E Ski for Light, Inc.
ARCHERY FOOTBALL 1455 West Lake Street
Holbrook, NY 11741
Disabled Archery, USA (855) 987-8326 / 288-3377 (fax) Minneapolis, MN 55408
Move United (612) 827-3232
c/o Coach Glen Harris 451 Hungerford Drive, Ste. 608 worldteamsports.org
P.O. Box 698 info@sfl.org
Rockville, MD 20850
Langley, WA 98260 sfl.org
(360) 321-5979
moveunitedsport.org QUAD SPORTS
bowcoach@whidbeyisland.com Universal Wheelchair Bay Area Outreach & Recreation SOFTBALL
disabledsportsusa.org/archery Football Association Program (BORP)
U.C. Raymond Walters College 3075 Adeline St., Ste. 155 National Wheelchair
Disability Services Office Berkeley, CA 94703 Softball Association
BASKETBALL 13414 Paul Street
9555 Plainfield Road (510) 849-4663 / 849-4616 (fax)
Wheelchair Basketball Canada Cincinnati, OH 45236-1096 info@borp.org Omaha, NE 68154
6 Antares Drive, Phase 1, Unit 8 (513) 792-8625 borp.org (402) 305-5020
Ottawa, Ontario K2E 8A9 john.kraimer@uc.edu bfroendt@cox.net
Canada United States Quad Rugby wheelchairsoftball.org
(613) 260-1296 Association
info@wheelchairbasketball.ca GOLF 4000 Ridgeway Drive TABLE TENNIS
wheelchairbasketball.ca U.S. Golf Association Homewood, AL 35209
1631 Mesa Avenue (205) 999-3092 American Wheelchair
International Wheelchair Colorado Springs, CO 80906 usqra.org Table Tennis Association
Basketball Federation (719) 471-4810, ext.15 23 Parker Street
5 Route Suisse Port Chester, NY 10573
1295 Mies
usga.org RACQUET SPORTS (914) 937-3932
Switzerland National Amputee Golf Association International Tennis Federation johnsonjennifer@yahoo.com
+41-22-545-00-00 11 Walnut Hill Road (Wheelchair Tennis Department)
iwbf.org Amherst, NH 03031 Bank Lane, Roehampton TRACK & FIELD
(800) 633-6242 London SW15 5XZ, England
National Wheelchair info@nagagolf.org (011) 0044-(0)208-878-6464 Adaptive Track & Field USA
Basketball Association* nagagolf.org 0044-(0)208-392-4744 (fax) (ATSUSA)
1130 Elkton Drive, Ste. C wheelchairtennis@itftennis.com https://www.atfusa.org
Colorado Springs, CO 80907 itftennis.com
(719) 266-4082 HOCKEY
nwba.org United States Tennis Association
WATER SPORTS/RECREATION
U.S. Sled Hockey Association
710 N. Lake Shore Drive, 3rd Floor 70 W. Red Oak Lane American Canoe Association
BILLIARDS Chicago, IL 60611 White Plains, NY 10604 7432 Alban Station Boulevard
(312) 908-4292 / 908-1051 (fax) (914) 696-7000 / 696-7029 (fax) Ste. B-232
National Wheelchair info@sledhockey.org usta.com Springfield, VA 22150
Poolplayers Association usahockey.com/sledhockey (703) 451-0141 / 451-2245 (fax)
9757 Mount Lompoc Court americancanoe.org
Las Vegas, NV 89178 RECREATION
jdolezal@verizon.net HORSEBACK RIDING Turning POINT (Paraplegics Handicapped Scuba Association
North American Riding for the On Independent Nature Trips) 1104 El Prado
BOWLING Handicapped Association 403 Pacific Avenue San Clemente, CA 92672
P.O. Box 33150 Terrell, TX 75160 (949) 498-4540 / 498-6128 (fax)
American Wheelchair Denver, CO 80233 (972) 524-4231 hsa@hsascuba.com
Bowling Association (800) 369-RIDE / (303) 252-4610 (fax) point@turningpointnation.org hsascuba.com
c/o Gary Ryan, AWBA Secretary pathintl.org turningpointnation.org
16006 Congo Lane Water Skiers With
Houston, TX 77040 Disabilities Association
(713) 444-7588 LACROSSE SHOOTING 1251 Holy Cow Road
gryan210@sbcglobal.net Move United Polk City, FL 33868
Wheelchair Lacrosse USA (800) 533-2972 / (863) 324-4341
awba.org 4245 West Overlook Drive 451 Hungerford Drive, Ste. 608
Rockville, MD 20850 325-8259 (fax)
San Diego, CA 92108 usawaterski.org
FENCING (619) 807-9327 moveunitedsport.org
wheelchairlacrosse.com
U.S. Fencing Association National Wheelchair
1 Olympic Plaza Shooting Federation* S’NS
Colorado Springs, CO 80909 MULTISPORT 102 Park Avenue
(719) 866-4511 Casa Colina Adaptive Sports Rockledge, PA 19046
usfencing.org & Outdoor Adventures (215) 379-2359 / 663-0102 (fax)
255 East Bonita Avenue
NRA Disabled Shooting Services
FLYING Pomona, CA 91769
11250 Waples Mill Road
(909) 596-7733 / 593-0153 (fax)
Freedom’s Wings International Fairfax, VA 22030
casacolina.org
324 Charles Street, Apt. 25 (703) 267-1495 / 267-3941 (fax)
Coopersburg, PA 18036
(800) 382-1197
freedomswings.org
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 7
In The Game
NEWS FOR THE
WHEELCHAIR SPORTS
COMPETITOR
ATHLETICS championships. The season is scheduled to
start with the United Arab Emirates Fazza In-
World Para Snow Sports ternational Athletics Championships Feb.
10–13, with more events to follow.
Championships Postponed Here are the provisional dates and events:
T he World Para Snow Sports Champion-
ships scheduled to take place in Feb-
ruary 2021 in Lillehammer, Norway, have
Feb. 10–13: Dubai 2021 Grand Prix – Fazza
International Athletics Championships
(United Arab Emirates)
been postponed to early January 2022.
According to a Nov. 25 press release March 18–20: Tunis 2021 Grand Prix – 13th
from Lillehammer 2021 and World Para Tunis International Meeting (Tunisia)
Snow Sports, the reason for the post- March 25–27: Sao Paulo 2021 Grand Prix –
ponement is because of the uncer- Loterias Caixa Open Championships (Brazil)
TS /
SP
OR tainty related to the novel coronavirus
OW April 16–18: Italy 2021 Grand Prix – Italian
(COVID-19) pandemic.
N
AS
Open Championships (city TBD)
R
The board of the Norwegian Ski As-
PA
M/
April 23–25: Beijing 2021 Grand Prix –
FACEB O O K . CO
sociation, in consultation with World
Para Snow Sports, the Norwegian Eighth China Open Athletics Champion-
Olympic and Paralympic Committee, ships (China)
the Norwegian Biathlon Federation May 5–7: Paris 2021 Grand Prix – Handis-
and the Norwegian Board Sports Fed- port Open Paris (France)
eration made the decision together after
a series of meetings and close dialogue with May 14–16: Nottwil 2021 Grand Prix –
Norway’s health authorities. ParAthletics (Switzerland)
“We know how much the event means TBD: Arizona 2021 Grand Prix – Desert
to many, and we understand well the disap- Challenge Games (Tempe, Ariz.)
pointment of having to wait a whole year, but
the championships’ scope, duration and com-
plexity cannot be accommodated under the
BADMINTON
current situation of the pandemic nationally
and internationally,” says Erik Røste, president
Japan, Thailand Host BWF Worlds
of the Norwegian Ski Association, in the re-
lease. “The risk of spreading infection among
volunteers, competitors and in the local com-
F ollowing a Badminton World Federation
(BWF) Council vote, Japan and Thailand
were named as the next two hosts of the
munity does not make it justifiable to carry BWF Para Badminton World Championships.
out the competition as planned.” Japan and the Japan Para Badminton Fed-
The rescheduled World Championships eration will host them in 2021, while Thai-
will retain the Lillehammer 2021 name land and the Badminton Association of Thai-
and will be the largest para sport event in land will host them in 2023.
Norway since the 1994 Paralympic Win- Para badminton will be introduced to
ter Games in Lillehammer. There are 750 the Paralympics at this year’s Tokyo Games,
participants from over 30 nations and 700 which were scheduled for 2020 but moved
volunteers expected. to August/September 2021 because of the
novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The
sport has been played internationally since
World Para Athletics Calendar the 1990s, and the first world championships
W orld Para Athletics has announced a
provisional calendar for the 2021 ath-
letics season, which includes dates for major
started in 1998 in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
Since 2001, the world championships have
taken place every two years.
8 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021
BASKETBALL were postponed from 2020 be- Russia’s Vera Muratova
cause of the novel coronavirus won the 2020 World Para
Powerlifting Online World
(COVID-19) pandemic.
Canada’s Jacques Retires “Sometimes tough decisions
Cup Series Finals title with
343.5 points.
P aralympian and world cham-
pion Maude Jacques an-
nounced her retirement from the
have to be made, and I knew retir-
ing would never be easy because
basketball has been a part of my
Canadian women’s wheelchair identity for so long,” Jacques says
basketball team in late November. in a press release announcing her
She helped Canada capture the retirement. “But I leave the team
gold medal at the 2014 Interna- with my head held high, and I am
tional Wheelchair Basketball Fed- proud of everything that I have
eration (IWBF) Women’s World accomplished. I wish Team Can-
Wheelchair Basketball Champi- ada the best for Tokyo 2021.”
onship in Toronto and was an all-
star at the 2015 IWBF Under-25
Women’s World Championship
POWERLIFTING
in Beijing. She also helped Can-
ada reach the 2012 London Para-
Muratova Wins World Cup HIROKI NISHIKOKA-WORLD PARA POWERLIFTING
lympic Games, along with this
year’s Tokyo Paralympics, which R ussia’s Vera Muratova captured
the 2020 World Para Powerlift-
ing Online World Cup Series Finals
title. The 40-year-old dominated
the series the entire year, record-
ing three wins and two runner-
up finishes in the five 2020 On-
line World Cup Series events.
She took the Nov. 17 title and
finished with 343.5 points, de-
feating Russia’s Anastasiia Mama-
damirova (292.5) and Colombia’s
Jainer Cantillo (211).
Muratova’s two second-place
finishes came to Mexico’s Amalia
Perez, who finished eighth over-
all (142.5) in the series.
The finals were held as a
mixed event. Para powerlift-
ers competed live from their
homes and were judged by In-
ternational Technical Officials by
video. Results were based on the
additional points athletes scored
considering
the num-
© GETTY IMAGES/JAMIE MCDONALD
Canada women’s wheelchair basketball ber of valid
player Maude Jacques, pictured with ball
attempts
at the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup
Wheelchair Basketball event, announced (good lifts).
her retirement in late November. Launched by
World Para Power-
lifting in April, the
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 9
In The Game
HIROKI NISHIKOKA-WORLD PARA POWERLIFTING
Colombia’s Jainer Cantillo
placed third in the 2020 World
Para Powerlifting Online
World Cup Series Finals,
finishing with 211 points.
2020 Online World
Cup Series totaled
129 participants
from 34 countries
and was started to
keep athletes en-
gaged and moti-
vated during the
novel coronavirus
(COVID-19)
pandemic.
HIROKI NISHIKOKA-WORLD PARA POWERLIFTING
Perez Earns Fifth Online
World Cup Series
A fter missing the last On-
line World Cup Series, Mexi-
co’s Amalia Perez returned to cap-
ture the late-October fifth Online
World Cup Series event.
The three-time Paralympic
champion won the women’s
category, finishing with 126.34
Russia’s Anastasiia Mamadamirova points to defeat Russia’s Vera Mu-
(292.5 points) placed second ratova (119.46). Russia’s Anastasiia
in the 2020 World Para Mamadamirova was third with
Powerlifting Online World
Cup Series Finals. 110.58 points.
Perez also earned the team
captain competition, with her
The top nine results were: 5. Rehab Ahmed (Egypt) – Blue Team winning over the Yel-
176.5 points low Team captained by Italy’s
1. Vera Muratova (Russia) –
Alessandro Boraschi and Team
343.5 points 6. Mariana D’Andrea (Brazil) –
Green captained by Brazil’s Pedro
176 points
2. Anastasiia Meloni. The team captain compe-
Mamadamirova (Russia) – 7. Cristina Poblador (Colombia) – tition was a virtual challenge in
292.5 points 174 points which four para powerlifting ex-
perts try to predict the athletes’
3. Jainer Cantillo (Colombia) – 8. Amalia Perez (Mexico) –
results in each series.
211 points 142.5 points
In the men’s division, Kazakh-
4. Latsami Sipaseuth (Laos) – 9. Herbert Aceituno (El Salvador) stan’s David Degtyarev recorded
178 points – 69 points his third straight victory. He fin-
10 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021ished with 204.74 points, defeat- a women’s doubles gold medal Buis also won two UNIQLO
ing Colombians Jainer Cantillo at the 2012 London Paralympic Wheelchair Doubles Masters titles,
(186.12) and Fabio Torres (184.67). Games, defeating fellow Neth- partnering with de Groot in 2017
erlands players Jiske Griffioen and van Koot in 2019, and earned
and Aniek van Koot, and teaming a third-place finish at the 2013 NEC
TENNIS with Diede de Groot for a silver Wheelchair Masters tournament.
medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro
Netherlands’ Buis Retires Paralympic Games in Brazil.
Clocktower Classic Champs
A fter more than 10 years,
women’s wheelchair tennis
player Marjolein Buis (the Nether-
“Physically, it’s no longer pos-
sible for me to train full-time and
to play three-set matches at the F ive individuals and five dou-
bles teams captured titles
lands) announced her retirement highest level. And if I can’t give at the Nov. 14–15 Georgia State
in late October. everything it takes to be a top Clocktower Classic Wheelchair Ten-
Buis won 18 women’s singles athlete, I don’t want to be one,” nis Championships in Rome, Ga.
and 52 women’s doubles titles and Buis wrote in a statement on her David Williams took home the
had been ranked in the world’s top official website. “I’ve also really men’s wheelchair A singles title, de-
10 since November 2010. been enjoying life at home since feating Robert Popelka, 6-1, 6-1, in
© GETTY IMAGES/MIKE OWEN
The Netherlands’ women’s
wheelchair tennis player Marjolein
Buis announced her retirement
from the sport in late October.
Buis won six Grand Slam ti- the [novel] coronavirus [COVID- the championship match. In the
tles, one in singles at the French 19] pandemic. I picked up my men’s wheelchair B singles final, Mi-
Open in 2016 and five in doubles. studies in clinical psychology chael Johnston defeated Ricardo
She reached a career-high rank- and over the past few months, I Castaneda, 6-4, 7-6, 7-2, for the title,
ings of No. 3 in singles and No. have experienced what my life while Victor Vaughn defeated Ven-
1 in doubles. She also won two after tennis may look like. And I kata Anwesh Datla, 8-8, 7-5, in the
Paralympic Games medals, join- really like it! I’m looking forward men’s wheelchair C singles final.
ing teammate Esther Vergeer for to my new life.” S’NS
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 11Fitness
Stretching Helps Maintaining a regular exercise, move- sitting, being on computers, slumping
ment and stretching routine can help and all of that, eventually we get tight
For Daily Health maintain overall body conditioning, dis- and lose range of motion.”
by Jennifer Best courage circulatory and nervous compli- Stretching, he says, is among the most
T he common practice of stretching for
recreational and competitive athletes
has long been debated in its details: its ef-
cations and reduce the risk of injury.
“It’s certainly beneficial to stretch be-
fore and after activities. You have peo-
important methods for loosening up
that tightness. Additional treatments
such as applying heat or sitting in a
fectiveness before versus after warmup, ple who say, ‘I don’t ever stretch, and I do warm pool increase elasticity. Transcuta-
great,’ but perhaps neous electrical nerve stimulation units
they’d do better if cause vibrations that help relax muscle
© GETTY IMAGES/DNY59
they’d stretch,” says fibers so they can stretch.
De Luigi, who also Like many other wheelchair users, most
serves as the clin- wheelchair athletes will have tight hip
ic’s chair of the De- flexors and hamstrings.
partment of Physical Recommended stretches for releas-
Medicine & Rehabil- ing hip flexors include simply lying
itation, medical di- perfectly prone.
rector of the Sports For a more advanced stretch, move
Medicine Indepen- from the prone position to cobra pose.
dent Multidisci- To perform the pose, spread your hands
plinary Program, as- on the floor under your shoulders,
sociate professor of © GETTY IMAGES/GOODLIFESTUDIO
physical medicine
and rehabilitation at
Mayo Clinic School of
Medicine and profes-
Stretching can help wheelchair athletes with autonomic dysreflexia,
an emergency condition that causes a sudden onset of excessively
sor of rehabilitation
high blood pressure. medicine at George-
town University
its impact on performance and its contri- School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
bution to athletic longevity.
For wheelchair athletes and those with MOVE THOSE MUSCLE GROUPS
spinal-cord injuries (SCI), however, there Wheelchair athletes whose every action
is no debate — pre-performance stretch- involves propelling their chair should focus
ing is essential, not only for peak perfor- on rotator cuff, periscapular and pectoral
mance but for daily health. warmups with stretches above the head,
Stretching can help with autonomic to each side and across the body.
dysreflexia, an emergency condition that Often overlooked by athletes and non-
causes a sudden onset of excessively high athletes alike are stretches for the lower
blood pressure. body, De Luigi says.
“One of the biggest concerns we have “One of the most important things
in SCI patients is autonomic dysreflexia about stretching is maintaining as
development, which can be triggered by much range as possible. When we’re
problems with lower extremity tightness born and as we move through life, we
or sensitivities of the wheelchair,” says Ar- are more extension-based. When you’re
thur Jason De Luigi, DO, MHSA, of Mayo in a chair, you’re flexion-based. That’s
Clinic Sports Medicine Center in Tempe, where you’re likely to get contractures Wheelchair athletes should focus on rotator
cuff, periscapular and pectoral warmups with
Ariz. “You may be insensate, but it can still [permanent shortening of muscles],” stretches above the head, to each side and
cause your body to go haywire.” De Luigi says. “As we age, after years of across the body.
12 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021‘‘
One of the most important things about stretching is
maintaining as much range as possible ... As we age, after years
of sitting, being on computers, slumping and all of that,
eventually we get tight and lose range of motion.
— Arthur Jason De Luigi, DO, MHSA ’’
© GETTY IMAGES/LWA/DANN TARDIF
straightening your arms to lift get a few more degrees, where
your chest off the floor and other times you might just tear
going only to the point where something,” De Luigi says.
your hips remain on the floor. He says it’s best to learn how
Rather than pushing your ribs to perform partner stretches
forward, which hardens the with trained individuals, learn
back, squeeze your shoul- to listen to the body’s re-
der blades closer to the spine sponse to those stretches, only
while lifting through the top work with trusted partners and
of the sternum. never push too hard.
Hurdler stretches and modi- Stretching may be general or
fied hurdler stretches focus on activity-specific, and there’s no
hamstrings and quadriceps. hard and fast rule about how
“People who initially begin much is too little or too much.
a stretching routine may find “Some people do yoga for an
their range is limited from long- hour three to five days a week. I
time seated positions, but all wouldn’t say that’s over-stretch-
wheelchair users would ben- ing but more full-body, global
efit from stretching on a daily stretching, which serves a differ-
basis,” De Luigi says. Partner stretches, including those with stretch bands, are a good ent purpose from a wheelchair
way for wheelchair athletes to warm up. athlete who’s pitching a softball
PASSIVE & ACTIVE STRETCHING game,” De Luigi says.
Most stretching can be performed in- stretched across the body by a partner. Baseball or softball pitchers, for exam-
dividually, but partner stretches have Then, the stretching arm would push ple, can focus on warming up and stretch-
their place when performed correctly. gently against that partner’s hands be- ing their rotator cuffs and shoulders.
Two options include passive stretching fore relaxing for another, deeper, gentle Wheelchair athletes should also consider
and active stretching. stretch by that partner. warming up and stretching muscles that
Passive stretching involves simply re- A multitude of studies have shown that will be used for propulsion.
laxing the muscle that is to be stretched active stretching is beneficial immedi- De Luigi says athletes preparing for an
by gently pressing against it. For a pas- ately prior to activity, while PNF stretching event should plan to spend 15 to 20 min-
sive stretch, use one hand to cross the should be reserved following activity or utes stretching, but the jury is still out on
body, grab the opposite arm above the with a rest session or general warmup be- whether to warm up or stretch first.
elbow and pull it across the body while fore taking part in the intended activity. “If you stretch first before you warm up,
relaxing the shoulder. “We have therapists work with pa- you avoid potential strains while warming
Active stretching, proprioceptive neu- tients all the time. But if athletes are up, but the benefit of warming up first is
romuscular facilitation (PNF) or post-iso- working with random partners, they may that you may get a better stretch because
metric relaxation focus on making the find themselves paired with someone circulation of blood and increased heat in
tight muscles do the work and may best who doesn’t know what is a soft end- the muscles and tendons allow for a bet-
be performed with a trained partner. point versus a firm endpoint. There’s a ter stretch,” De Luigi says.
That same tight shoulder would first be chance you can stretch and think you can S’NS
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 13© GETTY IMAGES/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
by Shelly Anderson
Paralympic athletes say a recent Netflix movie has
been well-received and brought awareness.
T he message doesn’t vary too much. Paralym-
pians and others involved in the adaptive
sports community just want to be seen, heard and
given their due.
That apparently came across well in a documen-
tary film called Rising Phoenix that was released last
August. Paralympic athletes are still fielding feedback
Stutzman, 36, who was born without arms, was en-
about the film, which is available on Netflix and takes
thusiastic about the project from the start.
a wide-ranging look at the Paralympics.
“I just want people to understand what we’re trying
“I think they were happy with the way the Para-
to get across and bring awareness to everything. What-
lympics and disability was portrayed, which was our
ever I can do to help, count me in,” says Stutzman, who
whole goal of the film,” says wheelchair racer and 17-
time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden of com- COURTESY OF NETFLIX
ments she received. “It was nice to hear that. It always
makes you nervous when you spend so much time
on a film and you just want it all to be right and OK.”
Showing Their Lives
McFadden and Paralympic archer Matt Stutzman
were the two Americans among the nine Para-
lympians featured in the film. The others are Ital-
ian wheelchair fencer Beatrice “Bebe” Vio, Austra-
lian swimmer Ellie Cole, French sprinter and long
jumper Jean-Baptiste Alaize, British sprinter Jonnie
Peacock, Chinese powerlifter Cui Zhe, Australian
wheelchair rugby player Ryley Batt and South Afri-
can track athlete Ntando Mahlangu.
Wheelchair racer and 17-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana
McFadden, 31, who has spina bifida, also served as McFadden, who was born with spina bifida, above and right, is
a producer for the documentary. featured in the Netflix movie Rising Phoenix.
14 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021© GETTY IMAGES/ALEXANDRE LOUREIRO
© GETTY IMAGES/ PAOLO BRUNO
© GETTY IMAGES JAMIE SQUIRE
© GETTY IMAGES/FEDBUL/NATTAPONSUKJIT
ILLUSTRATION BY KERRY RANDOLPH
© GETTY IMAGES/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
earned a silver medal in the
2012 London Paralympic Games
and competed in the 2016 Rio
de Janeiro Paralympics. “One
of the things that they did re-
ally well was they captured be-
hind the scenes, what it takes to
get there.”
Training regimens, obstacles,
everyday life — even other sides
to the athletes’ personalities,
such as Stutzman’s penchant for
cars — came through.
Like any good sports film,
Rising Phoenix has artistic
footage of the athletes in ac-
tion, and that includes every-
thing that goes with these
athletes’ disabilities.
“They did some amazing
capturing and getting close
enough to see all the aesthet-
ics — the muscles and their
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 15COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Paralympic archer Matt Stutzman won a silver medal
© GETTY IMAGES JAMIE SQUIRE
at the 2012 London Paralympics and is in the Netflix
movie Rising Phoenix. Stutzman was born without
arms and uses his feet and mouth for archery.
Interesting Aspects
It was HTYT’s first film, and Campbell
prosthetic legs or wheelchair,” McFadden says. “It pointed out a few interesting aspects
captured it so elegantly and beautifully.” to the project.
Vio, 23, a wheelchair fencer who lost parts of all Although McFadden says a conversation with
four limbs because of meningitis, says her mother, another co-producer, Greg Nugent of the Interna-
Teresa, cried when she watched the film, and Vio be- tional Paralympic Committee, at the 2016 Rio Para-
lieves it opened a lot of eyes. Vio is a 2016 Rio de Ja-
neiro Paralympic champion in
© GETTY IMAGES/ PAOLO BRUNO
the Foil B category.
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Upon the documenta-
ry’s release, a storm of ath-
letes and celebrities posted
positive responses on social
media, from soccer’s David
Beckham to tennis legend Bil-
lie Jean King.
It’s also reached aspiring
adaptive athletes. Stutzman
says he has been the only arm-
less archer at high-level com-
petitions, but after the film’s re-
lease, he’s now heard about
two more who have the poten-
tial of making it to the Tokyo
Paralympics this year (they
were postponed from 2020 because of the novel coro-
navirus, or COVID-19, pandemic).
“I got a sense of how much the film had affected
some people when I started getting texts or seeing
tweets. The best ones were from mums of disabled girls
or dads of disabled kids or brothers saying, ‘Wow, this has
inspired my brother to go out and try a new sport,’” says
Calum Campbell, director of research and development
with London-based HTYT Films, the company that made
A Paralympic Italian wheelchair fencer who lost parts of all
the documentary before selling it to Netflix. “Things like four limbs because of meningitis, Beatrice “Bebe” Vio says her
that were the things that made me go, ‘This was worth it.’” mom, Teresa, cried while watching Rising Phoenix.
16 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021COURTESY OF NETFLIX
lympics planted the idea for the film, Campbell
says it couldn’t just be a mission project from a
filmmaker’s perspective.
“The film was about telling stories,” he says.
The impact came along with that.
A more discouraging aspect came when HTYT,
which fully funded the project up front, found it diffi-
© GETTY IMAGES/ALEXANDRE LOUREIRO
cult “making film distributors believe that films about
things like disabled athletes can sell … They didn’t
think it could be a success. That was a real challenge
that we had,” Campbell says.
Netflix helped prove them wrong.
“Now, hopefully, there will be an opportunity in
the future to do a lot more projects about things like
Paralympians because of this film,” Campbell says. South African track athlete Ntando Mahlangu, who had his legs ampu-
There are so many stories that have just started tated at age 12, above and inset, won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de
to be told. Janeiro Paralympics and is featured in the Netflix film Rising Phoenix.
Like McFadden, who rose from an orphanage in
the Soviet Union to not only win those 17 Paralympic
Stoke Mandeville, England. That grew over the years
medals (seven gold, seven silver and three bronze),
into what is now the Paralympic Games.
but also become an activist. Her lawsuit while she
As if to illustrate that Rising Phoenix was meant to
was in high school led to the passage of the Maryland
be made and be a success, Campbell offers an incred-
Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabil-
ible anecdote.
ities Act in 2008.
For 10 months, the filmmakers tried to find Gutt-
And like Stutzman, a father of three who was down
mann’s daughter, Eva Loeffler, to no avail. Then, a lit-
and out about a decade ago when he saw someone
tle luck appeared.
bow hunting on TV, taught himself to shoot, shot a
“It’s a crazy story,” Campbell says of the path to
deer his first time hunting to put a lot of food on the
getting Loeffler into the documentary. “Out of no-
table, then got up the confidence to start entering ar-
where, I was talking to my postman about the proj-
chery competitions.
ect. He said, ‘I know [Guttmann’s] daughter. [Loef-
Just as the athletes who are chronicled in Rising
fler’s] daughter is really good mates with [my] son.’
Phoenix have back stories, so do the Paralympics, and
We never would have found her if not for that. That
that history is another part of the film.
made the film.”
Campbell helped greatly with the research needed
Well, that along with the insight and drive of the
to tell the story that traces to Sir Ludwig Guttmann,
modern-day Paralympians who shared their stories.
who, in 1948, organized a sports competition for
S’NS
World War II veterans who had spinal-cord injuries in
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 17Sports Go
Virtual
CO
UR
TE
SY
O
by John Groth
FC
AN
DI
CE
CA
ES
AR
W hen the novel corona-
virus (COVID-19) pan-
demic hit, Candice Caesar was at one
of her lowest points.
At Home and by participating in virtual handcycling
and adaptive yoga classes and watching nutrition
webinars. She learned how to play chess. And she
learned healthier and better coping techniques to
In early March, she’d fallen when starting out deal with her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
on a run. Just two blocks from her Fresno, Texas, “I can tell you without these programs, I was in a re-
home, the 48-year-old Army veteran couldn’t get ally bad headspace. I wouldn’t have made it. I went
in touch with anyone to help her and had to slowly from being able-bodied to losing everything to get-
crawl back to her house. ting a lot of it back to losing it when I was isolated,”
She’d already sustained C6-8, L5 and S1 level spi- says Caesar, who was a walking quadriplegic be-
nal-cord injuries and was paralyzed on her right fore her March fall. “It was a really bad time. I’m really
side during a 1999 car accident but somehow pleased that they had all these programs.”
pushed through those to walk again. Now, she was Although COVID-19 continues to cause many prob-
back to her wheelchair, isolated and alone. But Par- lems, it hasn’t stopped PVA’s Sports and Recreation
alyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Sports & Recre- Department from branching out. Instead, the depart-
ation Department’s virtual sports and veteran pro- ment has developed a wide array of online group
grams changed her life. workout programs and found fun, engaging ways for
Instead of sitting around at home from April to No- member interaction.
vember, she lost 17 pounds by competing in this past Adaptive yoga, wheelchair dancing, adaptive
July’s National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) esports and fitness competitions are some of the pro-
18 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021COURTESY OF CANDICE CAESAR
Paralyzed Veterans of America’s sports programs are finding new ways to
help members virtually during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
‘‘ With the different virtual
activities, I found I can
really cope. I can handcycle
and really gut it out. I can
be peaceful and use yoga,
and I can also use my brain Candice Caesar
and not think about it and participated in
Paralyzed Veterans
move chess pieces with of America’s
’’
adaptive cycling
programs, both
guys and play chess. outdoors and
online, during the
novel coronavirus
— Candice Caesar
(COVID-19)
pandemic.
grams that have been offered this winter already.
PVA Sports & Recreation Director Fabio Villarroel and
Senior Associate Sports & Recreation Director Jen
Purser are staying true to form in that the depart-
ment’s mission is to keep paralyzed veterans active.
“Part of our mission within our sports and recre-
ation programs is to offer as many opportunities to
COURTESY OF CANDICE CAESAR
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 19COURTESY OF CANDICE CAESAR
maintain a healthy and active lifestyle,” Villarroel says.
“I think that going virtually hasn’t changed that mis-
sion. In fact, I think we’ve added more programming,
and we’ve created more opportunities for people to
stay active and engaged. Hopefully, that’s having a
positive impact on their quality of life.”
Virtual Programs Abound
That quality of life involves plenty of activity.
While PVA doesn’t know exactly what events it plans
to hold this year, Villarroel says for at least the first quar-
ter, the organization will focus more on virtual programs
versus in-person programs since COVID-19 cases and
contagion are growing again. State guidelines also play
a factor, Villarroel says, since each state has different
rules regarding COVID-19 protocols.
Three programs have already started to get wheel-
chair veterans moving around, though, including
adaptive spin, yoga and wheelchair dance classes.
PVA’s handcycling team members have been and
will be teaching virtual spin classes via Zoom video
conferencing throughout the winter. They’re offered
six times each week — 5-7 p.m. ET Mondays and Fri-
days, 9-11 a.m. ET Tuesdays and Thursdays and 12-2
p.m. ET Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Virtual adaptive yoga started in the fall with in-
structor Audrey Lee teaching PVA members poses
via Zoom. Classes, which are slow-paced and focus
Paralyzed Veterans of America has held virtual spin classes
on deep breathing and fundamental poses, have six days a week to help veterans stay active during the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Kids and adults
participated in
Paralyzed Veterans
been running from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET Mondays,
of America’s (PVA) Wednesdays and Saturdays and are open to anyone.
virtual family inclusive Caesar participated in both spin and adaptive
dance classes. PVA
teamed with the
yoga classes.
Wheelchair Dancers She joined the PVA Racing team back in 2017 and
Organization to offer had done a little handcycling and participated in
wheelchair dance and
fitness classes.
wheelchair marathons before. But she thought rid-
ing on a trainer around a loop was boring. Once she
started talking to people on Zoom, though, she had
way more fun. Time and miles flew by. So much so
that she rode 489 miles in November — the most
she’s ever ridden in a monthlong span.
“So, you’re sitting here along with someone on
a Paralympic team, and you’re next to each other.
You’re talking about bicycle maintenance. You’re
telling other people about different types of hand-
cycles,” Caesar says.
COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
20 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
Paralyzed Veterans of America has offered virtual adaptive yoga classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays this winter.
Adaptive yoga and nutrition classes were just vember and boccia classes in December via Zoom. Ar-
as beneficial. bino is an accomplished rifle marksman and has at-
Before joining, Caesar hated yoga. But after com- tended the advanced rifle coach school at the Olympic
mitting to weekly sessions, she’s noticed a differ- Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is also a
ence. She’s less tense, has increased focus and atten- USA Boccia national certified coach.
tion and is less likely to have depression or anxiety As for outdoor or other programs like hunting or
attacks. Lee helped her attack her trouble spots and fishing, PVA encourages members to reach out to
learn about better eating choices — less sugar and their local chapter and see what is available. Again,
more water and vegetables. state guidelines can play a factor. But Villarroel hopes
“I can take the principles I’ve used with breathing, and by April, the organization will start up some of its
if I feel myself getting anxious, like with PTSD, I can do sports programs again.
some breathing exercises and calm myself down. And I
couldn’t do that before. I was isolated and in my house Growing Esports Community
all the time. It just gets boring. I don’t have interaction
One program PVA plans to definitely have this month
with people. I didn’t realize I needed the connection
will be its esports program.
as much as I did. That’s what I learned from being shel-
Thanks to PVA Sports & Recreation administrative as-
tered,” Caesar says. “With the different virtual activities,
sistant Travis Greaves, its egaming group took off this
I found I can really cope. I can handcycle and really gut
past spring.
it out. I can be peaceful and use yoga, and I can also use
An avid gamer himself, Greaves helped start PVA’s
my brain and not think about it and move chess pieces
esports group last April to prepare members for the
with guys and play chess.”
NVWG At Home esports tournament and taught adap-
As for wheelchair dancing, this marked the first
tive gamers controls for specific games, how to apply
time PVA has offered it in any form.
them and offered more advanced instruction as needed. Charles Merritt
In November, PVA teamed up with the Wheel- participates in
Greaves taught participants Rocket League, a vehic-
chair Dancers Organization, a 501c3 nonprofit in San Paralyzed Veterans
ular soccer game that can be played on Microsoft com- of America’s adaptive
Diego, to offer family inclusive dance classes Friday
esports program.
nights and then wheelchair dance fitness
classes on Saturdays right after the adap-
tive yoga program. The family dance class
featured hip hop, Latin jazz, Bollywood,
island fusion, contemporary and coun-
try-western line dance lessons. The fit-
ness classes highlighted 20 dance styles
from around the world. Both allowed par-
alyzed veterans and able-bodied partici-
pants and lasted six weeks until mid-De-
cember. If those are all successful, they’ll
continue them — providing PVA’s Sports
and Recreation Department has the fund-
ing it needs.
Additionally, PVA held a virtual car show
in early November for members to show-
case their cars via Facebook. PVA Sports
Program Manager John Arbino offered air
gun instruction classes in October and No-
COURTESY OF CHARLES MERRITT
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 21COURTESY OF PSYONIX LLC
COURTESY OF ELECTRONIC ARTS
COURTESY OF ELECTRONIC ARTS
COURTESY OF PSYONIX LLC
Originally, 20 members joined the group, but dur-
ing the summer and early fall, interest dwindled
some and it dropped to about 10 for each session. So,
Greaves took a break and then, based on members’
suggestions and feedback, decided to switch games
and play Apex Legends, a battle royale first-person
puters, along with PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nin-
shooter, free-to-play game for PlayStation 4, Xbox
tendo Switch gaming consoles.
One and computers via Origin and Steam.
In Rocket League, gamers first customize a rocket-
Rocket League and Gamers pick their character and then join others to
Apex Legends, above, powered car before those cars are placed on a soccer
form a crew as they battle for fame and fortune on the
are two games that field to face each other. Players then try to make their
have been featured fringes of the frontier. Teams drop into the game in
car hit a ball into an opponent’s goal. Matches are usu-
for adaptive gamers groups of three, and there can be up to 20 teams total.
in Paralyzed Veterans ally five minutes long, and there is a sudden-death
The winner is the last team standing.
of America’s esports overtime if they are tied after regulation play. Players
program, below. “It really rewards good team play,” Greaves says.
can pick up speed boosts, smash and destroy an oppo-
“You have to be really communicative ’cause it’s not
nent’s car and can earn points for hitting boosts and
so structured. You’re all kind of out there in the wilder-
performing certain moves.
ness together type of thing, and you’re having to help
COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA other people, tell your group what you’re seeing type
of thing. It’s really fun, and it builds a lot of teamwork,
which was a big benefit to us.”
VA & NVWG Adding More
There’s teamwork in working with the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA), too.
After having success with its online fitness competi-
tion at this year’s NVWG At Home, the VA developed an-
other virtual fitness competition — the NVWG Open.
Athletes who were registered on the NVWG app par-
ticipated in practice sessions from Nov. 13–20 before
22 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
COURTESY OF PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA
Donald Bement, handcycle; Michael Guilbeaux, with medicine ball; LeToi Adams, with basketball; and David Cromwell, with gun,
participated in the 2020 National Veterans Wheelchair Games At Home.
competing in three weekly competitions (Nov. 30, Dec. right now, too. In November, New York City wasn’t
7 and Dec. 14). They had three days to submit a home issuing permits for events involving more than 50
workout for judging. Results were announced each Fri- people, so Tostenrude says organizers only have ver-
day, and finals were held Dec. 18 with prizes for winners. bal agreements with venues right now. But the main
Additionally, NVWG Director Dave Tostenrude says goal is to take the NVWG beyond one week a year.
the VA is looking at teaming up for an esports Madden “The engagement piece is so big for us in keeping up
NFL football adaptive gaming competition in February. the spirit of the Games with the adaptive fitness piece
“Our At Home program really educated us to the there,” Purser says. “There’s workout programming
opportunities of doing more virtual events that help that’ll happen on a weekly basis and with the esports,
engage veterans in sports and fitness throughout both sides of the house, the VA and PVA, are working to-
the year. So, we’ve been looking at what the oppor- gether to do practice programming to encourage more
tunities are. Esports is an easy one that we can reach veterans to get involved in esports and also to help
out to people in their homes across the country to them practice before they get to the Games.”
get involved,” Tostenrude says. S’NS
As for the 2021 NVWG in New York City, those are
still scheduled to go on as planned from Aug. 8–13
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 23For the athletes who use it, the Boston Sports Institute is far
more than a unique athletic facility with an accessible pool and
sled hockey-ready ice rink.
by Lisa Van Loo
W hen Meredith Koch arrives at Bos-
ton Sports Institute (BSI) for practice
a few times a week with her Paralympic swim
team, she never takes for granted how easy it
cessibility is one of the reasons,” says Koch, who swims
with Paralympic Sport Club Boston. “There are some
pools that are super nice, but they don’t have parking.
Or they have parking, but you have to take two eleva-
is for her to park, enter the building and get tors to get inside. No one has time to take 15 minutes to
in the pool. use two elevators.”
Restrooms are big and easy for her to
access. Parking is abundant. And the de-
sign of the pool and its spacious deck
A Refuge
allow swimmers who require wheel- At BSI, a new multi-use fitness facility in the Boston
chairs to access the area with ease. suburb of Wellesley, Mass., accessibility was clearly
For her, BSI is different. top of mind when it came to design, most notably
“It’s personally one of my fa- with its pool and a fully sled hockey-compatible in-
vorite pools to swim in, and ac- door ice rink.
24 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021January 2021 |
PH
OT
OS
TH
IS
PA I L LU
GE ST
BY R AT
CO I O N
UR
T E BY K
SY E
O F R RY
AL R A
IS O N D
N K OLP
IDD H
ER
SPORTS ’N SPOKES
25COURTESY OF ALISON KIDDER
COURTESY OF NORTHEAST SLED HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston Sports
Institute, a multi-use
fitness facility in the
Boston suburb of The $23.3 million, 130,000-square-foot, mixed-use slipping on the pool deck’s unusually grippy surface.
Wellesley, Mass., recreation facility constructed by the Dacon Corpora- It’s those mindful courtesies that Koch says set BSI
features a NHL
regulation sled hockey tion and managed by the Edge Sports Group has six apart. More often, those types of conveniences
accessible rink. athletics venues. BSI features two NHL-sized hockey seem to be overlooked.
rinks, including the sled hockey accessible east rink, a “People don’t think of things because they don’t
suspended track, indoor synthetic turf field, therapy need it or it doesn’t apply to them,” she says.
pool and an accessible 25-yard competitive pool.
For Koch, who has lived with incomplete para-
plegia since a piano fell on her in 2015, the pool is
A Luxury
a refuge. It does have a lift, a common accessibility Brian Bardell, a member of the Boston ICE Storm
feature at many swim facilities, but with the way sled hockey team, can relate. He appreciates BSI for
the pool is designed, Koch doesn’t need to use it. all the little things that add up, one being the fact
She’s not really fond of lifts anyway, because tech- that he can sit on a deep bench in the locker room to
nical difficulties or personnel shortages could prepare for a game.
make using it challenging. So, she’d rather be able Bardell, who lost his left leg to cancer in 2015, says
to get in and out of a pool on her own. in other facilities he’s sometimes forced to change on
And, at BSI, she can. Thanks to the absence of a the floor because the shallow benches don’t provide
lip on the pool’s perimeter, she can wheel her chair much space for him to balance.
right to the edge of the blocks and climb in herself. “Normally, benches are right against the walls
Swimmers’ guide and support dogs have room to maximize floor space. For some disabilities, this
to relax, and Koch’s teammates who use prosthet- makes changing very difficult,” says Bardell, 41, of
ics and crutches don’t have to worry as much about Northbridge, Mass. “For someone with, say one leg,
26 SPORTS ’N SPOKES | January 2021COURTESY OF ALISON KIDDER
‘‘
Most folks [playing] are not able to walk, so they’re in those
sleds, strapped in. So, you can’t walk onto the ice. You have to
push yourself. If it’s level to the ground, it’s easier for the players to
get on the ice. — Mike Ciavarro
’’
if they are putting on their sock or boot, they don’t do this with a smile because we are just happy to
have a second leg to balance on. If the bench is nar- get on the ice. So for us, BSI is a luxury.”
row and against the wall, they can’t lean back for bal- Those subtle luxuries extend to the actual ice rink,
ance and usually end up on the floor to change. Have too. Mike Ciavarro, president and commissioner of
you seen the floors of most locker rooms?” the Northeast Sled Hockey League, says most often,
Bardell also appreciates the accessible height of the teams and players in the league need to adapt
locker room wall hooks, which are reachable from a to the rinks instead of the rinks offering adaptive
seated position, and the space the BSI locker room features for them. But BSI is different.
allows for wheelchairs to easily navigate and turn Most notably, the BSI rink includes an accessible
around. It’s a rarity. bench. Traditional rinks utilize a recessed bench, set
“Nearly every rink we play at is not very accessi- off the ice and protected by a half-wall, so players can
ble, so we are quite used to cramming into small drop into the game by scaling the wall. To exit the ice,
rooms, playing Tetris with equipment and wheel- players would need to step over a lip that separates
chairs, changing on floors and maneuvering bath- the ice from the bench.
rooms that aren’t the safest,” Bardell says. “We are It makes it challenging, if not impossible, for those
always adapting to our environment, and we always strapped into sleds.
January 2021 | SPORTS ’N SPOKES 27You can also read
