(image via qctimes.com)
Adaptive sports are more popular now than they have ever been before.
It’s possible this is due to the ever growing number of communities and organizations bringing wheelchair users together to get involved and play sports (either again, or for the very first time). It’s possible this is also due in part to people like ex-firefighter Bob Juarez.
Advocating for Wheelchair Athletes
Juarez was a firefighter and avid sports player prior to becoming paralyzed in a fall back in 2008. But, that didn’t keep him down for long.
Juarez wanted to stay active, and healthy despite the fact that he needed to depend on a wheelchair going forward. His interest in playing basketball, tennis, softball, hockey, cycling, rowing, and road races.
It’s this passion that made him want to bring that same joy into his community. Juarez became one of the founders of the Quad-Cities Adaptive Sports Association located in the Moline, Illinois area.
Sharing a Passion
In the time since his injury, Juarez has helped bring wheelchair sports to his area. In the beginning, he was only able to basketball. Now, through the nonprofit organization there’s multiple groups of people within his community that participate in adaptive sports like softball, volleyball, and even water skiing.
On Saturday, August 23, 2014, the QCA Adaptive Sports Association brought together the disabled community by hosting its 2nd Annual Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Moline.
While wheelchair tennis can be very challenging on the players, the event brought together wheelchair users and their handicapped vehicles from Iowa and Illinois with a desire to compete in sports.
What events do you participate in, in your area? Want to know more about wheelchair events in your area? Let us know, so we can feature events happening in your area (that you may or may not already know about)!