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PARALYMPIC EXPERIENCE
As an official Paralympic Sport Club, the National Ability Center is proud of its partnership with U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, to help athletes with physical disabilities reach their dream of Paralympic excellence. |
The 2010 Utah Paralympic Experience will be filled with new opportunities for individuals looking to try Paralympic sports. This year we will return to Park City and the National Ability Center's Bronfman Family Recreational Center & Ranch. This year's event will be held in conjunction with the NAC's annual Community Open House. We will have archery and cycling outside. The entire day of events will be free of cost, and will be a lot of fun for everyone.
Oz Sanchez, who won both a gold and bronze medal in cycling at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, will once again attend the Utah Paralympic Experience! Many individuals had the chance to meet Oz and hear his inspirational story last year, and he enjoyed the experience enough to return for a second year. In 2009 he also helped newcomers to the adaptive cycling world with tips and tricks that have helped him. Find out more about Oz here. Oz also visited the NAC this past winter.
Greg Shaw, who helped Team USA Sled Hockey to its first IPC World Championship in 2009, has brought home another gold medal for people to see. This time, it is a Paralympic gold medal from Vancouver! Greg was featured on KSL for his inspirational story, and you can watch it here.
Tim Ostler started playing quad rugby only a couple of years ago, and he has made the USA Quad Rugby Team. Tim will show this year's visitors some of the training exercises he goes through and help everyone learn some of the rules to this high-speed, high-impact game.
Former apache helicopter pilot Joe Johnson came to the Paralympic Experience las year as he prepared for a 1500-mile ride around the state of Utah. Joe made his way around the state in less than one month and ended his ride the week of the Summit Challenge.
Ryan Nelson from Brighton High School in Salt Lake City was part of the tennis lessons being taught with the Paralympic Academy, as well. In 2009 Ryan was named to the Junior World Cup Team and represented the USA in England for the British Open.
What is the Paralympic Experience?
The Paralympic Experience, a program of U.S. Paralympics, has chosen the National Ability Center to be one of its state partners in Utah. The Paralympic Experience is an outreach program created to recognize and inspire children with physical disabilities to participate in sports and recreational activities while providing parents and coaches the skill sets and equipment to support their children's involvement in more active lifestyles.
Please visit the U.S. Paralympics official site at http://www.usparalympics.org for more information. |
