Florida - Sportsability festival - April 13th-15th 2007
April 12, 2007
By Gerald Ensley, DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER
A great idea - a weekend of recreational activities for the disabled - keeps getting better.
The will stage its 16th annual Sportsability festival this weekend. The event includes indoor competitions Friday, outdoor activities and water sports Saturday and powered-wheelchair soccer Sunday. The event begins with a banquet tonight for sponsors and supporters.
Sportsability began as a one-day event in 1991, expanded to two days in 1994 and now moves to three days.
"We believe that active leisure for life means people of all ages and abilities," said the association's president and founder, David Jones. "A smart choice of physical activities leads to a better physical life, which leads to a better mental life."
More than 1,000 children and adults with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities will participate in Sportsability.
Friday's indoor events will be at Tallahassee Community College and will include wheelchair basketball and tennis, powered-chair soccer, adaptive golf, disk golf, martial arts and laser target sports.
Saturday's outdoor events will be at the Ochlockonee River State Park, 40 miles southwest of Tallahassee, and will include sit-water skiing, kayaking, sailing, archery, horseback and ATV riding.
Sunday's power soccer clinic and games will be at the Parkway Arena in Beachton, Ga., on U.S. Highway 319 (near the former JB's Barbecue).
The association recently entered a groundbreaking partnership with the state Department of Health and the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology to develop the Recreation Assistive Services and Technologies program. By July, the program will have six regional offices around the state to serve as clearinghouses for information about recreation opportunities and products for the disabled. The new organization will also hold Sportsability festivals around the state.
Jones, who remains an avid outdoorsman despite a 1988 hunting accident that left him with a paralyzed left arm and leg, said there are numerous recreation and leisure activities for people with disabilities. But he said such opportunities are not widely marketed.
"Those with disabilities often assume, and justifiably so, that this or that (recreation and leisure) program is not for them," Jones said. "We're going to be there to say, 'Yes, this is for you, and here are the specific products and programs you can get involved with right now.' ''
For more information, call the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association at 668-7323.
Today: 6:30-9:30 p.m.: Reception and banquet at Mary Brogan Museum.
Friday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Indoor sports at Tallahassee Community College Lifetime Sports Complex.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Outdoor activities at Ochlockonee River State Park.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Power soccer clinic and games. Parkway Arena, U.S. Highway 319, Beachton, Ga.
Contact reporter Gerald Ensley at (850) 599-2310 or gensley@tallahassee.com.SPORTSABILITY
Today
6:30-9:30 p.m.: Reception and banquet at Mary Brogan Museum.
Friday
9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Indoor sports at Tallahassee Community College Lifetime Sports Complex.
Saturday
10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Outdoor activities at Ochlockonee River State Park.
Sunday
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Power soccer clinic and games. Parkway Arena, U.S. Highway 319, Beachton, Ga.
Article Reference: Tallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL.
By Gerald Ensley, DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER
A great idea - a weekend of recreational activities for the disabled - keeps getting better.
The will stage its 16th annual Sportsability festival this weekend. The event includes indoor competitions Friday, outdoor activities and water sports Saturday and powered-wheelchair soccer Sunday. The event begins with a banquet tonight for sponsors and supporters.
Sportsability began as a one-day event in 1991, expanded to two days in 1994 and now moves to three days.
"We believe that active leisure for life means people of all ages and abilities," said the association's president and founder, David Jones. "A smart choice of physical activities leads to a better physical life, which leads to a better mental life."
More than 1,000 children and adults with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities will participate in Sportsability.
Friday's indoor events will be at Tallahassee Community College and will include wheelchair basketball and tennis, powered-chair soccer, adaptive golf, disk golf, martial arts and laser target sports.
Saturday's outdoor events will be at the Ochlockonee River State Park, 40 miles southwest of Tallahassee, and will include sit-water skiing, kayaking, sailing, archery, horseback and ATV riding.
Sunday's power soccer clinic and games will be at the Parkway Arena in Beachton, Ga., on U.S. Highway 319 (near the former JB's Barbecue).
The association recently entered a groundbreaking partnership with the state Department of Health and the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology to develop the Recreation Assistive Services and Technologies program. By July, the program will have six regional offices around the state to serve as clearinghouses for information about recreation opportunities and products for the disabled. The new organization will also hold Sportsability festivals around the state.
Jones, who remains an avid outdoorsman despite a 1988 hunting accident that left him with a paralyzed left arm and leg, said there are numerous recreation and leisure activities for people with disabilities. But he said such opportunities are not widely marketed.
"Those with disabilities often assume, and justifiably so, that this or that (recreation and leisure) program is not for them," Jones said. "We're going to be there to say, 'Yes, this is for you, and here are the specific products and programs you can get involved with right now.' ''
For more information, call the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association at 668-7323.
Today: 6:30-9:30 p.m.: Reception and banquet at Mary Brogan Museum.
Friday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Indoor sports at Tallahassee Community College Lifetime Sports Complex.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Outdoor activities at Ochlockonee River State Park.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Power soccer clinic and games. Parkway Arena, U.S. Highway 319, Beachton, Ga.
Contact reporter Gerald Ensley at (850) 599-2310 or gensley@tallahassee.com.SPORTSABILITY
Today
6:30-9:30 p.m.: Reception and banquet at Mary Brogan Museum.
Friday
9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Indoor sports at Tallahassee Community College Lifetime Sports Complex.
Saturday
10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Outdoor activities at Ochlockonee River State Park.
Sunday
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Power soccer clinic and games. Parkway Arena, U.S. Highway 319, Beachton, Ga.
Article Reference: Tallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL.
