Caitlin Van Ermen
On a Saturday afternoon, the Council of Students with Disabilities brought a different kind of athletic activity to Michigan State University’s campus. Adaptive Sports Day energized IM Circle and eager athletes and community members joined to amplify ability.
The accessible bike program company, PEAC, parked their truck outside IM Circle, unloaded a dozen adaptive cycles, and provided the vital resources to involve many participants. Many willing individuals tested hand cycles for their very first time and pairs cruised around the gym floor with tandem bicycles.
MSU wheelchair basketball instructor, Jimmy Moceri, supplied the equipment for teams of five to play a game of wheelchair basketball. Teammates strapped into their chairs and sped around the court for a friendly game of wheelchair basketball.
President of the Council of Students with Disabilities, Katie Feirer, emphasizes, “I hope this event brought awareness to the different abilities represented throughout our world”.
An active athlete in adaptive sports, Bryan Wilkinson, held training sessions instructing the fundamentals of wheelchair tennis. Following the drills, participants took the courts, swung their rackets and chased tennis balls while rolling around in their sport wheelchairs.
Champions of the Adaptive Sports Day games left the gym with helmets and souvenirs from the MSU Bike Service Center. Throughout the day, MSU Bikes demonstrated their joint projects enhancing sport equipment with the Adaptive Sports Club.
RCPD student, Jordyn Castor, hosted a game of goal-ball. This sport is geared toward visually impaired participants and is played at the U.S Paralympics. Players engaged in a game of goal-ball, covered their eyes and followed the sounds of a moving ball with bells inside.
MSU is home base for an Adaptive Sports Club, which draws players from across the state. The Council of Students with Disabilities and key partnerships are among the leaders in providing the resources for athletes of any kind. Michigan State is responding for the demand to play and supplying the facilities to perform.
Make sure to watch the success of Adaptive Sports Day 2015:
