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Horse racing 101- what you absolutely need to know
Horse racing is perhaps one of the oldest sports in America. The charisma and aura of the game is such that it refreshes and revitalizes your spirits. If taken in the right sense i.e. not as a gamble with your limited money, horse racing is one of...
How to choose your road bike, different levels of riders
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How to chose your road bike? Well the first question is how much do you want to spend and how much cycling will you do? The answer to the first question is a difficult one, many people...
Kayaking Gifts for Christmas
Finding good Christmas gifts ideas is easy if you think about a
persons hobbies. If you are buying for person who enjoys
kayaking, here are a few ideas for kayaking gifts.
Kayaking Gifts
Kayaking is a sport that appears to require...
playing fantasy sports - a beginner's guide
playing fantasy sports
Playing fantasy sports isn't just for egg-heads anymore! Number chunchers beware, the age of the Internet has ushered in a whole new set of fantasy sports enthusiasts!
What used to take a degree in mathematics now...
Top 3 NFL Picks for Week 2
Top play: Rams/Cardinals OVER 44
One way or another,whether by trailing early or just plain stubborness, Mike Martz ALWAYS seems to abandon the run. No reson for to believe he'll consistantly hand the ball to Jackson and Faulk and let them pound...
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Sports Provide a Welcome Outlet for the Disabled
In years past, a serious physical disability meant unemployment,
isolation, and inactivity for many thousands of people.
No longer. While the Americans with Disabilities Act has opened
up the workplace and public facilities to people with
disabilities, many organizations around the country have sprung
up, offering access to sports programs both for wheelchair-bound
individuals and amputees with artificial prosthetic devices.
Disabled people are experiencing the joy of participating in
Alpine and cross-country skiing, all kinds of water sports from
swimming to sailing to scuba diving, and even more extreme
sports such as mountain climbing and sky diving.
The importance of both competitive and recreational sports for
individuals with disabilities can't be overestimated.
Particularly for formerly able-bodied people who find themselves
disabled, sports can serve as a tremendous motivation in the
rehabilitation process and can help alleviate the depression,
confusion, and loss of self-esteem that often accompanies a
debilitating injury. For those born with a serious disability,
sports can serve as an important way of connecting to the
"abled" world.
Competitive sports for the disabled are experiencing phenomenal
success. The world-wide organization now known as the Paralympic
Games was founded in Rome, Italy, in 1960, inspired by a 1948
competition organized in England for disabled World War II
veterans. According to the Paralympic Games website,
participating athletes compete in a variety of sports based on
one of six disability-based classifications: amputee, cerebral
palsy, spinal cord injuries, visual impairment, intellectual
disability, and a general group including individual
disabilities which do not fit into one of
the other five
categories.
Both summer and winter sports competitions give disabled
athletes the change to compete in a variety of sports; the list
of summer sports includes 21 different competitive sports,
ranging from archery and cycling to equestrian, powerlifting and
judo. Five competitions designed specifically for
wheelchair-bound athletes include basketball, dancing, fencing,
rugby, and tennis. The list of winter sports is smaller, but no
less challenging: athletes can compete in either Alpine or
Nordic skiing, ice sledge hockey, and wheelchair curling.
Children with physical disabilities have special challenges;
they're dealing with sometimes substantial limitations at the
same time that they are meeting all the other demands of
becoming competent, balanced, emotionally and mentally healthy
human beings. The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD)
offers opportunities for children to take part in a wide range
of sports activities, from skiing, ski racing, snowboarding and
snowshoeing in the winter to rafting, horseback riding, and
in-line skating in the summer.
The Paralympics and NSCD are only two of many organizations
founded to involve disabled individuals in sports. It's evident,
from the success and increasing popularity of these
organizations, that both adults and children with disabilities
benefit greatly from participating in adaptive sports
activities, and that the benefit extends to all aspects of their
lives.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and
Topics. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
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