Texas: children with disabilities make great strides

Kids with disabilities are all too familiar with the agony of defeat, rather than the thrill of victory. But the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department's BlazeSports Clubs, in partnership with NRPA and the Hershey's Track and Field Youth Program, changed that this past June.

San Antonio became the first city in Texas to allow therapeutic recreation BlazeSports participants to compete in the Hershey's Track and Field event at the local level. "We are making great strides in the area of athletics for children with disabilities because when those opportunities have been presented to us, we have had the vision and the leadership to take the ball and run with it," explained TR Supervisor Tina Tholl.

Local residents and paralympic medal winners Saul Mendoza Hernandez and Ross Davis assisted with the program. San Antonio's BlazeSports Club has also given children with disabilities other athletic opportunities by sponsoring events such as wheelchair tennis, rugby and basketball. This fall, the department will also offer wheelchair fencing instruction from three time U.S. Epee Champion and Paralympic athlete Gary van der Wege.

"The smiles on the faces of the children who competed in that first local meet summed up the importance of including them in athletic activities," Tholl said.

Her goal, along with NRPA and Hershey, is to grow the number of communities that will include a component at the track meet for children with disabilities in local meets. She hopes one day, the children can also participate in state and national meets.

Tholl said, "We are very excited that NRPA and the Hershey Foods Corporation are dedicated to reaching out to children with physical disabilities and including them in a program that has touched the lives of many children over the years."