Florida: local BlazeSports athlete honored - NRPA in Action - Brief Article

Parks & Recreation, Jan, 2004

Tommy Chasanoff, a member of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department's BlazeSports program, has been named a Wrangler Five Star Athlete of the Year and featured in a recent Sports Illustrated magazine. Chasanoff was one of five athletes honored nationwide for their accomplishments, sportsmanship and passion for competition.

Chasanoff, 16, captured eight gold medals at the National Sports Festival for the Disabled. The cerebral palsy athlete won the 100, 400, 800, and 1,500 meters, the shot put, discus, javelin and club throw. He is now training for the 2005 Carabral Palsy World Games. Chasanoff is the son of Blazesports coordinator and coach, Andy Chasanoff.

BlazeSports is a legacy of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and a program of the U.S. Disabled Athlete Fund. Organizers from the games wanted to provide community-based sports and physical activity programs for disabled youths. The Hillsborough County Perks, Recreation and Conservation Department is one of 10 charter clubs in the United States. The local program, whose mission is to maximize the potential of people with physical disabilities through sport, includes swimming, track & field, tennis, basketball, and rugby. "We want kids to focus on their ability, not their disability," said Andy Chasanoff.

For more information about the BlazeSports programs, contact 813-744-5307.