DisAbility Sports Fest Draws Hundreds of AthletesDisabled Athletes Led by Disabled, Paralympic Coaches

Courage and determination abounded as approximately 1,000 registered athletes and supporters flooded Cal State San Bernardino on Oct. 20 for the 7th Annual DisAbility Sports Festival. The festival has attracted athletes living with disabilities looking to compete in at least 20 different sports, including wheelchair and standing basketball, tennis, soccer, wall climbing, swimming and hand cycling since its inception in 2007, when Dr. Aaron Moffett, a professor of kinesiology at CSUSB, began the competitive event. The purpose of the festival is to increase the sports opportunities for athletes with disabilities and thereby increase their quality of life and health, explained Moffett. “We really want to open up opportunities for people with disabilities, and the event teaches them that they can go ahead and do whatever … they want to do,” Dr. Aaron Moffett said. Dr. Moffett discussed his motivation behind founding the event. “One of the very first students I coached in swimming was deaf and was always very frustrated from feeling so excluded from everything, but swimming was the one thing where he felt he belonged, felt accepted, and allowed him to succeed.” Dispersed among the campus quad area were sponsor tents—sponsors included Molina Healthcare, CSUSB’s Rec Sports, University Diversity Committee, and Inland Empire Health Plan—and an Assistive Technology fair with more than 30 information booths from community programs detailing available services for individuals with disabilities and their families. Further into the campus, CSUSB fields were filled with countless volunteers playing softball with the registered participants. Other sports included wheelchair and standing basketball, tennis, soccer, wall climbing, swimming, hand cycling, tennis, and tango. As part of the event, the importance of health was also emphasized as an Assistive Technology fair was featured to show families how technology can assist in the daily lives of disabled persons. Each sport at the event was coached by an athlete with a disability, including Paralympians and other elite-level coaches, who not only coached but also served as examples to participants of their potential abilities. Coaches motivated players with enthusiastic and motivational words. At the tennis court, a polio-stricken tennis coach coached 6-year-old Jesus Ramirez Jr. , whose wheelchair served as his feet. Every time Jesus, or Chuy—as his parents would call him—would miss a ball, the coach would encourage him, “Don’t give up, son! You can do it!” Parents Jesus and Rosanna Ramirez have registered Chuy for the Sports DisAbility Festival every year for the last three years, and he loves it. “This really lets my son know that he can do stuff without being dependent on us. They show him that he can do whatever he wants to do. That way, he never says, ‘I can’t do it,’ because he can always do it. I know he can,” Jesus Ramirez said. Chuy chimed in after his father, “I like playing sports. I love it!” At the campus pool, participants swam and some took swimming lessons. There, visually impaired Senior Olympian Vivian Stancil welcomed participants and advocated for the Vivian Stancil Foundation at the entrance of the pool. She served as motivation to participants as she told her story. Not knowing how to swim and visually impaired, Stancil began to swim at 50 years old. She is now 66 and a Senior Olympic gold medalist. She said, “I’m so happy to be here today in San Bernardino among the young, [the] disabled, and everybody. It’s really important to encourage the young and disabled and let them know that just because you’re handicapped, it’s not over.” During the Opening Ceremonies, keynote speaker Janice Walth, the first U.S. woman to compete in the visually impaired archery category who has set five world records and is a World Championships silver and bronze medalist archer, said, “When I tried it and discovered that this was something I could be in control of, it really inspired me to keep doing it. I liked the idea that once my equipment was set up and I was sighted in, it was up to me to perform that shot correctly. No one was behind me telling me where to aim my bow; I had to work on my form and perfect my shot just like everyone else.” She also shared her story of how she competed in a “sighted” sport as a blind athlete. The DisAbility Sports Fair provided free food to all registered participants, volunteers, and supporters, courtesy of the Rotary Club of SB Sunset Rotary, a worldwide service organization with 1.2 million members. Chehab El Awar, Rotary Club of SB Sunset District Governor, emphasized the importance of this event and service. “It’s important to make the disabled children feel part of the community again, and that’s exactly what this event does. At the same time, the event also stresses service, which I love. Seeing all the young people and college students coming out and helping out at this event is truly amazing,” said El Awar. Dr. Aaron Moffett explained he sees this event his pride and joy. “I love it,” Dr. Aaron Moffett said. “This event is just phenomenal. I’m so honored to be a part of it.”