Adaptive Sports New England’s Sport Club programs bring together athletes with a visual or mobility impairment to develop skills and confidence in a safe, supportive environment. Paralympic medalists and other experienced coaches lead specialized training, emphasize personal development, and foster camaraderie among peers from across the region. The sport club programs welcome athletes at all levels of skill and competitiveness. They are designed to support athlete involvement in school and/or community based programs. Programs are designed for youth with typical social and cognitive development. Sport Club programs include swim team, swim lessons, wheelchair basketball, rowing, sailing, beep baseball, track and the junior varsity series.
Swim Team
The Adaptive Sports New England swim team meets weekly and brings together competitive swimmers from across the region. Many team members also participate on a club or school swim program. The team is coached by Paralympic medalists Mike Prout and Anna Johannes who design specific programs for each athlete, focusing on technical skills and mental preparation.
Swim Lessons
The swim lesson program is offered in partnership with local YMCAs. Lessons are staffed by YMCA professionals with oversight provided by Mike Prout and Mary Gawron. Mike is an experienced swim teacher and Paralympic medalist, while Mary has over 25 years swim instruction experience. Lessons are generally taught at a 1 to 1 student to teacher ratio.
Rowing with Community Rowing, Inc.
Community Rowing in Brighton offers a number of Para rowing programs including open Para rowing, a high performance Para rowing training group and a teen Para rowing program run in partnership with Adaptive Sports New England. Outdoor programs feature training on the Charles River, while the winter season is held indoors at the Community Rowing facility.
Track
The Adaptive Sports New England track program meets weekly with skilled coaches to improve racing techniques. Currently, wheelchair track is being offered at Regis College on Saturday mornings. Track accommodates athletes with visual impairments, Cerebral Palsy, spina Bifida, spinal cord injury, amputations, dwarfism and various other physical impairments.
Wheelchair Basketball
The wheelchair basketball program meets once per week and brings together youth and young adults for drills, pick-up games and fun! Participants must have good use of their arms and upper bodies to fully enjoy this sport. Players include youth affected by Spina Bifida, spinal cord injury, Cerebral Palsy, leg amputations and other impairments.
Sailing
Adaptive Sports New England partners with Boston’s Community Boating on the Charles River Esplanade to teach youth who have a visual or mobility impairment to sail. Youth focus on building confidence and strengthening their communication and teamwork skills while simultaneously becoming better sailors.
Beep Baseball
The beep baseball program is designed for those with a visual impairment, and is fun for all ages. Balls and bases emit sounds so that players can compete without the use of their vision. Clinics are held weekly with Coach Joe Quintanilla.
Junior Varsity Series
The programs in the Junior Varsity series are designed for children ages 5-10. Events are held multiple times per year, and will engage youths in adaptive sports stations and games. This series is designed to introduce younger kids to the para versions of the sports they love and to new activities all together.
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The mission of Adaptive Sports New England is to increase participation in sports among New England youth and young adults who have visual or mobility impairments.
