Michelle Cross is the first student-athlete to represent San Diego State University in adaptive track and field. SDSU continues to take steps to broaden its adapted athletic program vison, beginning with Michelle. This is the first part in a series that will follow Cross’ journey as SDSU’s first official adaptive student athlete. The college freshman shares her experiences leading up to her admittance to SDSU as well as her advice for other adaptive athletes seeking to compete at the college level.
We are thrilled to announce the ABC Medical Fall 2018 "Making a Difference" Scholarship recipients! Congratulations to Nick Balenger, Seth Penny, and Lauren Guerra.
Each of these amazing individuals show so much passion for bettering themselves and the lives of people around them. At ABC Medical, we share the same passion to improve the lives of those living with disabilities as well as recognize people who support and advocate for them. Together, we can all Adapt.Believe.Compete.
ABC Home Medical, Inc. has been honored with a 2018 When Work Works Award for exemplary workplace practices.
The prestigious When Work Works Award is part of the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) When Work Works project, a national initiative that helps employers become more successful by transforming the way they view and adopt effective and flexible workplaces.
“I want the world to be accepting of me, but not adapt for me. I want to be able to figure out ways to adapt and get around. I want to believe that people are helpful and that I can trust them.” shared the Arizona State University student-athlete and a Rollettes Lil Sis Christina Chambers over a phone interview with us earlier this month. In a way she redefined what ‘ABC’ stands for: Adapt.Believe.Compete. We were fortunate enough to be introduced to two amazing dancers, Christina Chambers and Maria Rabiano through our support of the Rollettes dance team and their Be Boundless Summit which, by the way is coming up this Saturday, on August 18th and we cannot wait for it!
A family holiday trip to Alabama for Santiago (Santi) Rueda over Memorial Day weekend, simple and sweet. You drive for hours and you visualize along the way the fun you are about to have once you arrive! The vision does not include any negative thoughts, just anticipation of all the activity and food one can have on such a trip....which Santi’s family has done countless times before.
The weekend had begun and Santi and his Mom, Serena, mount an ATV to punch their fun meter together. Something about ATV’s, Jet Ski’s or even sit down mowers that we take for granted. Operation of an ATV seems to be an easy do, as we are unsuspecting participants that unintentionally underestimate the danger that lurks behind the above mentioned equipment.
The Shepherd Center held its 6th Annual Project Rollway event on June 22nd. Shepherd Center is a not-for-profit hospital in Atlanta, GA specializing in the treatment, research, and rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injuries and other disabling conditions. Shepherd Center gives “healing and hope” to patients and their families by providing excellent medical care and transitional programs.
The American Wheelchair Bowling Association held its 57th Annual National Tournament June 6-9th in Fort Worth, TX. The nation's best bowlers came from all over the country to compete. According to the AWBA blog about this event, the tournament began on Wednesday, opening with 26 teams in the Doubles Championship and 16 teams in the Pfister/Ramus Team Championship. There were also 12 singles champions who competed in the Al Uttecht Tournament of Champions.
As the plane slowly descended through the clouds towards LAX, I closed my eyes to think of the successful athletes this city has bred for decades. A film strip of many names and faces popped up in my head: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a UCLA track and basketball star and a 4-time Olympian, she was ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlonas as well as long jump, a big role model to young women athletes;"Magic" Johnson, picked in the 1979 draft, he spent all 13 years of his NBA career in Los Angeles leading the Lakers to 5 national titles; Elgin Baylor, an 11-time All-Star and Hall of Famer ranks among the top 25 in points and rebounds in NBA history; Candace Cable, a 9-time Paralympian and the first woman athlete to compete both in winter and summer Paralympic games; and Dave Kiley, a 6-time Paralympian, legendary wheelchair basketball player who has won 13 Paralympic medals, 11 of them gold in 3 different sports, head coach of the 2012 London U.S. Women's Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball team. This dreamy film strip was interrupted when our plane touched the ground. I was brought to reality. I was in Los Angeles and was looking forward to finding out what it had to offer!
June 2-3 was the 15th Annual Dave Kiley DK3 Tournament. An event where players enter as individuals and are sorted into teams of three based on classification, skill level, and experience. It was by far the largest turn out in the history of the event with 54 athletes in attendance. The tournament was organized by NWBA Hall of Famer and U.S. Paralympian Dave “DK” Kiley. It was proudly hosted at the University of Texas at Arlington by head coach of the Movin’ Mavs men’s wheelchair basketball team Doug Garner.
