Amanda Young,
born with spina bifida, is both a participant and certified kayak and ski instructor.
Here I get to be myself. Imperfections and all.
I get to push the boundaries of what the world says I can and can’t do.
I am so fortunate to get the opportunity to share the laughter, the challenge and the mountaintop moments. Sports and adventure bring me ridiculous amounts of joy and perseverance. As an instructor, I hope to impart that joy into the lives of individuals and families.
Growing up I always liked playing sports.
I played on many school sports teams, but never considered myself an athlete. When I found TAASC and adaptive sports, the specialized equipment and training leveled the playing field. I learned I was just as much an athlete as any of my able-bodied friends. I’m now an avid rower, kayaker, and skier – all things I never thought I could do before finding TAASC.
Maddie Mattey,
who has worn a prosthetic since birth, is both a participant and kayak, water ski, and snow ski instructor.
Adam Greathouse,
was serving in the U.S. Army. He was deployed in Kosovo when exposure to toxic chemicals caused a bacterial infection in his lungs that sent him into acute respiratory distress and led to a traumatic brain injury from lack of oxygen.
I am building confidence through adaptive sports.
It has helped me build my self-esteem. I am now motivated and setting goals for my life instead of waiting to see if I am going to wake up tomorrow - I now feel like I have hope for a future.
If I can kayak and snow ski –
maybe I can - then who knows; maybe I can get a degree, make friends, be a productive member of society. It really builds your self-confidence and self-esteem when you can do some kind of sports; it affects you in all areas of your life, and that’s what is so great about TAASC.
Stacy James,
suffered a spinal cord injury in a diving accident when she was 19, rendering her an incomplete quadriplegic.
Dave Shida,
found adaptive sports after suffering from a stroke. He is 75 years young.
I was really active in sports before my stroke.
After my stroke, I was eager to get back to sports but I knew I had to get stronger first. I committed myself to kayak therapy after my insurance would no longer cover rehabilitation. I knew I had to gain enough strength on my left side to start really living my new life after the stroke. Because of the adaptive sports program, I am now snow skiing, biking, rock climbing and traveling again. My overall health and wellbeing have tremendously improved.