Athletes from around the world are competing in the Paralympic games in Paris starting this week, and it’s generating excitement in the local adaptive sports community.
In Boston, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s Adaptive Sports Centers hosted a watch party Thursday, where patients and staff gathered to cheer on Team USA.
Among the attendees was Dr. David Crandell, director of the Amputee Program at Spaulding, who was getting ready to fly to Paris to cheer on two of his former patients as they go for gold. He has been involved in adaptive sports for decades and has volunteered at previous Paralympic games.
“This is the first time I’m actually going as a pure spectator and as a fan of two of my patients,” he said. “I’m excited to be in the stands and not be responsible for anything other than, you know, yelling loudly. So it’s very exciting.”
He will be cheering on swimmer Morgan Stickney and track and field athlete Noelle Lambert. Both competed in Tokyo in 2021 when spectators weren’t allowed because of pandemic precautions. Stickney won two golds in Tokyo and Lambert placed sixth in her event, breaking an American record. They’re both hoping to make it to the podium in Paris.
Crandell says that seeing para-athletes excel can be helpful for patients with disabilities.
“I tell them that two of my patients are competing, it really helps them understand that there are no limits as long as you continue to make that effort,” he said. “If you still have a commitment and you have the great training, you have opportunities, you can achieve very high levels of performance.”
Spaulding’s Adaptive Sports Centers’ goal is to provide those opportunities to everyone, from introductory recreational programs to competitive sports. They have programs in Boston, Cape Cod and the North Shore.
Attendees at the watch party said that adaptive sports have had a big impact in their own lives, and it was exciting to see disabled athletes perform on such a high-profile international stage.
Alice Cunningham, who has multiple sclerosis, participates in Spaulding’s programs, and she loves kayaking, cycling and swimming. She credits adaptive sports with improving her day-to-day life.
“I’m holding myself stronger and straighter. I feel more confident and powerful than I’ve ever felt since I’ve gotten in this MS world,” she said at the watch party.
Kara Spurr, who has a vision impairment and cerebral palsy, is on the national adaptive rock climbing team and also snowboards. She said she’s attracted to sports in part for “the risk … I really like the risk in snowboarding,” she said. “I like the thrill of it.”
Abdul Moallin has been a patient at Spaulding since he had a stroke last year. He came to the watch party right after an adaptive cycling session, which his physical therapist had recommended to aid in his recovery. He was looking forward to watching cycling in Paris.
“That’s going to motivate me more, so I can do more here,” he said.
Keja MacEwan, director of operations for Spaulding’s Adaptive Sports Centers, is glad to see more attention on athletic opportunities for people with disabilities, from beginners to professionals. “The term ‘Paralympics’ comes from ‘parallel’ and ‘parity’ with the Olympics,” MacEwan said. “And we’re finally starting to get there with all the coverage this year.”
The staff at Spaulding hopes that attention on the Paralympics this week can lead to more awareness about local adaptive sport opportunities. Through Spaulding, people can get involved in Paralympic sports like wheelchair basketball, cycling and goalball, a sport for people with vision impairments.
“It’s fun for us to be able to watch folks enter sport for the first time, or return to sport for the first time, and find enthusiasm and love and then find their own competitiveness,” MacEwan said.
