COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Youth and adults with physical and visual impairments can showcase their athletic skills at Gateway to Gold talent identification events in four major cities in 2015. U.S. Paralympics, in collaboration with Paralympic partner organizations, will host events in Boston, Houston, Minneapolis and San Francisco/Bay Area this fall.
The Gateway to Gold events are free and open to all youth, adults and veterans with physical or visual impairments. The sports being offered will vary at each of the locations, but the goal at each of the events is the same: to provide athletes an opportunity to try Paralympic sport and to connect with ongoing programs for further skill development.
“These Gateway to Gold events are really exciting because for some athletes, this may be their first exposure to Paralympic sport, and for others, it’s a proving ground to showcase their skills so they can be take their talents to the next level and improve their abilities,” said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic Sport and NGB Organizational Development. “We would like to thank our partners for their tremendous support of the Gateway to Gold program and for helping to grow the Paralympic movement in the United States.”
The Gateway to Gold events allow people to experience the world of competitive Paralympic sport and provides them with an opportunity to work with coaches to further develop their skills, and potentially, a future career in Paralympic sport.
U.S. Paralympians who are serving as ambassadors for the program include Dartanyon Crockett, judo; Jessica Long, swimming; Tatyana McFadden, track and field and Nordic skiing; and Jarryd Wallace, track and field. Each of the ambassadors will attend Gateway to Gold events to share their stories, mentor participants and provide technical assistance during the sport sessions.
The program is sponsored by BP, which has contributed significant funding and support at the community level since the inception of the Gateway to Gold program in 2013. BP has been a sponsor of U.S. Paralympics for more than five years and continues its support today by contributing funding for grassroots adaptive sports programs in communities around the U.S.
Below are the dates, locations and registration links for all four of the Gateway to Gold events.
September 20
Houston, Texas
Harris County – Houston Sports Authority
Sports: cycling, powerlifting, track and field, wheelchair tennis
Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/335/pr/
October 4
Boston, Massachusetts
Adaptive Sports New England
Sports: Nordic skiing, rowing, swimming, track and field
Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/334/pr/
October 10
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sports Minneapolis
Sports: cycling, Nordic skiing, track and field
Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/338/pr/
October 17
Berkeley, California
Bay Area Outreach Program
Sports: archery, cycling, swimming, wheelchair basketball
Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/337/pr/
Swimming news courtesy of Houston Sports Authority.