Adaptive sports put focus on abilities rather than disabilities

Las Vegas resident Vic Plascencia has discovered cycling. Every Saturday for the past three months, he has driven to W. Wayne Bunker Family Park, 7351 W. Alexander Road, and rode for four, sometimes five hours, mostly around the park.

"I love it," he said. "I've lost weight, and I get out of the house — what's not to like?"

Because of injuries he sustained in a car accident 16 years ago, Plascencia normally travels in a wheelchair. However, to enjoy the exhilaration of cycling, he rides a city of Las Vegas-provided, special three-wheeled handcycle that can be peddled by using only his arms. Any help he or his cycle needs is provided by Jonathan Foster, city of Las Vegas senior inclusion recreation specialist, or assistants Nick Hess and Rich Clark.

Or maybe Plascencia gets help with other "partners" on hand, such as Reggie Bennett, who is also wheelchair-bound and whose nonprofit RAGE (Rebuilding All Goals Efficiently) brings four additional handcycles to the park.

Mindi Hunsaker, recreation therapist with the Department of Veterans Affairs, is also there to meet veterans and ask about other VA-sponsored activities they might like. Nearby are slickly dressed volunteers Charlie Joerger and Paul Capinas,who captain the new Project Hero group of cyclists that also meets at the park on Saturday mornings. Project Hero veterans and volunteers participate in group rides on the streets of Las Vegas.

"Today's programs for the disabled in Las Vegas are actually partnerships," Foster said. "Budgets are tight; equipment is expensive, so we need to be able to share. We can also refer individuals to each other's programs to keep the programs viable."

Though cycling for disabled individuals is growing in popularity, other special activities are also available to Las Vegas Valley's disabled. As Hess pointed out, "It takes an inner spirit, too, to find out about the programs and then show up to participate."

CITY OF LAS VEGAS PROGRAMS

The finding out part is not always easy. The city of Las Vegas' website listing programs for disabled individuals is often (and may still be as of press time) out-of-date. However, word of mouth, referrals, current fliers and email seem to work.

Bernard Preston, a city of Las Vegas senior inclusion recreation specialist, supervises the city's activities other than wheelchair sports. His programs are aquatic therapy, golf, fishing and a special exercise program for people with arthritis.

"We ask prospective clients to complete a membership form. Then we meet with the applicants to make sure our programs fit their needs," Preston said. "In many cases, we're not talking about individuals with injuries; we're talking about people with certified disabling medical conditions."

People who qualify for city of Las Vegas programs pay a membership fee of $4 and have free access to four participating facilities: Chuck Minker Sports Complex, 275 N. Mojave Road; Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave.; Municipal Pool, 431 E. Bonanza Road; and the Veterans Memorial Leisure Service Center, 101 Pavilion Center Drive. They also can participate, at no additional cost, in Paralympic Sport Club Las Vegas activities (co-sponsored by the Clark County School District), including wheelchair basketball, tennis, track and field, and rugby.

HENDERSON PROGRAMS

Henderson has an up-to-date website, cityofhenderson.com, and also offers to help disabled individuals fit in to regular programming. Its promise is "to provide support in the form of adaptive equipment, program modification, additional staff training, support staff and other services to facilitate inclusion."

As to activities specifically for disabled individuals, they are advertised in "Henderson Happenings" on the website in a sub-category called "Therapeutic Recreation & Inclusion Services." Activities include bowling, crafts and tours. Client interviews are also part of the Henderson process, and small fees are charged for each activity. An extra 15 percent is tagged on to the fees for non-Henderson residents.

One of the activities not mentioned in any of the municipal websites — but available on a private basis — is bodybuilding. Bennett, executive director of RAGE, is also a professional bodybuilder even though he has been in a wheelchair since his teens. A friend, Quincy Taylor, talked to him about bodybuilding, and Bennett pursued it vigorously. He is now one of 27 professional wheelchair bodybuilders and has successfully competed in National Physique Committee competitions.

"We are judged on what we have, not what we don't have," he said.

Bennett is in the process of opening his own gym for able-bodied and disabled individuals.

"With the new gym, as with RAGE, my goal is to help others live healthier lives and, of course, for those of us with spinal cord injuries, to learn to live independently," he said.

For more information about RAGE, 2901 El Camino Ave., Suite 102, visit bteamrage.org or call 702-333-1038.

For city of Las Vegas programs, visit tinyurl.com/nej8xn2 or call 702-229-4904. For more on wheelchair activities, call Foster at 702-306-7613.

For Henderson programs, visit tinyurl.com/p4qvyp9 or call Sheri Cordray, therapeutic recreation supervisor, at 702-267-4065.

For special programs for veterans, visit va.gov/adaptivesports or call 702-791-9000, ext. 13202.