Parks & Recreation: Wheelchair sports light up Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nev., enjoys worldwide recognition as the "Entertainment Capital of the World," with world-class dining, five-star hotels and some of the most popular headliners past and present. On a smaller, but perhaps more important scale, Las Vegas is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most diverse providers of wheelchair athletics in the country.

Thanks in large to the city of Las Vegas, Department of Leisure Services and Adaptive Recreation Division, persons of all abilities are being afforded the opportunity to participate in both competitive and non-competitive arenas. No matter the interest, the Adaptive Recreation Division provides numerous activities that meet the needs of the high adventure adrenaline junkies, as well as the passive and reserved athletes.

Each year during the spring, athletes with disabilities compete in the Xtreme Bowl, the Super Bowl of wheelchair football. In its third year, the Xtreme Bowl hosted 11 teams from around the country in a two-day event to determine who was king of the gridiron, or asphalt in the case of most wheelchair sports. The $50,000 in prize money is a draw, as was the location (the parking lot of the Rio Hotel and Casino) but one quickly senses that wheelchair sports is much more than just an alternative activity for folks with disabilities.

Each event typically attracts some of the greatest wheelchair athletes in the world. John Chambers, manager of the city of Las Vegas Adaptive Recreation Division, seven-time Nation Wheelchair Basketball Champion and Para-Olympic athlete, says, "Typically it's the novelty of seeing a sport such as basketball or football being played that attracts the curiosity of fans, but soon even a casual observer realizes the level of competition and the caliber of athlete that competes in a given sport."

In the 14-year history of the Adaptive Recreation Division, any sport imagineable has been implemented.

As both the world-class athlete and the armchair quarterback watch the excitement of wheelchair athletics, one can only assume that each event will grow.

These strides in adaptive recreation prove once again the benefits to recreation are endless.--written by Jana Salisbury, CTRS