South Texas Regional Adaptive & Paralympic Sports

• A comprehensive adaptive sports program providing competitive and recreational sports for athletes with physical disabilities, visual impairments or special needs

• Hosted at Morgan’s Wonderland, STAR Soccer Complex and Toyota Field

• August 2012 -- Three sports

• August 2013 -- Seven sports

Overview

Athletes with mobility impairments such as amputations, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injuries

Athletes with physical disabilities who use manual wheelchairs

Athletes with physical disabilities who must use powered wheelchairs

Athletes who are visually impaired

Both adult and Junior Varsity (ages 8 to 20) teams provide opportunities for all ages.

Played on a hard surface with a 16in softball.  Athletes do not wear gloves so hands are free to push their chairs.

A level playing field!• Both adult and youth• Men and women• High participation rates from Wounded Warriors and Veterans

Sports are fully integrated

• Coaching, uniforms, competitions, training facilities, and the purchase of ultra-light weight sports wheelchairs are all partially funded by…

• Skilled, experienced and dedicated coaches, volunteers and support staff for each sport

• Paralympic Soccer coached by San Antonio Scorpions professional players and coaches

No cost to athletes

Game on!

• Over 150 athletes in the first full year of operation

• 40% are Wounded Warriors or Veterans; 18% are under the age of 21; and 18% are women

• The true impact cannot be assessed by numbers alone! STRAPS unlocks the potential within each athlete to…

• Achieve more than they ever dreamed possible• Build confidence and self-esteem• Provide motivation and set personal goals• Compete at the highest levels including

the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016

Impact

STRAPS athletes compete based on their ability not on their disability.

Conclusion

“Get off the sideline and onto the goal line!”

Ability is what you're capable of doingMotivation determines what you do

Attitude determines how well you do itLou Holtz