UA News

Activities include a Wednesday event honoring the athletics that competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The University of Arizona Disability Resource Center's Adaptive Athletics Program is inviting the UA and Tucson community to several campus events in recognition of Disability History Week.

Activities begin Wednesday with an event to honor the UA athletics that competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. The event takes place Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Gallagher Theater at the UA Student Union Memorial Center.

Steven Toyogi, a senior majoring in business administration; Shirley Reilly a junior majoring in communication; and Jen Goeckel, who recently graduated with a master's degree in psychology, will share their experience of competing with more than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries.

The three paralympians are members of the UA Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team. "There are currently 12 racers on the team, all of which are ranked in the top 50 in the world," said Peter Hughes, head coach of the Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team.

Disability History Week activities continue Wednesday evening with the UA's Adaptive Athletics Women's Wheelchair Shootout, taking place during halftime at the women's basketball Red & Blue Game – which begins at 7 p.m at McKale Memorial Center.

On Saturday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m., the Men's Adaptive Athletics Wheelchair Shootout takes place before the start of the men's basketball Red & Blue Game at McKale Memorial Center.

Admission to each of the games are $6 for adults and $3 for youth (high school age and younger).

One dollar from each of the men's Red & Blue Game tickets sold will go to support Arizona Adaptive Athletics.

The men's event is one of two major annual fundraisers for the Adaptive Athletic programs. The other event is the Jim Click Run and Roll, annually held in October.

The Adaptive Athletics Program played an integral part in the UA's ranking in 2007 as one of the top 20 Division I athletic programs in the country according to Sports Illustrated.

The men and women's basketball teams practice four days per week, three days of which are devoted to strength and conditioning training. The practices take place at the Disability Resource Center's Jim Click Adaptive Athletic Gym.

The Adaptive Athletics men's and women's basketball seasons kick off on Sunday when the teams play their first tournament. Games begin is 9 a.m. at the north gym of the Student Recreation Center.

During the season the teams play an average of 30 games across the country, including stops in Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Pennsylvania and California.

"This year's women's team consist 12 players, one of which was a paralympian at the Beijing Paralympics. The men's team consists of nine players and we are looking to add two more members to the men's team in the spring of 2009," said Derek Brown, head coach of the men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams.

Brown said the teams also recruit players from all over the world, including Australia and Spain. "I'd like to say that they come here just because of the UA wheelchair basketball program, but it really is due to a combination of academics and the program," he added.

The UA wheelchair teams have reached national prominence and offer scholarships to recruit players to the University.