Lakeshore Foundation has a long-storied history in adapted sports, dating all the way back to Lakeshore’s beginnings in 1984 with the development of the Birmingham Chariots wheelchair basketball team. Over the last 40 years, the Foundation’s impact on Para sports continued to expand, making it one of the premier training centers in the country for disabled athletes and eventually earning the designation of an official US Olympic and Paralympic Training Site in 2003. With this designation, Lakeshore also became the home of USA Wheelchair Rugby, the most decorated wheelchair rugby Paralympic team in history. In 2022/23, Lakeshore’s National Adapted Sports Organization (LNASO) was established to provide dedicated support to Paralympic athletes, teams and hopefuls. LNASO serves at the National Governing Body for USA Wheelchair Rugby (2003), Boccia United States (2021) and USA Para Powerlifting (2023).
Why 3 For 3?
The Olympic and Paralympic Games unite Americans like few other events, rallying support for our athletes competing to bring home gold, silver and bronze medals for our country. However, unlike most countries, Team USA receives no funding from the federal government, leaving athletes to secure funds for training, travel, competition and more entirely on their own. This can put our athletes, specifically our Paralympic athletes, at a significant financial disadvantage compared to their international competitors. Funding, or lack thereof, should not stop an athlete from competing at their highest potential. Which is why we have set the goal of raising $3 million in 3 years to support our Paralympic teams. Our athletes are already training for LA28. Your financial support now will help our teams achieve their High-Performance Plans and find training camps, international competitions and athlete pipeline development. Your support will have a tremendous impact on the lives of our teams’ extraordinary disabled athletes who must compete against the world’s best athletes to be Paralympic champions at LA28! That means ALWAYS TRAINING and ALWAYS COMPETING year-round to be the best prepared athletes possible.
Wheelchair Rugby is a sport with roots grounded in wheelchair basketball and ice hockey and was developed by three Canadians from Winnipeg, Manitoba as an opportunity for athletes with quadriplegia to compete. The sport was originally called Murderball due to the aggressive nature of the game. It was introduced to the United States in 1979 at a demonstration at Southwest Minnesota State University. In 1981, Brad Mikkelsen, with the aid of the University of North Dakota’s Disabled Student Services, formed the first team, the Wallbangers, and changed the game’s name from Murderball to quad rugby. Today it is called wheelchair rugby.
In 1988, the United States Quad Rugby Association, now the United States Wheelchair Rugby Association (USWRA), was formed to help regulate and promote the sport on both a national and international level. There are now more than 40 organized teams in the United States with many others in the developmental stage. In addition to the teams in the U.S., there are at least 29 international teams with 20 more in the development stage. Wheelchair rugby is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world.
The modern day version of boccia was developed as a competitive sport for individuals with cerebral palsy but has since expanded to include any athlete with a severe disability which requires the use of a wheelchair. The sport made its Paralympic debut in 1984, with a total of 19 athletes representing five countries and is now practiced in over 50 countries today. The sport can be played indoors or outdoors on a smooth, flat surface. Athletes take turns throwing or rolling colored balls (red or blue) as close to a white target ball (the “jack”) as possible. The athlete, pair or team with the most balls closest to the jack wins. To learn more, visit www.worldboccia.com or watch this video.
Boccia athletes can compete individually, in pairs or in teams of three and are assigned one of four sport classes based on their functional ability:
- BC1 athletes have severe activity limitations affecting their legs, arms and trunk, and typically dependent on a powered wheelchair.
- BC2 players have better trunk and arm function than those in class BC1. The abilities of their arms and hands often allow them to throw the ball overhand and underhand and with a variety of grasps.
- BC3 class athletes have significant limitations in arm and leg functions, and poor or no trunk control. They are unable to consistently grasp or release the ball and are unable to propel the ball consistently into the field of play and allowed to use a ramp with the help of a Sport Assistant.
- BC4 class contains players with non-cerebral impairments that also impact their co-ordination.
Powerlifting is one of the Paralympic Movement’s fastest growing sports in terms of participants and is now practiced in nearly 100 countries. The sport represents the ultimate test of upper body strength with athletes competing in the bench press discipline. Competitors must lower the bar to their chest, hold it motionless on the chest and then press it upwards to arms-length with locked elbows. Athletes are given three attempts and the winner is the athlete who lifts the highest number of kilograms. Such is the strength of athletes competing in this sport, that it is not uncommon to see a competitor lift more than three times their own body weight.
