Aug 3, 2018 4 min read

Thinkers both profound and superficial have weighed in on sports over the centuries, but perhaps none have done so with the straightforwardness and simplicity of basketball superstar Michael Jordan.

He once remarked, “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

That’s the principle that guides Adaptive Sports Inc.

Formed in Washington County 16 years ago, the organization is dedicated to helping athletes with special needs participate in sports. Its athletes, who range in age from 6 to 74, can play tennis, go bowling, kick around a soccer ball, participate in flag football and other sports. Adaptive Sports also has a banquet celebrating the achievements of the athletes every March at the Western Area Career and Technology Center in Chartiers Township, as well as dances, a picnic and an outing to the Kennywood amusement park.

“The benefits are social as well as developmental,” said Nelia Cook, a South Strabane resident. Cook serves on the board of the organization, and her 26-year-old daughter, Courtney, who has Down Syndrome, is a participant.

“It’s given her a broader sense of achievement,” Cook said.

Not all that long ago, sports were considered to be something that people with disabilities had to watch from the sidelines. But, 50 years ago this month, the Special Olympics was launched by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Sens. Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy. Centered on children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the Special Olympics hosts local, regional and national competitions, and has planted its flag in numerous countries beyond the United States.

In the years since the Special Olympics came into being, there has been a growing effort to integrate people with disabilities into everyday life. Along with the Special Olympics, there has been a parallel effort to allow athletes who are partially paralyzed or missing limbs to participate in athletics through such events as the Paralympic Games, and Disabled Sports USA.

Bob Babbitt, the co-founder of the San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation, called sports “the ultimate therapy.”

“It changes their perspective and helps them in all kinds of endeavors,” he said.

The emphasis of the competitions in Adaptive Sports Inc., is not on the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, but getting exercise, moving around, working with others and having fun.

The rules of each game are altered – parents and guardians can join participants on the field, and frequently, no one keeps score. Adaptive Sports gets participants out of their houses, and allows parents and guardians to share their experiences and ideas.

The idea for Adaptive Sports was born when Terry and Sue Hazlett of Canton Township took their son, Carrick, to a Special Olympics basketball event.

“While everyone at the event was very nice, we thought we might start something for younger people with special needs,” said Sue Hazlett.

From there, the Hazletts decided to form a baseball team with North Strabane resident Rob Simonin, and “thanks to word of mouth, within two years we were up to five teams, which were more or less assigned by age,” she said.

Bowling was offered in July at the Meadows Casino’s bowling lanes. In October and March, bowling shifts to Alpine Lanes in Washington. Baseball happens three evenings a week in August at the fields operated by North Strabane Township. Tennis happens in May and June at Canon-McMillan High School’s tennis courts, and soccer is offered in the spring, fall and winter at the West McMurray Road Complex and the Chartiers-Houston High School gym.

“We don’t turn anyone away,” said Don Campbell, a Cecil resident who coaches several sports for Adaptive Sports.

At one point, about 120 people participated in Adaptive Sports. It’s now smaller, since some of the athletes have taken jobs or moved. About 100 participants are still registered, with 10 to 40 participating in each event.

“Carrick participates in all of the sports, and it pretty much defines his social life, too,” Sue Hazlett said. “He goes to movies and parties with the kids.”

A $40 annual fee covers the costs of such items as insurance, field rental and equipment. A small charge is also attached to bowling. The registration fee also cover the annual banquet and picnic, Kennywood trip and trip to a Washington Wild Things game.

For information on the organization, go to www.adaptivesports.info, call 724-250-9150 or email thazlett67@gmail.com.