Medicine Hat Adaptive Sport and Recreation hosting adaptive sport festival and wheelchair rugby tournament

The weekend will then showcase a wheelchair rugby tournament at the Big Marble Go Centre.

“That’s new for us. The provincial organization wants to grow the sport in our province. We won’t be having a Medicine Hat team because we don’t do that sport yet,” Chisholm said.

Teams from Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, and potentially another location will be competing.

Along with watching, you can also participate in a try-it event during the weekend.

The organization also has a busy lineup of adaptive spring and summer programming scheduled.

Chisholm says that will include Challenger Baseball in partnership with Medicine Hat Little League, adaptive CrossFit sessions, golf programming and cycling opportunities designed to keep athletes active.

Chisholm says funding for Challenger Baseball comes from the Jays Care Foundation for kids with disabilities.

“Little League teams come out and buddy up with our kids. That one’s a really fun one that we do for May and June on Thursday nights at Lions Park,” Chisholm said.

The adaptive CrossFit sessions will be on Sundays for both kids and adults.

“We’re really lucky because our coach, Alex Dudley, is actually an adaptive CrossFit certified coach. I think we’re still one of the only adaptive CrossFit programs in the province right now,” Chisholm said.

“Medicine Hat, out of all the places, is the one that’s leading the way with that. We’re really excited. That’ll be happening again in May and June.”

The adaptive golf programming will take place at Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course on Tuesday nights at the driving range and putting green.

“We have a kids and adult program throughout the months of May and June. Derek Whitson, my husband, is our head coach for that program,” Chisholm said.

“That one’s exciting. We’ve been doing that one since COVID because it was really the only sport that we could do a lot of the time during COVID.”

An adaptive golf cart was also purchased by the group late last year and has not yet been utilized.

“This year will be exciting because we’ll be able to get people out on the course for the first time ever since we’ve run that program,” Chisholm said.

“It’s called a VertaCat. There’s only like six of them in Canada. These adaptive golf carts. They’re very pricey, but we got a grant for it. So we’re excited to finally be able to get people out on the course who might be a wheelchair user, typically.”

In June, the adaptive cycling program begins.

“That one is multi-disability. We’ve got hand cycles, tandem bikes for our blind cyclists, modified bikes that we have mostly for adults, but we do have some kids or teens that come,” Chisholm said.

“A lot of our adults don’t have access to those bikes because they’re super pricey. So that’s why we started that program,” she added.

“That one is the only program that we go through July and August with.”

Chisholm says the continued growth of adaptive sport in the community is encouraging, with strong participation numbers and increasing opportunities for athletes of all abilities.

Wheelchair Basketball and Sledge Hockey remain popular winter sports for the group.

The Medicine Hat Mustangs won a bronze medal in Division 3 at the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League National Finals in Edmonton earlier this month with a 46-42 victory over the Ottawa Royals.

Chisholm says the goal is to provide year-round opportunities for individuals to stay active, build skills and remain connected through sport.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat Adaptive Sport and Recreation hosting adaptive sport festival and wheelchair rugby tournament

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