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NIU Campus Recreation hosts athletes of all abilities

May 3, 2016

wheelchair-bballNIU Campus Recreation partnered with Great Lakes Adaptive Sport Association and the Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association to host an Adaptive Sport Day at the Student Recreation Center.

Sharon Moskowitz, graduate assistant for fitness and wellness at NIU Campus Recreation, was the driving force behind this April 16 community event.

“We formed the idea of an Adaptive Sport Day to not only showcase the wide variety of available sports for adaptive athletes and community members, but to create a day of ability awareness,” Moskowitz said.

The day included demonstrations of sports such as goalball, beep baseball and wheelchair basketball. Participants also were able to actually test their abilities at the adaptive sports and equipment used.

Adaptive Sport Day was geared toward educating, building new relationships and having a good time. Organizers hoped to have something for everyone, Moskowitz said; coaches, athletes and staff were on hand to share their expertise.

NIU students also received class credit for attending and participating in the event. Thirty-four undergraduate students from six different classes took advantage of the experience, which was extended through faculty members and instructors.

Nearly a dozen organizations from across Chicagoland (including AllenForce, a non-profit organization for veterans) collaborated as well. Some notable attendees of the 100 participants included junior national champions, a USA Paralympic track runner, a runner from the Boston Marathon and NIU mascot Victor E. Huskie.

Moskowitz and Campus Recreation look forward to cultivating a further expanded event in the future to further raise awareness and educate the community.