Amy
Saffell
A
few years ago, I heard about adaptive paddleboarding on The Today Show, and I
was immediately intrigued! The Onit Ability Board was designed for people who
use wheelchairs to be able to paddleboard while sitting in a wheelchair, affixed
to a paddleboard. Simply transfer from your chair to the all-terrain surf chair
with a locking mechanism attached, wheel on to the paddleboard, and away you
go. I love being ON water, but not so much IN water, so it looked like
something that I would really
enjoy. The only problem was that it was gaining popularity in coastal areas,
not in landlocked Tennessee where I live,
even though we have a plethora of lakes and rivers.
Fast forward to this spring,
when I heard from a friend that there was an adaptive paddleboard instructor, teaching on a calm section of a local
river in Atlanta, with an Onit
Ability Board. He was looking to get the word out and get more people paddling.
I jumped at the chance and planned a trip for a group of high schoolers that I
work with through ABLE Youth, a local wheelchair sports and independence group,
another one of our ABLE Youth staff members, who is a wheelchair user, and me. I
knew that none of the students had ever paddleboarded either, and I was excited
for all of us to be introduced to a new water sport.
Paddling through the water took endurance but not an
incredible amount of strength per stroke, so people with reduced arm strength may be able to do it. Having an instructor on the board, also means that help can be
given, if fatigue sets in. There are also different types of attachments for the
paddles so that quads can paddle, too. Upon my arrival back to Nashville, I
immediately set out to bring adaptive paddleboarding closer to home, and I’m
hopeful to be back paddling on the water soon!
To
learn more about the Onit Ability Board, visit http://www.onitabilityboards.org/.To see The Today
Show’s feature, visit http://www.today.com/health/hawaiian-surfer-creates-opportunity-wheelchair-bound-paddleboard-2D80210822. The American
Canoe Association is overall US paddle sports. Visit them at http://www.americancanoe.org/ to explore
adaptive paddle options, in your area. There is an adaptive section to their
website.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would love to hear from you! Please become a member to comment. Thank you!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.