Until Jackie Robinson came along, baseball players in the Negro leagues were considered inferior. Until only a few years ago, women athletes weren`t taken as seriously as their male counterparts. Now, ever so slowly, disabled athletes are being viewed as legitimate athletes.
Instead of seeing disabled athletes for what they can`t do, there`s an increasing appreciation for what they can and do accomplish.
A half-dozen Chicago area athletes will be attending the Paralympic Games for disabled athletes in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 1 through 14. But you don`t need to be an athlete of that caliber to participate in disabled sports activities; even couch potatoes can take part in many programs. The fitness craze is an equal-opportunity fad.
Jeffrey Jones, sports coordinator of the Wirtz Sports Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 345 E. Superior St., explains that in the last couple of years the participatory sport choices for disabled athletes have about doubled. New alternatives range from sailing to strength and conditioning to aerobics.
”Even more significant than the physical benefits is the confidence derived from participating in an organized sport,” says Jack Greenberg, a disabled volunteer at the Leaning Tower YMCA in Niles who is the founder of the Conquerors Swimming Program there. Greenberg, who was afflicted with polio as a young man, says his personality changed after he began swimming. ”I achieved something on my own. It gave me a whole new outlook,” he says.
Peter Goldman, founder of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program for the disabled, says he knew one person who had seriously considered suicide before he learned to hoist the sails on Lake Michigan. ”Today, he rents boats for his family to use, and he`s in charge of his own life.”
And you never know whom you can meet. Rehabilitation Institute softball coach Tom Richey says team sports and the camaraderie of a swimming or aerobics class are a great way to meet new friends. For instance, several members of the co-ed softball squad have teamed up for dates off the field.
”You realize that you`re not alone,” says Barcelona-bound Olympian Linda Mastandrea, who will compete in the 100- and 400-meter track races.
If one attribute of an extraordinary athlete is the ability to adapt to change, there is no athlete more extraordinary than a disabled one. When it comes to adapting, the disabled athlete-who must cope daily to survive-can outmaneuver the best able-bodied performer.
What follows are some highlights among the many programs offered by the area YMCAs and the Rehabilitation Institute. Between them they provide the bulk of organized sports resources for the disabled in the Chicago area. However, some local park districts or private health clubs may also offer organized sports activities, and of course there are the Special Olympics, held periodically.
All the Rehabilitation Institute programs except sailing are free. In addition to those summer activities listed, the institute offers fall and winter sports, including rugby, men`s and women`s basketball, skiing (downhill and cross-country) and volleyball.
In addition, tennis is offered from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturdays at the Mid Town Tennis Club, 2020 W. Fullerton Ave.
The non-member costs for the YMCA programs are listed individually.
While a corps of volunteers at the Rehabilitation Institute and the YMCAs will assist participating athletes-helping them get into a swimming pool, for example, or into position to lift weights-there just aren`t enough volunteers to assist athletes in the locker rooms. Athletes in need of such personal assistance should be prepared to bring a buddy.
For most programs at the YMCAs and all sports programs at the Rehabilitation Institute, a doctor`s note is mandatory and an appointment with a coach or a member of the sports staff is required before participation.
For details concerning any Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago sports program, call 312-908-4292. For information about any YMCA program, call the YMCA where it is offered or the YMCA main office at 312-280-3400.
Aerobics and weights
Benny Goodman swings and the Pointer Sisters get so excited for the Sit-Tercise Aerobic class for senior citizens at the New City YMCA, 1515 N. Halsted St., from 1:15 to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Seated in a chair, attendees dance in place to the beat. Each five-week session is $15. The New City Y also has newly renovated weight room facilities that include equipment designed for disabled athletes. It`s open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and can be used for $3. Make appointments for the weight room at New City or the Sit-Tercise class at 312-266-1242.
At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, strength and conditioning are taken seriously by those who power lift, often on equipment specifically designed or modified for the disabled.
”It`s just like any other weight program,” says institute physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach Kevin Lockette. ”People begin so they can lose weight or build muscle mass.” Everyone at the institute receives one-on-one attention from a staff member and/or a volunteer.
Also at the institute gym there`s equipment to promote aerobic stimulation, including a wheelchair rowing machine, a treadmill for wheelchairs and stationary bicycles. The weight and exercise equipment at the institute can be used from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The institute also offers a rock `n` roll aerobics class from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Lattoff YMCA, 300 E. Northwest Hwy., Des Plaines, features Armchair Aerobics from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both 5-week and 10-week sessions are available, at either $28 or $56. Call 708-296-3376.
Sailing
Since its inception in 1990, more than 500 disabled participants have learned about masts, heads, sterns and bows in the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program.
Its founder, Peter Goldman, began the program on the advice of his father, Judd. The senior Goldman had a bone disease that made many physical sports difficult, but he could swim and he could sail.
Peter Goldman teamed with the Chicago Park District to purchase three 20- foot sailboats specifically designed for disabled students.
From wheelchair-accessible parking at Burnham Harbor (1362 Linn White Drive), participants move to a floating dock and then transfer to the boat using boarding benches. Once on board, they`re strapped into pivoting seats that can rotate 180 degrees by shifting weight to move about, using a system of counterweights. ”Once in those seats, a disabled person is no longer disabled and can do anything to operate the boat that any able-bodied person can do,” Goldman says.
Goldman is a volunteer, but the sailing instructors are paid employees of the Chicago Park District. The instructors are experienced sailors and have special training at the Rehabilitation Institute.
Sailing classes consist of six two-hour lessons for $65. There are three divisions: Beginning or Crew Certification, Skipper Certification and Advanced Racing Certification. Eventually, skilled sailors can rent the boats on their own.
For those who have some inkling that this would really be cool but can still come up with dozens of excuses for not trying, Goldman encourages a test ride at no charge. Call 312-294-2270 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or 312-294-2399 between noon and 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Sailing season continues through Sept. 13.
Softball
You don`t need Olympic credentials to play on the Rehabilitation Institute coed softball team. All you need to know are the basics of the 16-inch game. The softball squad, which finished with a single victory and eight losses last season, has recently been compared by some to the Cubs.
Sounding all too much like a Cubs manager, Rehabilitation Institute coach Tom Richey blames a poor playing field and some bad breaks for last season`s showing.
The game is played on asphalt or concrete to allow wheelchair mobility. Bases are 4 feet in diameter to allow easy access for wheelchairs and to avoid potential collisions. Stolen bases are not allowed. Otherwise, the game is played by the same rules as any other softball game.
While virtually anyone who tries out for the team and is willing to attend most of the practices, which are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays at the southeast corner of the Soldier Field parking lot, will make the squad. However, because of limited space and money, many players will travel on only one road trip a year. The Rehabilitation Institute picks up hotel costs and the cost of transportation by van to cities throughout the Midwest.
The softball season has just started, and continues through Aug. 16.
Swimming
Jack Greenberg liked swimming, but back in 1959 he couldn`t find a place to swim. His problem was that because of a bout with polio, he used a wheelchair. There was no swimming program in the Chicago area for the disabled, so he started one at the High Ridge YMCA on the North Side. Nine years later, he began a series of swimming classes for developmentally and physically disabled people, which is now called the Conquerors Swimming Program, at the Leaning Tower YMCA, 6300 W. Touhy Ave., Niles.
There are three divisions of swimmers: senior citizens, Special Olympic Team members and a junior program for children.
Generally a total of 40 to 60 people participate each week. ”Our secret to success all these years is our 35-member volunteer group,” says Greenberg. ”Everyone gets a lot of individual attention. Our volunteers even missed Bulls playoff games.”
The Conquerors meet from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Before they jump in the pool, they also have free use of the gym from 6 to 7 p.m. The yearly fee for the Conquerors is $38. Call 312-774-8515.
Swimming programs are especially popular for disabled athletes because in many cases they have more mobility in the water.
Fran Lewickyj, director of programs for senior citizens and the disabled at the New City YMCA, 1515 N. Halsted St., says: ”I saw one senior citizen go from a walker to a cane to nothing. We have one regular who loves to play in the water and she has a great time. She`s 94 years old.”
But Greenberg is quick to add that although the water has its physical benefits, it`s certainly not a cure-all. ”We don`t offer miracles or hocus-pocus.”
At the New City YMCA, open swim is 1 to 2:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. on Fridays. The fee is $3.
Children (ages 5 to 16 years) with disabilities can learn to swim with instruction from a Rehabilitation Institute therapist from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on Fridays. You can begin the five-week class any time for $20.
Joint Effort is a Watersize class with special regard for people with severe arthritis or back trouble, or those in the process of rehabilitating from injuries. You can begin the five-week class any time for $15.
To arrange for any of the New City swimming programs, call 312-266-1242.
Other YMCA disabled swimming programs include an open swim at the Elmhurst YMCA, 211 W. 1st Ave., Elmhurst, from 9 to 11 a.m. on Sundays. There is no fee. For details, call 708-834-9200.
At the Latoff YMCA, 300 E. Northwest Hwy., Des Plaines, there`s an Arthritis Aquatics class from 11:45 to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. A seven-week class session is $44. Ache Away Aquacise is 11 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. A seven-week session is $44. Call the Latoff Y at 708-296-3376.
The Rehabilitation Institute also offers supervised swimming from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the Eckert Park Pool, 1330 W. Chicago Ave. At the institute open swim, and at all YMCA pool offerings, there is a lifeguard on duty.
Track
It`s not every day that ordinary recreation enthusiasts can play side-by- side with an Olympian. On Mondays and Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., wheelchair track Olympian Linda Mastandrea practices her talents along Lake Shore Drive. Mastandrea and fellow runners at assorted skill levels all meet at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, 345 E. Superior St., then make their way over to the scenic route along the lake.
The Rehabilitation Institute always has road race or track wheelchairs for novices to try out. Call Ginger Boyd at the Rehabilitation Institute first (312-908-6171) to make an appointment. Some experienced runners like Mastandrea plow full-speed along the course; others take a more leisurely approach.
Volunteering
Before the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago or the YMCAs can expand their roster of programs, both organizations need more volunteer help to bolster their current efforts.
Institute volunteers do everything from pitching for batting practice for the softball team to skiing alongside disabled skiers. The entire array of Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Wirtz Sports Programs relies on two paid staff members and 65 volunteers. To volunteer at the institute, call 312-908-4292.
All YMCAs with programs for the disabled are also seeking more volunteer assistance. For the Conquerors Program at the Leaning Tower YMCA, call 708-647-8222. Otherwise, contact the Y closest to you or the YMCA corporate office at 312-280-3400.
The only requirement is a confident ability to swim if you`re volunteering in a pool program, or experience on the slopes for prospective Rehabilitation Institute ski volunteers. Both the institute and the YMCAs train their volunteers to work with disabled athletes.
