At the 2013 Challenge, teams prepare for the rowing stage. Photograph courtesy American Portfolios Financial Services.
We’re giving each athlete a new series of unique challenges for an opportunity to accomplish what they never thought was possible.
Harris, New York (PRWEB) September 17, 2014
This September 18-20, 22 participating developmentally-disabled athletes will join together with experienced coaches to complete a three stage outdoor sporting event in non-profit World T.E.A.M. Sports’ annual Adventure Team Challenge New York.
Hosted at The Center for Discovery in New York’s Catskill Mountains, the 2014 Challenge includes five participating teams coached by able-bodied athletes. For each team, two coaches for each athlete with disabilities will provide expert guidance as well as technical assistance. Like all World T.E.A.M. Sports events, the Challenge brings together participants in a cooperative effort to undertake active outdoor activities. At this year’s Challenge, these activities will range from orienteering to cycling to running to kayaking.
“I’m looking forward to volunteering once again as a World T.E.A.M. Sports coach for the 2014 Adventure Team Challenge,” said David Rey of American Portfolios Financial Services, the presenting sponsor for the Challenge. “We’re giving each athlete a new series of unique challenges for an opportunity to accomplish what they never thought was possible. I have personally learned so much from my past experiences with The Center for Discovery. Their entire staff is unbelievable, and I admire the interaction between the athletes and their personal coaches as well.”
Athletes at the Challenge will be camping this year, creating a sense of adventure and encouraging participants to join together as a team. Following a Thursday morning Coaches’ Challenge, lunch, and the opening ceremony, teams will undertake stage one, a track and field challenge at The Discovery Health Center. On Friday morning, athletes will participate in either a regatta challenge with kayaks at Morningside Park Lake in Fallsburg or a relay/obstacle course for stage two. That afternoon, all athletes will undertake an orienteering challenge, prior to awards and closing ceremonies.
Many athletes and coaches will participate in multiple outdoor activities Saturday at The Discovery Health Center, including wagon rides, farm tours and apple picking. The popular children’s musical group Hot Peas ‘N Butter will provide entertainment Saturday afternoon before participants depart for home.
The 2014 Adventure Team Challenge New York is sponsored by American Portfolios Financial Services Inc., a Holbrook, New York independent brokerage and financial service corporation founded in 2001. The event is presented in partnership with The Carrus Institute and The Center for Discovery, a non-profit Harris, New York organization that has provided educational, health, residential and family support for children and adults with severe disabilities for more than 60 years.
About World T.E.A.M. Sports
World T.E.A.M. Sports is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization chartered in North Carolina and headquartered in Holbrook, New York. Since 1993, World T.E.A.M. Sports has organized athletic events for disabled and able bodied citizens – mountain climbing, white water rafting, biking, and more. Four things always happen at our events: (1) Disabled participants build self-confidence and physical fitness; (2) The disabled provide a role model for other disabled citizens, encouraging them to take up physical activities; (3) The disabled become a moving inspiration to other participants and to spectators when they see that disabled individuals can meet challenges beyond anyone’s imagination; and (4) The disabled and able-bodied participants learn to work as a team to overcome those challenges. World T.E.A.M. Sports changes lives through sports. Learn more about World T.E.A.M. Sports at http://worldteamsports.org/.
