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Desert Challenge Games

Desert Challenge Games. Lane Gram, Arizona Disabled Sports Mark Grant, City of Mesa Parks, Recreation & Commercial Facilities. What are the Desert Challenge Games?. Three-day competition for people ages 6 through adulthood with physical disabilities.

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Desert Challenge Games

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  1. Desert Challenge Games Lane Gram, Arizona Disabled Sports Mark Grant, City of Mesa Parks, Recreation & Commercial Facilities

  2. What are the Desert Challenge Games? • Three-day competition for people ages 6 through adulthood with physical disabilities. • Physical disabilities include but are not limited to amputation, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, spinal cord injury, and visual impairment. • Current competitions include track, field, archery, swimming and powerflifting. • In it’s inception, the event also included boccia ball, air rifle and pistol and table tennis. • Qualifying event for athletes to continue to national competitions.

  3. Competitions • Track • Blind • Ambulatory • Wheelchair

  4. Competitions • Field • Seated throws • Ambulatory • Shot, Discus, Javelin, Club throw, Long Jump, High Jump

  5. Competitions • Archery • Swimming • Powerlifting

  6. Background • The event is hosted by Arizona Disabled Sports and the City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities. • AzDS is a non-profit organization established in 1989. The organization provides a wide variety of sports and recreation programs for people with all types of disability. • The success and longevity of the event is due to the developed partnerships.

  7. Partnerships • City of Mesa • Mesa Public Schools • Symbius Medical • Grand Canyon State Games • US Paralympics • Disabled Sports USA / War Fighter Sports Programs • Blaze Sports of America

  8. History of the Event • First annual event hosted in April of 1990 at Arizona State University Tempe Campus. • Hosted the Far West Regional Games as part of the Desert Challenge Games in 1991. • Hosted National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC) in 1997, 2004, and 2012. • Hosted US Paralympic Track and Field Team Trials in June 2008. • Hosted the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics Grand Prix event in May 2013.

  9. Success • First event hosted 7 athletes. The most recent event hosted 225 athletes from 3 countries and 25 states. • The event began as a grassroots competition for the athletes involved in the local program as well as the City of Tucson adaptive programs. • The event continues to serve the first time athletes in the local program but will now also draw the top ranked Paralympic athletes to the competition. • For the past 6 years, the event has been successful in recruiting US Military Veterans and hosts an average of 25 Veterans at each event.

  10. How did we grow the event? • Organized and consistent event • Reasonable registration fees • Trained officials and volunteers • Great venues • Host Hotel • Competition Venues • Event marketing • Web site • Facebook • Give-aways • T-shirts • Awards

  11. Questions?

  12. Contact Information • Lane Gram Arizona Disabled Sports480.835.6273Lane@arizonadisabledsports.com • Mark Grant City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities 480.644.3651 Mark.grant@mesaaz.gov • www.ArizonaDisabledSports.com • www.DesertChallengeGames.com

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