NASC Playbook - December 2015

December 2015

Inside this issue: 2015 Year in Review Planning for the 2016 NASC Sports Event Symposium Submit an Entry for NASC Member Awards The Growth of Adaptive Sports

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M I C H I G A N

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 9916 Carver Road, Suite 100 Cincinnati, OH 45242

TELEPHONE/FAX

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEBSITE

Letter From Executive Director...........................4

STAFF

State of the Industry Survey.............................4

(513) 281-3888/(513) 281-1765 www.SportsCommissions.org Don Schumacher, CSEE, Executive Director Lori Gamble, Associate Executive Director Elizabeth Young, Director of Membership & Marketing Meagan McCalla, Member Services Coordinator Allison Deak, Member Services Coordinator

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

Greg Ayers, CSEE, President & CEO, Discover Kalamazoo, Chairman Ralph Morton, CSEE, Executive Director, Seattle Sports Commission, Vice Chairman/Chair-Elect Mike Anderson, CSEE, Executive Director – Sports Tourism, Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance, Treasurer Kindra Fry, CSEE, SMP, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Bryan-College Station CVB, Secretary Kevin Smith, CSEE, Director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, Immediate Past Chairman

Board Nominations...........................................4 NASC Member Services Update..........................5 2015 Year in Review.....................................6-7 Planning for the 2016 NASC Sports Event Symposium........................................9-11 Submit an Entry for NASC Member Awards....... 12 2016 NASC Sports Legacy Fund Beneficiary Announced ................................... 14 The Growth of Adaptive Sports....................... 15

DIRECTORS

Janna Clark, CSEE, Sports and Sales Director, Elizabethtown Sports Park John David, CSEE, Chief Operating Officer, USA BMX Matt Dunn, CSEE, Vice President, Tourism Development, Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches Roy Edmondson, CSEE, Director of Sports Business Development, Anaheim Orange CVB John Gibbons, CSEE, Executive Director, RI Sports Commission Pete Harvey, CSEE, Director of Sports Development, Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission Brian Hickey, CSEE, CDME, Director of Sports, Tallahassee Sports Council Mike Hill, CSEE, Senior Director, Sports Sales, Hilton Worldwide- Sports Sales Michael Price, CSEE, Executive Director, Greater Lansing Sports Authority Janis Ross, Executive Director, Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Steve Schell, Sports Strategic Sales Executive, Experient Sports Janis Schmees Burke, CSEE, Executive Director, Harris County - Houston Sports Authority Glen Schorr, Executive Director, Orienteering USA Kris Smith, CSEE, Sales Manager, Event Development, Detroit Sports Benjamin Wilder, CSEE, Director, Savannah Sports Council Marc Zimmerman, CSEE, Sales & Events Manager, Central Florida’s Polk County Sports Marketing

MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVISERS Jackie Reau, Game Day Communications

Betsy Ross, Game Day Communications

www.SportsCommissions.org

LOOKING TO SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE? Information-sharing is a founding principle of the NASC, and the industry knowledge among the NASC membership lends itself to unprecedented expertise.

The NASC encourages members to share information with your peers. Contact Elizabeth Young, Director of Membership and Marketing, at elizabeth@sportscommissions.org to learn more about how you can contribute to a future edition of The NASC Playbook.

And don’t forget to share your news to be included in NASC Get in the Game eNews each week. Simply have your media relations department add info@sportscommissions.org to its distribution list.

LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Report on Smart Cities Sport Summit The second annual Smart Cities Sport Summit was held in Lausanne, Switzerland October 12-14. Ten cities from the NASC were represented. This year attendance grew to about 250 professionals in sport tourism from around the globe. The conference provides education and networking for those interested in international events. Because Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is also the home of a large number of international federations, this conference does offer unique networking opportunities.

As a part of the program, the IOC presented the newly developed system for the Olympic bidding process. This new and simplified process will be used in the 2024 round of bidding. Los Angeles has been named the USA candidate city by our USOC. On the final day an exploratory meeting was held on the establishment of a new International Association of Sport Cities.

Thirty representatives from almost that many cities from Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and the USA met and decided to meet annually to discuss matters of interest and concern. This annual meeting will be held in conjunction with an existing international conference on sport.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY SURVEY Ohio University is conducting the 2015 State of the Industry Survey on behalf of the NASC. All primary contacts at Active member organizations were contacted at the beginning of December to participate in the survey.

We appreciate your honest answers and transparency of your organization’s operations. We ask that each Active member organization complete the survey only once.

We hope these findings will ultimately provide best practices shared among members of the Association. All answers will remain anonymous and results will be used to develop the 2015 State of the Industry Report, which will be presented at the 24th annual NASC Sports Event Symposium in Grand Rapid, MI, April 3-7, 2016.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE SEEKING INDUSTRY LEADERS TO SERVE ON NASC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board service of the sport tourism industry’s leaders is vital for the continued growth and success of the NASC. Board members serve as representatives of the NASC’s 750 member organizations and help guide the future direction of your Association.

The NASC has been involved in these conversations since 2002. Our interest is in exporting industry best practices to the international sports marketplace.

The NASC Nominating Committee is accepting nominations now. Self-nominations are recommended and encouraged.

The group agreed in principal to hold its next meeting at the SportAccord Conference, scheduled for late April in Dubai.

Learn more about the open positions and the basic responsibilities of the NASC Board of Directors at www.sportscommissions.org/About/Board-of-Directors/ Nominations.

In order to be considered, nominations must be received no later than Friday, January 15, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Donald G. Schumacher, CSEE Executive Director

For more information, contact Kevin Smith, CSEE, Immediate Past Chair and Nominating Committee Chair at Kevin@SportsSpc.com.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

The NASC continues to develop benefits and services to make your organization more efficient and effective in the sport tourism industry each year including: • Best Practices Webinars • Car Rental and Airport Shuttle • Online Directories • Event Webinars Discounts • Online Event RFP Database • Market Segment Meetings • Premium Item Discounts • NASC Economic Impact Calculator • Sports Event Symposium • SportsBusiness Journal • Industry Research and Reports • Consulting Services subscription discount • NASC Career Center • Shipping Discounts, courtesy • Models and Samples of PartnerShip® • CSEE Program

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MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE 2016 Membership Renewals The 2015 membership year is drawing to a close, and what a year it has been! The NASC staff and board of directors thank you for your involvement and hope your organization values its membership as much as we value your continual support.

We encourage you to take full advantage of all the benefits and recourses that are available to your organization as an NASC member by renewing your membership for 2016.

We strive to provide meaningful benefits and relevant content as our membership base grows and evolves, while continuing to be regarded as the #1 resource for sport tourism professionals.

As a reminder, memberships are organization-based; therefore membership benefits are extended to all staff members at your organization each year.

Member Services Coordinators The NASC staff includes two dedicated member services coordinators who are available to answer any questions you have throughout the year, including questions about renewing your membership for 2016 or registering for the 24th NASC Sports Event Symposium. We encourage you to reach out to them first for any questions you have about the NASC or your membership.

ACTIVE MEMBERS (Destinations): Meagan McCalla Meagan@SportsCommissions.org or 513.842.8307.

ALLIED MEMBERS (Vendors) and RIGHTS HOLDER MEMBERS (Event Owners): Allison Deak Allison@SportsCommissions.org or 513.250.4366.

We look forward to serving as your resource for the sport tourism industry for years to come.

Elizabeth Young Director of Membership and Marketing

Play

LIKE the pros.

Email or call Janna Clark at: sports@TourEtown.com 270-765-2175 ElizabethtownSportsPark.com

Sports Park Ad 7.5x5.indd 1

6/10/15 10:16 AM

www.SportsCommissions.org 5

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW We are pleased to report that 2015 was another year of growth and accomplishment for your association. Revenues and expenses were as anticipated and reflect the growth in membership and attendance at our meetings and events most associations would be delighted to obtain. And, as has been our custom, a healthy financial position allows us to produce more member services and benefits.

FIVE YEAR MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

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were dispersed over the property to rake, pick up debris, spread mulch and generally spruce up the park. Efforts included the assembly of 35 picnic tables in less than three hours!

The website received substantial attention. Of particular note to members is the new auto responsive feature that makes the site mobile friendly and the addition of a number of new directories. Much was done back of the house to improve functionality, including moving all of our systems to the cloud and away from a server.

Restructured staff. The opportunity was presented to review staff assignments with a focus on member services and member contact. Lori Gamble, who has been with the NASC since our beginning in 1992 and represents a wealth of experience, transitioned to a full-time role as Associate Executive Director. Elizabeth Young continues in her role as Director of Membership and Marketing.

Allison Deak joined our staff after a national search. She is one of two member services coordinators along with Meagan McCalla. This restructuring will result in much greater personal communication between staff and the membership.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ORGANIZATIONS Some of the highlights include: • Record membership and Symposium attendance.

• A completely revised Certified Sports Event Executive (CSEE) Program. Changes include a move to online courses. The first will be available in February 2016. We plan two live courses and two online courses in 2016. This will enable participants to obtain and then maintain their certification more quickly and efficiently.

• An agreement to create a new and higher level of professional certification as early as 2017. This new level will be aimed at industry “lifers.”

• The NASC Sports Legacy Fund contributed $20,000 to the Running Rebels after school program in Milwaukee.

This was an increase of $4,000 over our previous record contribution.

• Conducted our first ever NASC Sports Legacy Fund community service project in Milwaukee. More than 100 members spent the morning helping clean up Milwaukee’s Washington Park. Teams

The restructuring of the CSEE Program also resulted in a formal partnership between the NASC and Ohio University’s Graduate Program in Sports Administration. This program has been rated number one in the world three of the last four years. As part of the agreement, Don Schumacher has been named an Adjunct Professor at OU. Park and recreation departments are becoming aware of the benefits in NASC membership. An indication of this growing interest was the first workshop held for a parks and recreation department. In May, Don presented the day and a half seminar to the parks department and other city officials (including the mayor) in Columbia, Tennessee.

In 2014 we noted an increased reliance on room rebates and commissions. It sometimes seems that event owners and/or hosts expect travelers to produce a greater and greater share of event

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FIVE YEAR SYMPOSIUM GROWTH 945

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revenues through the rates they pay for accommodations.

It continues to appear disingenuous to expect the visitors we worked so hard to get to feel good about higher rates caused by rebates and commissions. The NASC is familiar with the claim that these systems can lead to lower rates. If that happens it will be because the hotel gave up their profit for the sake of others.

The sport tourism market depends upon hospitable destinations and event owners. At least three major hotel chains are looking at policies to control the situation. The NASC hopes action will be taken in this regard in 2016.

Overall, the industry continues its steady growth. One major reason is the continuing emphasis on home grown and owned events.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

As 2015 comes to a close we wish you and yours very happy holidays and a productive and exciting new year!

INDIVIDUALS

JUST A TURN UP FROM DALLAS Westside Aquatic Center n 75,000 sq. ft. facility n Seating for 1,200 spectators n 75-meter competition pool n 36 numbered lanes n Two 1-meter and two 3-meter diving boards

Toyota of Lewisville Railroad Park

n 8 lighted soccer fields n 4 lighted football fields n 4 lighted baseball fields n Permanent concession buildings

LEW

ISV

I

TEX LLE,

AS

Lewisville Lake Park

n 8 lighted soccer fields n 10 lighted baseball/softball fields n Golf, disc golf, fishing, boat ramps, and marinas Hotels n 1800 rooms within minutes of sports venues

Carlos Hernandez n 972.219.3713 chernandez@cityoflewisville.com VisitLewisville.com

www.SportsCommissions.org 7

West Michigan: the right venues, the right entertainment, the right details, exactly

THE RIGHT FIT

westmisports.com/rightfit

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2016 SCHEDULE-AT-A-GLANCE

th

Subject to change. *Additional fees apply.

Monday, April 4

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m. – 11: 00 p.m.

Hosted by

PLANNING FOR THE 2016 NASC SPORTS EVENT SYMPOSIUM The NASC Sports Event Symposium is the annual meeting for the only non-profit 501(c)3 association for the sport tourism industry and the most credible source for industry research and best practices. For nearly 25 years, the Symposium has been designed for sport tourism professionals by sport tourism professionals. Through a combination of industry-leading educational and business development opportunities, serious-minded professionals who attend the Symposium learn how to produce measurable ROI for their organization and advance their careers in the industry.

Tuesday, April 5

6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. – Noon 12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 6 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. –9:30 a.m.

9:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Registration NASC Sports Legacy Fund Community Service Project Exhibitor Set-Up CSEE* New Member and First Time Attendee Networking Reception Basketball Championship Viewing Party Rise and Shine Yoga* Lapping the Landmarks 5K Guided Run/Walk Tour* Registration Breakfast & Breakouts NASC Sports Marketplace Opening General Session Luncheon Education Sessions Education Sessions NASC Sports Marketplace Happy Hour in the NASC Sports Marketplace Opening Party at Van Andel Arena Rise and Shine Yoga* Lapping the Landmarks 5K Guided Run/Walk Tour* Registration NASC Business Meeting Breakfast NASC Sports Marketplace Keynote Luncheon Education Sessions Education Sessions NASC Sports Marketplace Happy Hour in the NASC Sports Marketplace and Sports Legacy Raffle/Auction NASC Hall of Fame Reception*

Thursday, April 7

6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

Rise and Shine Yoga* 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.

Lapping the Landmarks 5K Guided

Run/Walk Tour* 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Registration 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

NASC Board of Directors Meeting 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Grab-N-Go Breakfast in the NASC

Sports Marketplace 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

NASC Sports Marketplace 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Closing General Session Luncheon Afternoon Grand Rapids Venue Tours & other

optional activities*

www.SportsCommissions.org 9

TIPS FROM THE MENTORING COMMITTEE OFF-SEASON PLANNING FOR THE 2016 NASC SPORTS EVENT SYMPOSIUM It’s the season of lists. Holiday shopping, wish lists, parties, and making sure you end on the “nice” list. In the spirit of lists, here’s your NASC 2016 Symposium list. Right now is the best time to do your off-season prep, get organized, take care of the logistics, and position yourself to rock it in the New Year. Grand Rapids, here we come.

1. Get registered! You have to be there April 3-7, 2016 to take advantage of this direct selling, education, networking opportunity. It only takes a few clicks: Registration | NASC Symposium. Don’t forget the add-ons and let NASC know if this is your first Symposium. See? Easy. Keep on.

2. Make your hotel reservation. You have two choices in Grand Rapids, The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel or the JW Marriott Grand Rapids. You can’t go wrong with either property. Both have plenty of amenities and are convenient to the action at DeVos Place Convention Center. (Room blocks will sell out, so don’t delay on this one. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

3. Book your flight/make travels plans. Local airport is GRR with plenty of lift — 6 airlines and 22 major market direct flights. Or, if you feel the need to road trip, Grand Rapids is easy to get to. Our NASC staff made the trek via car last summer from Cincinnati in under six hours with no speeding tickets (I think).

4. Update your member profile. This is a good idea any time of the year, but especially when your potential partners are looking for you in prep for the Symposium. Log on to the NASC Website and do a search for yourself. Make sure your profile is current and your message is relevant to your goals for your meetings this spring. It’s the NASC version of Googling yourself.

5. Ok, now for additional cool stuff. The NASC Member Awards program is great way to recognize those in our industry that deserve our praise. Learn more here: Member Awards | NASC. There are also opportunities to do good work and leave a mark on the local community while in Grand Rapids. Watch for details on the Sports Legacy Fund Community Service Project and get involved by joining your fellow colleagues at a local park clean up. We’d love to see everyone ready with sleeves rolled up. Don’t fret about the weather, no one froze last year! The Sports Legacy Fund silent auction and raffle will benefit the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports Wheelchair Tennis Program. This organization assists hundreds of children and adults participate in a variety of organized team sports.

Details on donating can be found here National Association of Sports Commissions | BiddingForGood Fundraising Auction. Please, please bring your raffle ticket cash and your credit card with the highest limit.

6. Get your clients to Grand Rapids. Are your current partners members of NASC? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see them at the Symposium? Why not personally invite them to join the Association and meet you there. If you need membership information or would like a member of the Membership Committee to contact them, just say the word.

There you have it. Include this list with all the others. Check these items off now to be ready when the Symposium season arrives. See you in Grand Rapids. Ready…..Go! Janna Clark, CSEE Elizabethtown Sports Park NASC Board of Directors

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2016 NASC SPORTS MARKETPLACE APPOINTMENT PROCESS

Event Overview Appointments

As reported in the September edition of the NASC Playbook, the Symposium Committee, based on member feedback, has created a new framework for the 2016 NASC Sports Marketplace. In this edition of the “Tips from the Mentoring Committee”, we offer the following thoughts on improvements to the appointment process and how all members can benefit from hitting the reset button on what to expect from the NASC Sports Marketplace in Grand Rapids.

Event Overview Appointments offer event owners the opportunity to share information about their organization and what it takes to host an event with destinations whom they have not done business. This is not a time to sell your destination or product/service to the event owner, but rather listen to the event overview and gather information about event requirements, future opportunities, etc. If your organization qualifies to host an event or provide a product/service based on what you learn during the appointment, then follow up after the Symposium.

Individual Appointments Think “New Relationship NASC Sports Marketplace” From its inception in San Antonio, TX in 1997, the purpose of the NASC Sports Marketplace has been to provide opportunities for NEW BUSINESS development for our members.

Individual appointments, which are 10 minutes each, offer destinations and vendor exhibitors the opportunity to share information about their community and/or products/services with event owners. Ideally, individual appointments should be requested by organizations that are not currently doing business with one another. Anyone who has attended the NASC Symposium knows the schedule includes ample time for current business partners to conduct meetings and network with each other.

For the first time, participating members will have an extended window to request, accept/decline, and prioritize individual appointments. The online appointment portal will open the first week of January and remain open until February 26, 2016.

Why the extended time? Eight weeks gives everyone time to properly evaluate and research the organizations with whom they are requesting an appointment and organizations requesting an appointment of them. The goal is to eliminate individual appointments taking place between a destination and/or vendor and event owner where there is clearly no opportunity to do business. For example, if a destination doesn’t have facilities required to host a particular sport and/ or event, then the destination should not be requesting an appointment with that event owner. With time to evaluate and research, these potentially embarrassing situations can and should be avoided.

www.SportsCommissions.org

Think “Learning & Listening Marketplace”

How does this work? Destinations, vendor exhibitors, and event owners will have the opportunity to request, accept/decline, and prioritize event overview appointments.

These appointments will take place at tables in the Sports Marketplace, not at the event owner’s booth. Up to five (5) destinations and/or vendor exhibitors will be seated at a table with one event owner. The event owner will provide information on what it takes to host their event and may allow a minute or two at the end of the 10-minute appointment for questions.

Key Dates • Week of January 4 - Individual Appointment schedule portal opens • Midnight PT February 19 – Last day to registered to be guaranteed appointments • Midnight PT February 26 - Individual Appointment portal closes • Week of March 14 - Individual Appointment schedules released and Event Overview Appointment portal opens • Midnight PT March 18 - Event Overview Appointment portal closes • Week of March 28 – Event Overview Appointment schedules released It is important to note, registration fees must be paid in full before the first attendee from your organization can view the online appointment portal.

Direct any questions about the appointment process to your member services coordinator.

Active Members: Meagan McCalla, Meagan@SportsCommissions.org or 513.842.8307.

Allied and Rights Holder Members: Allison Deak, Allison@SportsCommissions.org or 513.250.4366.

Yours in sport, John David, CSEE Mike Price, CSEE USA BMX Greater Lansing Sports Authority NASC Mentoring NASC Mentoring Committee Co-Chair Committee Co-Chair john@usabmx.com mprice@lansing.org 11

Judging Policy Organizational Awards: Each judging panel will be comprised of three individuals (one Awards Committee member and two NASC members at-large). Judges may not submit an entry for the category which they are judging.

SUBMIT AN ENTRY FOR NASC MEMBER AWARDS The online Awards Submission Portal is now open!

For the 2015 Member Awards, activities, events, marketing campaigns, web strategies, etc. must have occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

Submitting an Entry NEW! For the first time in the history of the NASC Member Awards, members may now recommend other members to submit an entry for any award category. Members who are recommended must still submit an entry to be considered. As always, members may also enter submissions for their organization or staff.

Organizations and individuals interested in entering a submission are encouraged to notify the Awards Committee of their intent to submit by January 8, 2016.

Individual Awards: Each judging panel will be comprised of five Awards Committee members. Committee members may not submit an entry for individual awards.

About NASC Member Awards The annual NASC Member Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of our members and are presented at the NASC Sports Event Symposium each year. Member Awards are the highest honor an organization or individual in the sports tourism industry can receive as they are created and awarded by industry peers.

Members can view winning entries from last year’s awards to learn why the winners participated in the awards program and view the winning submission for various categories.

For more information, contact Mike Anderson, CSEE, at mike.anderson@visitmyrtlebeach.com, or Janis Schmees Burke, CSEE, at jburke@houstonsports.org, Awards Committee co-chairs.

Entries are due by Friday, February 12, 2016 at 11:59pm ET.

#SportTourism 12 14

www.SportsCommissions.org WWW.SPORTSCOMMIS-

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How you can help 1. Renew your membership or register for the NASC Symposium 2. Donate a silent auction or raffle item 3. Sponsor a silent auction/raffle table ($100 per table) 4. Bid on a silent auction item at the NASC Symposium 5. Purchase raffle tickets at the NASC Symposium 6. Volunteer for NASC Sports Legacy Fund Community Service Project

MARY FREE BED – 2016 BENEFICIARY OF NASC SPORTS LEGACY FUND As announced in the September, the 2016 beneficiary of the NASC Sports Legacy Fund is Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. “Choosing Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports as the NASC Sports Legacy beneficiary means that our athletes are provided more opportunities to participate in the many sports we offer without a financial burden, allowing them to gain confidence, empowerment and life skills as individuals,” said Alicia Hass, sports coordinator at Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports.

Courtesy of Mary Free Bed

Sponsored by

#SportTourism 14

Brian Davis served his country in the U.S. Navy from 2004 through 2009, including an eight-month deployment to the Middle East. But he admits that after a motorcycle accident in 2008 that left him in a wheelchair, he had moments where he sat at home on the couch and felt lost with an uncertain future ahead of him. With a wife expecting at the same time, Davis was going through rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids not knowing what his next move might be.

It was there, during his rehab, that it was suggested he get involved in wheelchair tennis, just one of the nearly two dozen wheelchair and adaptive sports offered at Mary Free Bed.

Davis and his wheelchair tennis team travel across the country for matches, including one memorable one in Dallas. “I’ll never forget that,” he said, “we were there in the middle of the summer in 98° weather with 90 percent humidity.” Other not-so-humid stops for the team of around 20, plus coaches, have included Fort Wayne and Chicago, among others.

Mary Free Bed’s sports offerings, besides wheelchair tennis, include such sports as wheelchair softball, sports camps, wheelchair basketball, sled hockey, open water fishing and many more. “That’s the great thing about the programs,” Davis said. “It’s a variety, not the same thing over and over.”

And programs keep growing, mainly because of word of mouth, according to Davis. “In tennis we have a banquet, and we show off what we do. The word spreads to other Courtesy of Mary Free Bed

THE GROWTH OF ADAPTIVE SPORTS

“I wasn’t really into basketball or anything like that,” Davis said, “but I really enjoyed tennis. It’s been my outlet going on five years now.”

Adaptive and wheelchair sports have been growing dramatically over the last few years, especially with the influx of an estimated 10,000 veterans and active service members now participating in adaptive sports.

The interest in the Paralympic Games has also led to sports fitness facilities built especially for adaptive and wheelchair athletes.

For example, the Virginia G. Piper Sports and Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities in Phoenix is a $13 million facility with fitness and aquatic centers, indoor hardwood courts, a climbing wall and more. It also serves as a venue for local, national and international adaptive sporting events.

The best thing about the program in Grand Rapids, according to Davis, is the competitiveness. “I’ve always been competitive; I’ve always loved testing myself against others. Just because you’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t be active.”

www.SportsCommissions.org

athletes who may want to try it, and we are fortunate enough that we’re exposed to sponsors who want to help out.”

It was because Davis was willing to try this new sport, that he is an enthusiastic supporter of wheelchair tennis.

“Getting out and doing is better than sitting at home and feeling sorry for yourself,” he said. “I admit it was a rough patch for me at the beginning, but one, my newborn daughter got me through, and two, seeing others getting involved really encouraged me.”

And his advice to others considering adaptive or wheelchair sports? “Just try it,” he said. “It has added so much to my life. It can do the same for you.”

For more information on the Mary Free Bed sports programs, visit maryfreebed.com/rehabilitation/ wheelchair-adaptive-sports/.

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PUTTING BIG TIME SPORTS IN SACRAMENTO USA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA WORLD RUGBY PACIFIC NATIONS CUP NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CIF STATE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS The Sacramento Sports Commission delivers the region’s premier sporting events from professional sports to national, state and regional championships to youth tournaments.

For more information on how to get into the game, visit www.sacsports.com

Joe Kovacs, Shot Put Champion