It may take some adaptive equipment and a bit of courage, but people with disabilities will be enjoying rock climbing, sit water-skiing, horseback riding, SCUBA and numerous other fitness and wellness activities at Florida Disabled Outdoors Association’s (FDOA) 7th Annual SportsAbility Ocala / Gainesville on October 2-3, 2015. The SportsAbility program shows people of all abilities what is possible and how everyone may recreate together.
Florida Disabled Outdoors Association invites people of ALL abilities to attend this festival of inclusive leisure time physical activity at no charge. “Pursuing recreation with family and friends makes it more fun and therefore more likely for us to continue,” stated Laurie LoRe-Gussak, Florida Disabled Outdoors Association Executive Director, “and the more we pursue physical activity, the healthier we become.” SportsAbility shows people with disabilities what they CAN do. People are motivated to be active by different types of recreation; for this reason, SportsAbility provides the opportunity for people to try over 25 different active leisure pursuits during this two-day program.
October 2nd - DAY ONE -
On Friday, activities will be held at the Ed Croskey Center, Hampton Aquatic Center at MLK Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th Street, Ocala, FL from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm. Activities include: horseback riding, adaptive golf and tennis, basketball, fishing simulator, SCUBA, shooting sports, arts and crafts and more. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend the SportsAbility Resource Expo with the latest information on products, services and programs addressing leisure recreation, health, assistive technologies and other disabilities’ interests.
October 3rd – DAY TWO -
On Saturday, activities will be held at Paynes Prairie State Park located at 100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy, FL at no charge from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Participants can try many accessible and inclusive recreational activities such as: sit water skiing, sailing, nature trail rides, pontoon boats rides, paddle sports, horseback riding, rock wall climbing, shooting sports and much more. “Florida’s state parks are proud to provide nature-based outdoor recreation for all visitors,” said Donald Forgione, director of the Florida Park Service. “We welcome the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association to Paynes Prairie Preserve to offer these fun activities.”
“Secondary health issues arise from a sedentary lifestyle. Adults with disabilities are 3 times more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer than adults without disabilities. For this reason, SportsAbility lets people try different ways to get active to be healthier, happier and more productive,” stated David Jones, FDOA President.
Community support and sponsors makes SportsAbility possible and improves people’s lives. The City of Ocala, Florida State Parks, Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, Disabled Sports USA, Mobility Ventures LLC and Sysco Foods are proud sponsors of SportsAbility Ocala. Everyone is invited to come out and experience Active Leisure for Life.
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