BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Adaptive sports programs break barriers and bring communities together by providing athletes with disabilities new opportunities to compete and develop.

Bowling Green Parks and Recreation has partnered with Warren County Parks and Recreation to expand its adaptive sports program.

“Our goal was to expand what was then the Special Populations Division,” said Cameron Levis, director of BGPR’s Recreation Division.

The expansion will focus on Special Olympics programs and will also include adaptive or para-sports and place an emphasis on people with physical disabilities.

In 2016, Bowling Green’s first adaptive sports program included wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and a sport called goalball.

The addition of more sports over the years led BGPR to partner with WCPR to create adaptive aquatic and winter sports programs.

“About three or four years ago, we partnered with Bowling Green City Parks and Rec and they were able to purchase the equipment through a grant. Plus, we had all the water access along the river and so we teamed up and created this amazing aquatics program,” said Leah Spurlin, special projects manager at WCPR.

By offering these special programs, sports and other outdoor activities become more accessible to everyone.

“Both the city and the county parks and recreation departments are committed to ensuring that all visitors to Warren County and surrounding counties have the opportunity to get out and try these different handicap sports, whether it’s on the water or in the gym. Wherever that may be,” Spurlin said.

“Ultimately, we want to focus on a person’s skills. We want to focus on what someone can do, not what they can’t do,” Levis said.

The aim of the enlargement is also to build a stronger and more inclusive community.

“There really is no better catalyst for greater social inclusion and acceptance of people with disabilities than sports and recreation,” Levis said. “When society sees people with disabilities participating in sports and doing things that society would often do but that they can’t do, then we really start to change perspectives.”

The program begins in September and includes a river party at Phil Moore Park on September 15th in Drake’s Creek.

BGPR and WCPR hope that their adaptive sports program will one day become one of the best in the state, giving people with disabilities the opportunity to recover through sports and gain a competitive advantage.

Anyone interested in participating in the adaptive sports program can email [email protected] or call the Kummer Little Recreation Center at 270-393-3484.

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