Paralympic athletes from Spokane surprised with new equipment ahead of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 | news

SPOKANE, Wash. – On Saturday, ParaSport Spokane athletes were surprised with brand new equipment as part of a $ 40,000 grant from The Hartford.

The grant enabled them to buy new equipment for their athletes, including throwing chairs, sleds, fencing accessories and even two brand new bespoke racing wheelchairs for two of their racers.

“The cost of equipment for a racer with a disability is huge compared to if you and I just wanted to run the track with a new pair of shoes,” said Teresa Skinner of ParaSport Spokane.

Teresa says devices like the new racing chairs can cost over $ 3,500.

When the athletes arrived at Valley Christian for training on Saturday, they were unaware of the newly delivered equipment.

After a short speech by Teresa, the two lucky racing drivers were surprised with their tailor-made racing chairs. The expression on her face as the racing chairs rolled up was pure shock and joy.

“So that they get their own, specially tailored equipment, with which they can then compete for the next few years, it is actually difficult to put into words,” said Teresa after the announcement.

After some cheers and applause from the other athletes and family members, the racing drivers got ready and got to work.

Training at this time of year is vital for athletes as they prepare for their upcoming competitions.

“We have 14 Spokane athletes who qualified for juniors to compete in track and field, so we’re leaving at 4:00 am Monday morning to go to Denver Colorado and compete,” said Teresa.

In addition, the wheelchair basketball team made it to the national team and will also travel to Texas to compete there.

But as if that wasn’t enough, ParaSport Spokane has two athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games. Eighteen-year-old Hannah Dederick and Jaleen Roberts will both travel to Tokyo on August 10th with Teresa and her husband, who have been selected to coach the Paralympic Games.

“It was a great and challenging season not only to push ourselves but also to be the best,” said Hannah Dederick of her training this year. Dederick is currently in second place in the world rankings at their events.

Teresa added that the Spokane community went to great lengths to support the athletes during these events.

“I’ve lived all over the country and I feel very blessed to have basically ended up here in Spokane. To be able to do ParaSport Spokane and be in a community that knows how to hug nonprofits and get that and get exercise, and then on top of that you get Paralympics, you don’t necessarily see that in a lot of communities and I feel like Spokane did an amazing job, “said Teresa Skinner.

The Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 are slated to begin on August 24th and last until September 5th. Hannah Dederick will be attending the racing events and Jaleen Roberts will be competing in the long jump.