Kathy Schell, left, and Janice Strayve help Megan McKinney into an adaptive bicycle during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Braxton Morrell takes the lacrosse ball down the court during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Kids try kayaking in the swimming pool during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Lauren Duley hugs her cousin McKenna Legg before trying ou the adaptive cycling during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Amy Leasure walks behind her sister Kait Leasure as she rides an adaptive bicycle around the track during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Kathy Schell, left, and Janice Strayve help Megan McKinney into an adaptive bicycle during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Joshua “Show” Carroll pulls kids around the gym like a train before the start of the Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Alliana Rowe helps Luis Mejia-Cortez shoot baskets during the Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Nolan Higashi takes the lacrosse ball down the court during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Patrick McKinney rides an adaptive bicycle around the track during Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel 
Brogan Cheevers, with Adaptive Adventures, waves a bubble wand in the air as kids ride adaptive bikes around the track during the Wheel Chair Sports Camp on Thursday June 11, 2015 at Aurora Central. Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel
The Colorado Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp rolled into Aurora for the 29th year last week and left an impression on participants that can last a lifetime.
The 32nd annual camp, which is free to kids in grades K-12 from across Colorado and a few from elsewhere, drew a whopping 115 kids to Aurora Central High School, where they got to experience a wide variety of sports adapted to a wheelchair format.
Most importantly, the kids got a chance to burn off some energy, learn new things and forge relationships they will carry forward.
“My experiences as a camper were amazing; I credit a lot of why I am the way I am because of sports camp,” said Shannon Bevans, who attended the camp as a kid since she was 9 years old and is now a counselor.
“It was really my only chance to socialize with people like me and it was my opportunity to learn how to do sports,” she added. “A lot of my friends came from here and a lot of them are still friends today.
“It’s a very special place, it goes beyond what sports do.”
Aurora Public Schools again donated the space to the camp, which is absolutely vital in keeping it going according to camp founder Mary Carpenter.
A legion of volunteers and a variety of personnel from the Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation and Adaptive Adventures (which has provided modified handcycles for more than two decades) provided expertise and equipment to the camp, which featured staples basketball and tennis, along with swimming, bowling, archery, power soccer, softball, rugby, karate and kayaking, plus a few sports that are new over the past few years in fencing, dodgeball and lacrosse.
“The No. 1 goal for us is to make sure these kids have a great time and learn something,” said Corey Fairbanks, executive director of Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation, who has helped out with the camp for 15 years.
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