AURORA
— Bryce Parascand is very confident in his fencing abilities.
“The first time I tried it, I was really good at it,” the 9-year-old said. “Then the next thing I knew, I became a champion.”
The chance to triumph at a sport such as fencing would likely mean a big confidence boost for any fourth-grader, but for Bryce the opportunity might be even more significant.
Bryce uses a wheelchair, which he said keeps him from playing most sports. But this week he joined more than 100 other students from across the state for Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp. The camp, held at Gateway High School in Aurora, offered a chance for physically challenged children to compete in sports such as soccer, basketball, softball, archery, bowling and rugby.
The 26-year-old camp is free, staffed by 150 volunteers and paid for with more than $15,000 in donations from Colorado Sports for the Physically Challenged, Adaptive Adventures and the city of Lakewood.
Campers, who range in age from 6 to 18, have met each day this week to try new activities and practice their sports skills.
Playing sports at camp not only encouraged Ashley Hovey to compete in track and field, swimming and skiing; she said it also gave her confidence in other parts of her life.
“Usually we’re judged on what we can’t do, but here we’re judged on what we can do,” she said.
Now Hovey, who is looking for work as a special-education teaching assistant, volunteers as a counselor as a way of being a role model. She was first a camper at Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp 20 years ago.
“It’s great to work with little kids and show them what I can do because then they’re like, ‘Oh, wow, maybe I can do that,’ ” she said.
Volunteer coordinator Patricia Morrison- Hughes says the camp is sometimes the first time kids see other people using wheelchairs.
“Being here allows them to see that just because you’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t have a job, a family and a normal life,” she said.
The camp ends today with Family Day, when campers can show off their new skills to their parents. This demonstration can also can teach parents an important lesson, Hovey said.
“When parents see what their kids can do, they’re like, ‘Wow, my kid actually has a future,’ ” she said.
That message was not lost on Ashley Robinson, mother of 5-year-old camper Bjorn.
“I’m in awe of what he can do,” she said. “He can play soccer as well as his sister can. When I watch him, it makes me want to cry.”
In addition to their athletic achievements, campers said the experience of being around so many others in wheelchairs can have a big impact.
“We get to be the majority here, and that never happens,” Hovey said.
That sense of commonality made Peter Harper, 13, comfortable enough to try new sports such as fencing and archery and also play his favorite, basketball.
“At school, I choose not to play basketball because all the other kids can walk, and I’m the only one in a wheelchair,” he said. “Here it feels like everybody is the same.”
Claire Trageser: 303-954-1638 or ctrageser@denverpost.com
