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Tag: Adaptive Sports

Amputees and Mary Free Bed Staff Team Up for Reeds Lake Triathlon

It was a summer of training for some Mary Free Bed staff and patients who teamed up for the fifth year to take on the Rhoades McKee Reeds Lake Triathlon. “This is the biggest group we’ve had, and honestly it’s what got me out here: having that teamwork, that team effort, that support,” said physical […]

Camp is in Session: Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is back

It’s the highlight of their summer! Mary Free Bed’s Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is back in action. Kids and teens age 7-18 will take over Grand Valley State University’s campus playing sports like basketball, lacrosse and tennis. Every year camp provides the chance for kids to come together through adaptive sports to try new activities, […]

Recreational power soccer team forming for power wheelchair users

Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports program is gearing up to add power soccer to its roster of teams for people with disabilities. It will join more than 250 teams from around the world competing in one of the fastest-growing sports on four wheels. Power soccer is the first competitive team sport designed for […]

Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp: ‘You feel like you belong’

When Sule Christiansen arrived for the fourth time at Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, she once again felt welcomed. “Everyone is so nice, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Sule, 18, who traveled from Plymouth to Grand Valley State University in Allendale. “You feel like you belong, because there are so many kids just like […]

Mary Free Bed handcyclist Matthew Chaffee to compete in Boston Marathon

When Matthew Chaffee was introduced to the world of adaptive sports, it changed the way he views his disability. “I learned to be more independent,” said Matthew, who was paralyzed in a 2014 motorcycle crash. “I’ve met people with all types of disabilities, and everyone has their own way of doing things. The more I […]

Bikes for the Rest of Us draws dozens of participants, volunteers

More than 75 children and adults with physical disabilities were introduced to adaptive bicycling during Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s annual Bikes for the Rest of Us event on Saturday. Each participant was paired with a therapist to determine the necessary adaptations that will enable them to pedal alongside their able-bodied friends. “This event helps […]

New Adaptive Cheerleading Team breaks barriers, builds friendships

The Mary Free Bed All Stars Adaptive Cheerleading team boasts enthusiasm and spirit to spare. The newest team organized by Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports is made up of enthusiastic young athletes with physical or cognitive impairments that prevent participation in able-bodied cheer. “A cheerleading team was a missing piece of our program, and it has […]

I have never underestimated my father or anybody else with a disability’

Guest blog: Nicholas Besta, 17, and his family know first-hand what living with a disability is like. That’s why they participate in Mary Free Bed’s peer support mentoring program, which is designed to give patients and their families access to people with injuries similar to their own. Nicholas, whose father, Pat, has used a wheelchair […]

Mary Free Bed goes for gold with hospital Olympics

The Olympic spirit is strong at Mary Free Bed, where staff were invited to join in the first-ever Mary Free Bed Olympics held this week to coincide with the final week of the official 2016 games, to conclude Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. More than 140 “Olympians” participated in games throughout the week and 27 medals […]

Rec therapy team gets creative with adaptive tree climbing

Every patient who comes to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is different. Also unique is what each patient enjoys doing. That’s why Mary Free Bed’s recreational therapy team works to individualize activities catered to each patient’s interests that promote rehabilitation, wellness and independence. Newberry, Mich. native Charles Wallace came to Mary Free Bed in 2010 for […]

Fun, fitness reign at Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp

Charles McDonald first attended Mary Free Bed Jr. Wheelchair Sports Camp in 2002 as a camper. This year, he served as an instructor. More than 50 campers with disabilities participated in the July 25-29 camp at Grand Valley State University in Allendale. The free event offers kids of all ability levels and ages the opportunity […]

Mary Free Bed alumnus Bryan Barten heading to Paralympics in Rio

Bryan Barten will be the first to tell you he’s an athlete. And actually, he is a top athlete. In September, he will represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Barten, 42, a Hart, Mich., native who now lives in Tucson, Ariz., is one of the best wheelchair tennis players in […]

Preschool Sampler gives sports-lover Greyson introduction to team play

Greyson Gibbs is an energetic first grader who loves sports and playing with his friends. His participation in the Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Program’s new Preschool Sampler offers him the best of both worlds. “He loves all the games they play and seeing all of his friends on a weekly basis,” said Greyson’s mom, Leigh. […]

Colin Sullivan is ‘passionate about living an active life’

In some ways, Colin Sullivan’s life has changed very little in the past 16 years. He still teaches the same subjects at the same school as he did before he fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed his car into a guardrail. “I still travel when I can, play sports, socialize with friends and try […]

New fencing team challenges athletes physically, mentally

Tim Volkers loves swordplay. He’s a fan of “Zorro,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Star Wars” (yes, a lightsaber can be considered a sword). And now he’s wielding one himself. Tim is a member of Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports’ new fencing team, organized this year following success of the program’s adaptive […]

Ballroom dancing class helps Kathy feel ‘new’ and ‘normal’

Kathy Robinson is no wallflower. The 62-year-old retired school teacher loves to kayak, do yoga and dance. And despite her 2011 diagnosis of secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis, Kathy still does all three. Kathy is enrolled in Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports’ (WAS) new Ballroom Dancing course, which promote participants’ physical, social and emotional well-being. “Sometimes I can […]

Adaptive snowboarding gets Raphael back on the slopes

Raphael Correa, a patient of Mary Free Bed’s Orthotics & Prosthetics program, recently met a new, post-accident goal – snowboarding at Timber Ridge Ski Area in Gobles, Mich. After he spent a month in a wheelchair Correa got his walking leg in November 2014 and has been working and training ever since. Raphael’s goal is to get back to […]

Mary Free Bed YMCA a global first for accessibility

Thursday, December 3, marked the start of an exciting new chapter in accessibility and opportunity. The West Michigan community — including many representatives from Mary Free Bed — came together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the much-anticipated Mary Free Bed YMCA. This first-of-its-kind Y is the first health and wellness facility in the world to […]

Hunting safety tips for an injury-free season

 This weekend marks the beginning of Michigan’s regular firearm season for deer (Nov. 15-30, 2015). Hunting is an important tradition for many Michigan families. With proper safety precautions in place, hunting can be a safe and rewarding recreational activity. Hunting safety is a topic of great concern at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Each fall and winter, […]

Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Program named as beneficiary of Sports Legacy Fund

The Mary Free Bed Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Program (WAS) has been named as the beneficiary of the National Association of Sports Commissions’ (NASC) Sports Legacy Fund in 2016. WAS has previously worked with the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC), a member of NASC. Grand Rapids will host the 24th NASC Sports Event Symposium April 3-7, 2016. […]

Kids enjoy success, teamwork at Mary Free Bed Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp

Campers, parents, staff and volunteers on Friday afternoon celebrated the conclusion to another successful Mary Free Bed Jr. Wheelchair Sports Camp. The free annual weeklong event, hosted at Grand Valley State University, offers kids of all ability levels and ages the opportunity to participate in 10 adaptive sports, ranging from kayaking and disc golf, to sled […]

2015 Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championships recap

Guest blog by Erin Fouty, Tournament Director of the 2015 Midwest Wheelchair Championships, and Alicia Hass, Coordinator, Mary Free Bed Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports The beautiful facilities at MVP-Crahen were once again host to the Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championships held July 10-12, 2015. Nearly 80 athletes from around the world traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich., to participate in all […]

MFB’s Jocelyn Dettloff feels the ‘need for speed’ at Berlin Raceway

Jocelyn Dettloff, Annual Fund Director for the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, isn’t one to shy away from a high-adrenaline adventure. When Jocelyn — who in 1997 was paralyzed in a sand sledding accident in Namibia, Africa — was recently given the chance to drive a race car on the Berlin Raceway, she embraced the […]

Taking on tennis after a 20-year break

As a teenager, Steve Draft-Peppin played wheelchair tennis at Riverview Athletic Club in Grand Rapids. And he was pretty good, finishing at or near the top in his singles and doubles divisions in 1992. But a few years later, Steve left wheelchair tennis behind in favor of other pursuits. Then there was college and career […]

Mary Free Bed recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business

May is National Bike Month, making it the perfect time to share the exciting news that Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is now recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Business! On April 22, the League of American Bicyclists announced its spring 2015 round of Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB), with Mary Free Bed earning a Silver Level […]

Mary Free Bed YMCA to have universal design and LEED certification

Guest Blog by Bryan Koehn, @bwkoehn ProgressiveAE Principal, Director of Design The greatest of all ideas are universal. They transcend the boundaries of age, ability, location, or financial situation. They are brilliantly simple, yet inherently complicated. The greatest of ideas are dreamt by few, understood by many, and accessible to all. The Mary Free Bed […]

2015 Bikes for the Rest of Us matches 80 people with adaptive cycles

Bikes for the Rest of Us — Mary Free Bed’s popular annual adaptive bike event — was held Saturday, April 25, in the parking ramp of the Mary Free Bed professional building in downtown Grand Rapids. The chilly (but dry!) morning provided a productive, fun-filled opportunity for attendees to select and try the bicycle best suited for […]

Wheelchair basketball coach & player earns spot in national hall of fame

Lee Montgomery — a wheelchair basketball player and coach of Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports’ basketball teams, the Junior Pacers and the Adult Pacers — recently was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. The coach’s relationship with Mary Free Bed spans more than 5 decades. Coach Lee, 57, was born with limb differences […]