Paralympic athletes lead KIN 100 skill lab experiences

Two celebrated Paralympic athletes, as well as three accomplished wheelchair basketball players, will be on campus on February 23 to lead Paralympic Skill Lab experiences with select Kinesiology 100 classes. Paralympic Skill Lab combines Paralympic ideals and values with educational activities to promote engagement and education related to adapted sport, inclusion, and sociocultural norms. Kinesiology Professor Dr. Cathy McKay (’98) organized the experience, which was funded by a Provost Curriculum Development Grant and a CHBS Diversity Committee Grant, as part of her ongoing research on Paralympic sport, social inclusion, and contact theory. Students will be participating in wheelchair basketball skill stations, and will be discussing the award winning documentary, “The Rebound”, with Mike Esposito (’10) and Shaina Koren (’11), the producer and director of the film. Select KIN 100 classes viewed a screening of the film prior to the Paralympic Skill Lab experience. www.reboundthefilm.com

 Athletes leading the education stations include:

Paralympian Alexa Halko, Team USA Wheelchair Racer, won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the Rio Games. Alexa in a member of Richmond’s Sportable Spokes Wheelchair Basketball team, and is a Junior at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, VA. She was the youngest team USA athlete to qualify for the Rio games. Trevon Jenifer, Team USA Wheelchair Basketball player, is a two-time Paralympian who won gold at the Rio games, and bronze at the London games. Trey is a graduate of Edinboro University, is a two-time collegiate All-American, and recently played professionally in France for two years. Trey and Alexa will be joined by collegiate All-American and Roanoke native Jacob Tyree, who played Wheelchair Basketball at the University of Illinois, and was a member of Team USA’s U23 Wheelchair Basketball team. Also leading the education sessions are Brandon Rush and Tom Vandever from the Charlottesville Cardinals Wheelchair Basketball team. Brandon played on the Edinboro University Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball team, is currently a coach for the National Championship winning Sportable Spokes Junior team, and is the captain of the Charlottesville Cardinals team. Tom is the founder of the Charlottesville Cardinals program, and also is a player for the team. This dynamic group of athletes is an amazing representation of national, state, and regional adapted sport advocates.