The Triumph Foundation is hosting the 11th Annual Wheelchair Sports Festival

Wheelchair users and sports enthusiasts had the chance to shine during the Triumph Foundation's 11th anniversary^Th The annual Wheelchair Sports Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex gymnasium.

“[The] The Triumph Foundation is here to help people with spinal cord injuries and paralysis triumph over their injuries,” said Chief Ambassador Michele Altamirano. “We are here to provide support to individuals and their families. We are here to show them that there is life after a spinal cord injury.”

The featured sports, including hockey, basketball and baseball, have all been redesigned to meet the needs of wheelchair users and give everyone the opportunity to participate.

“Our founder, Andrew Skinner, felt there was a need in the community for people to get out and try new things,” Altamirano said. “You know, if you're not connected to someone in a particular sport, sometimes you don't know what's available. So we slowly started with a few sports, and every year we seem to add new ones.”

Many of the participants are able to perform the sports they love at a high level – and they and their coaches say they are almost indistinguishable from physically capable athletes.

“The only difference is that the wheelchair fencers sit in a chair,” parafencing program coach Geoff Russell said. “If you look at almost everything from the waist up, it's going to be pretty much the same sport, the same dynamic activity, the same explosiveness.”

Several of the athletes trained by Russell have competed in various competitions, from the local to the national level, with many of them winning awards and gaining recognition for their fencing skills.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Russell said of coaching. “I have them for a period of time, so we keep them moving and everyone learns how to work together and we maximize their time and they have a wonderful support system.”

One of the most important aspects of the Wheelchair Sports Festival to the various participants and organizers is how it helps to provide hope and joy to those who may feel depressed or isolated due to their disability.

“Much [the participants] are newly injured or some of them never knew such activities were happening,” Altamirano said. “And then when they come in and see all these people trying all these different things, they're like, 'Wow, I can do that'.”

For people like Altamirano and Russell, it's especially important that disabled children feel welcome and achieve great things. By participating in sports and other group activities, children become more confident and better aware of their abilities.

“The adults can find their way, but the kids tend to be a little more timid when they come out,” Altamirano said. “But once they start getting involved, they’re just there and smiling. It’s really fun to see their faces.”

“I see them processing ideas about sports, ideas about themselves, just the self-discovery that happens through any sporting activity,” Russell said. “But more than anything, the nature of the fence really brings out people’s personalities.”