Here are some more sports for adult athletes with disabilities:
_Quad rugby. Quad Rugby is headquartered at 101 Park Place Circle, Alabaster, Ala. 35007. To watch it, one would think it's a combination of soccer, football, and a demolition derby. The sport is essentially played by handing a ball off to another player who is using a wheelchair. To score, the ball has to be in a player's full possession with two of the four wheels from the player's chair having crossed the goal line. The season usually starts around October and culminates in April with a national tournament. There are about 45 teams from 34 states. Among the major competitors include Alabama's Cliff Chunn, Tennessee's Eddie Crouch, Alabama's Leslie Walker, and California's Luz Ayella.
_Road racing. This sport is also known to many as wheelchair racing and has events and associations all over the country. One of its major organizers is called Wheelchair Athletics USA, 2351 Parkwood Road, Snellville, GA 30039. Events are held all across the country. This year, the nationals will be held in Atlanta July 7-8. Among America's top competitors in this sport include Georgia's Scot Hollenbeck, Louisiana's Josh Brunies, Illinois' Jean Driscoll and Florida's Leeann Shannon. Hollenbeck, by the way, holds a 10K course record at 19.50 minutes in his racing chair.
_Sailing. The 1998 World Disabled Sailing Championship will be held Aug. 6-12 in Newport, R.I.; serving as hosts will be Shake-A-Leg Newport and the New York Yacht Club. Teams will be racing in 23-foot keelboats in Narragansett Bay. Sailing, by the way, will be in the 2000 Paralympic Games. Among America's top-ranked sailors include Rhode Island's Paul Callahan, New York's Kevin Burhans and Pennsylvania's Richard Hughes. More information on the sport itself: World Disabled Sailing Championship, 200 Harrison Ave., Newport, RI 02840.
_Softball. Try the National Wheelchair Softball Association at 612-437-1792. There is also the One Arm Bandits softball team, 9470 SW 31st Terrace, Miami, FL 33165. The Bandits play in the Cuban-American Softball League, modified-C division, from generally January-September. One of its better-known players is Victor Rosario.
_Surfing. What's summer without the beach? Try getting in touch with Richard Spittler at the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program, 830 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94710. Spittler also says there's an informal group of surfers with various disabilities in the Santa Cruz, Calif., area as well. For that group, try Liz De Franchesco, 408-267-0200.
_Swimming and diving. There are numerous events across around the country for people with a variety of disabilities. The list here is simply too long to include all. But to contact those participating in these particular sporting areas (not to mention many of the other sports listed, of course) try the following:
American Athletic Association of the Deaf, 3607 Washington Blvd., Suite 4, Ogden, UT 84403; U.S. Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association, 200 Harrison Ave., Newport, RI 02840; Disabled Sports USA, 851 Hungerford Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20850; Dwarf Athletic Association of America, 418 Willow Way, Lewisville, TX 75067; Wheelchair Sports USA, 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite L-1, Colorado Springs, CO 80910; Special Olympics International, 1325 G St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20005; and the US Association for Blind Athletes, 33 Institute St., Colorado Springs, CO.80903.
_Tennis. The Wheelchair Tennis Players Association runs its tournament schedule from May until October, according to U.S. Tennis Association communications coordinator Brian Walker. The main open will be held Oct. 10-18 in Irvine, Calif. While there are several tour stops, another big event will be held June 17 at the USTA's National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, NY. Among America's top-ranked tennis players include California's Chip Parmelly, Texas' Steve Welch, Alabama's Scott Douglas, California's Sharon Clark and Nevada's Patty Rollison. More information on tickets, events, camps and clinics: USTA/WTPA, 70 W. Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604.
_Track and field. The season generally runs in the warmer months from June until September with meets all over the country in a variety of sports from discus throws to the distance races. Among some of the elite athletes here include California's Candace Cable and Georgia's Scot Hollenbeck, who both participate in track and field. For more information on the tour and the sports: Wheelchair Athletics, 3595 E. Fountain Blvd., Suite L-1, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80910.
_Volleyball. There is the Wheelchair Volleyball Association and there have been at least two tournaments, Operation Brightside in Louisville, Ky., and another called the World Chicken Festival Volleyball Tournament. Among the top athletes in this sport are Lynda Anders, Doug Blankenship, Marcee Hopper and Greg Queen. More information: 606-528-6237.
_Waterskiing. The American Water Ski Association, 799 Overlook Drive, Winter Haven FL 33884. The major event is the Disabled Nationals, which will be held Aug. 5-8 in Birmingham, Ala. The sport has tournaments and events all over the country. Major American competitors include Stephany Glassing and Chet Kuskowski.
While this is by no means a complete list, it is designed to give you a place to start. Keep in mind, there are also sporting organizations for those with a multitude of disabilities within a particular sport. For example, there's an association of golfers with amputations as well as golfers with visual impairments.
And if you can't find a major tournament site for a particular sport you're interested in or find the sport itself in an area near you, one of the best places to start tracking down an activity is a book called, ``The Directory of National Information Sources on Disability,'' put out by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. The two-volume source guide has a separate sports category. For more information write to Editor, ``Sources on Disability,'' USDE, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, D.C.
If that doesn't help you out, try a sporting magazine in Phoenix called Sports and Spokes, 2111 E. Highland, Phoenix, AZ 85016, as well as another source, ``Guide to Wheelchair Sports and Recreation,'' from the Paralyzed Veterans of America, 801 18th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20006.
Still another starting point is an organization called Disabled Sports USA. Telephone that group at 301-217-0960. Also try the Far West Wheelchair Athletic Association, 5730 Chambertin Drive, San Jose, CA 95118. And finally here's another starting point: Wheelchair Athletics of the USA, 3595 W. Fountain Blvd., Suite L-1, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80910.
(c) 1998, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
