NEWS RELEASE
WORLD CHAMPION ATHLETES VISITING SPOFIT
Olympic Gold Medalist Amy Van Dyken, Paralympic World Champions Melissa Stockwell, Scott Hogsett Will Tour, Watch Rowing & Powerlifting, Meet Members
PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 16, 2015): Three world champion athletes, two who train at the Virginia G. Piper Sports and Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities (SpoFit), will take a full tour of the facility, watch rowing and Paralympic power lifting classes and meet SpoFit members from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, March 19.
Swimmer Amy Van Dyken, (@amyvandyken) the first woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games who injured her spinal cord in a 2014 ATV accident; Melissa Stockwell (@MStockwell01), a three-time world champion paratriathlete and Iraq war veteran; and Scott Hogsett, a member of two world champion wheelchair rugby teams, will be joined by United States Olympic Committee board member and Paralympic Advisory Committee Chairman Jim Benson and Vice President, USOC Development Charlie Huebner.
Earlier this year, SpoFit, a Paralympic Sport Club, was designated a silver level member of the U.S. Paralympics Excellence Program for its leadership in athlete development, coaching and programming. SpoFit is a program of Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL).
“There are remarkable athletes at every level training and working out regularly at SpoFit whose determination and drive are inspirational,” said SpoFit Vice President and General Manager Gus LaZear. “Amy, Melissa and Scott are athletes who have achieved success at the highest level and set a standard of excellence that many athletes, whether disabled or able-bodied, aspire to. Having them together at SpoFit to meet with our members is very exciting.”
SpoFit is the only facility of its kind in the Western United States and one of only two in the nation providing exceptional adaptive sports, aquatic and fitness programs that promote independence, health and overall well being of people with disabilities and their family members.
“SpoFit is a world-class facility that offers access to the finest equipment, training and resources,” Huebner said. “Because of SpoFit, the Valley of the Sun has earned a national reputation for supporting, encouraging and advocating for individuals with disabilities who are unwilling to stop moving forward with their lives.”
For more information about SpoFit, visit www.spofit.org.
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ABOUT ARIZONA BRIDGE TO INDEPENDENT LIVING: Arizona Bridge to Independent Living offers and promotes programs designed to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so that they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community. The independent living philosophy states that people with disabilities should have the same civil rights, options, and control over choices in their own lives as do people without disabilities. ABILITY360 is located at 5025 E. Washington St. Ste. 200, Phoenix, AZ 85034. Call 602-256-2245.
ABOUT THE VIRGINIA G. PIPER SPORTS & FITNESS CENTER (SpoFit): The Virginia G. Piper Sports and Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities (SpoFit) is a 45,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility located in Phoenix, Arizona. The SpoFit offers a wide variety of amenities to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. We have a fitness center with wheelchair accessible weight machines, an aquatic area equipped with lifts and elevators, accessible locker rooms, and more! For more information, visit ability360.org/sports.