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what's on my mind

The healing power of sports

BY MICHAEL DELUCA

In March 1999, Sean Gjos, a student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, played his last ice hockey game. A fall crushed his 11th thoracic vertebra and damaged his spinal cord, leaving him without use of his legs and little feeling below his waist. He was paralyzed. The tragedy — and the overwhelming response of his friends to his plight — has given the UCLA campus community a way to help support the rehabilitation of individuals injured while participating in sports or athletic recreation.

Sean’s friends formed a nonprofit organization, Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation Endowment (SCORE), which helps people like him cope with the emotional trauma and economic costs of injury. SCORE also raises money for research that may lead to a cure for paralysis. The organization’s goals are to facilitate rehabilitation and independent living and promote activity-based mentoring.

Through athletics, SCORE provides disabled people with a safe environment where they can be physically, mentally and emotionally challenged — where they can regain self-confidence and find new enthusiasm about life and a new sense of accomplishment. Given the chance to ski, play tennis or fence, people with spinal cord injuries can live life beyond their perceived physical limitations.

Following in SCORE’s footsteps, the Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs (UCLA Recreation) has taken measures to expand its scope and services into adaptive and therapeutic recreation. We are adapting sports and recreational programs so that individuals with disabilities can participate. We are also developing a strategic partnership with SCORE and exploring partnership opportunities with the Office for Students with Disabilities.

Our goal is to improve the quality of life for all UCLA students and community members. So we’ve made a commitment to provide innovative services, assistive technology and educational resources to people with disabilities (physical or developmental) or a special health need.

Whether it’s access to outdoor recreation such as kayaking, or other programs, our recreation team is making sure individuals with disabilities have the knowledge and skills to safely participate. We’re also providing the equipment and resources to help individuals achieve greater functional independence in recreational activity.

For example, over the last two years, Jane Shevtsov, a UCLA student with cerebral palsy and little control over her upper body, has been learning to climb the Rock Wall at the John Wooden Recreation Center, thanks largely to private instruction by our staff.

Over the past few months, Jane has also taken up kayaking through programs at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center. Equipment was developed so that Jane can paddle the boat with her feet. She is thrilled to be on water. Recently, seven disabled participants, 10 UCLA kayak instructors and several volunteers from SCORE also participated in kayaking at the center.

As for Sean, he graduated from Anderson in the spring of 1999 with an M.B.A. He is now the director of business development at a Los Angeles-based high-tech company. He can often be found on the tennis courts or riding his handcycle down the Santa Monica boardwalk.

Deluca is director of cultural and recreational affairs.