Ability 360 offers adaptive exercise, recreation, water and fitness programs that promote the wellbeing of the people in the Valley disability community.
PHOENIX – If you step back from the Olympics, the good news is that the 2020 Paralympic Games are about to begin. They run from August 24th to September 5th and you can follow the whole action in 12 news.
Not only does Arizona have multiple athletes competing, but it is also home to a unique sports and fitness center that helps local Paralympians prepare for Tokyo.
Phoenix’s Ability 360 sports and fitness center also enables people who live in the Valley, like Corey Lovato, to stay active.
After breaking his neck in a snowboarding accident, Lovato wanted to continue his active lifestyle in a wheelchair.
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“That has always been a big part of my life and it’s here,” said Lovato. “It’s really nice to go to the gym and work out.
Lovato values the freedom that the Ability 360 gym offers.
“Roll to one of the machines and start exercising from your chair,” he said.
The non-profit fitness center is open to people with disabilities and their families, senior citizens and military personnel.
Ability 360 is also home to Paralympians who train and work there, said Brielle Carter, senior manager of Ability 360.
“It’s kind of a 360 full circle experience,” Carter said. “We’re giving them the work experience so they can work and train and earn a living and represent Phoenix, Arizona and the United States in Tokyo.”
The fitness center is also a location for local, national, and international adaptive sports events, Carter said.
“We have a youth swim team, a master swim team,” Carter said. “We do water courses, we do adaptive diving, we do adaptive kayaking and paddleboarding, we also have a 35-foot cliff.”
The diverse activities promote health and independence.
For Lovato, who is also an attorney and board member of Ability 360, the gym is a place he’s also busy outside.
“In order to be able to play sports again, you need the strength to do so,” he said. “Training here enables me to do that out there.”
RELATED: Here are the Arizonans taking part in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
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