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Triumph Foundation will host Santa Clarita festival for disabled adults and youth
Daily News - 3/26/2024
As a paraplegic who this month finished his first L.A. Marathon riding a handcycle, Walter Escamilla looks forward to another important event in support of individuals with disabilities.
The 11th Annual Wheelchair Sports Festival hosted by the Triumph Foundation on April 27 and 28 in Santa Clarita will feature wheelchair hockey, basketball, quad rugby, racquetball, handcycling, scuba, tennis, baseball, yoga, a resource fair and art workshops. Visitors will be offered the experience of scuba diving in a heated dive pool.
“Anything I can do, I will do it — just to challenge myself and most importantly to show others who just got injured that there’s life after injury,” said Escamilla, who is a lead ambassador, equipment and handcycling technician at the Valencia-based Triumph Foundation.
Triumph Foundation helped him bounce back from depression, he added, after a car accident that left him paraplegic about 16 years ago.
“We worked together and held support groups to help other patients — like myself — to triumph over disability and show them everything that is possible,” said the father of two, who lives in Palmdale.
The goal of the two-day April event is to introduce wheelchair sports to more people and increase awareness of those who live with disabilities. Coaches and instructors will be available to teach guests the games.
In previous years, the festival attracted nearly 900 guests from all over the country, according to Escamilla.
Participants under the age of 16 who use a wheelchair can register for Youth Camp and get a tour of the event and a designated time to play each sport. Lunch and snacks will be available to all guests.
On Sunday, April 28, guests can attend the awards ceremony, where participants will receive the Athlete of the Year, Most Improved, and Outstanding Volunteer awards.
Visitors can register for the event at eventbrite.com.
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