USA Paratriathlon is pleased to announce it has been awarded a US$50,000 grant from US Paralympics, a division of the US Olympic Committee (USOC). Through Veterans Affairs and the United States Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sports Program, the grant will help fuel paratriathlon growth among US veterans.
USA Paratriathlon’s primary goal for the program is to develop and host five geographically dispersed, three-day skills camps in the spring and summer of 2013 designed to bring together newly identified veteran paratriathlon recruits, experienced athletes and mentors such as three-time world champion Melissa Stockwell.
Through the camps, USA Paratriathlon aims to expose a minimum of 20 disabled veterans to multisport for the first time, while reinforcing paratriathlon skills and participation among experienced athletes. Outreach activities will be planned in each of USA Triathlon’s 10 regions to recruit at least two athletes per region to attend one of the five camps.
Grant funding to sport organizations is provided through a partnership between the USOC and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The grants are provided to facilitate the growth of Paralympic-sport programming for disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces.
“USA Paratriathlon is thrilled and honoured to receive this grant from US Paralympics and Veterans Affairs,” said USA Triathlon (USAT) High Performance General Manager Andy Schmitz. “This generous grant will play a key role in helping USA Paratriathlon provide a healthy, competitive outlet for our nation’s wounded veterans and potentially identify Paralympic hopeful athletes for 2016 and beyond.”
The grant monies will also be used to pursue excellence through high performance support of disabled veterans who demonstrate Paralympic potential. Travel support for a number of top paratriathletes will be provided to various races and high performance camps in 2013.
For more information on the program, interested parties can contact USA Triathlon’s Paratriathlon Program Manager Amanda Duke at amanda.duke[at]usatriathlon.org. Additional details will be posted on usatriathlon.org when available.
USA Triathlon and USA Paratriathlon note that interest in paratriathlon is at an all-time high, and the sport continues to grow following a December 2010 announcement that it will debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
A leader on the international paratriathlon scene, the United States recently won the medal count at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships with 13 medals.
