The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has voted to add eight wheelchair championship events — four for boys and four for girls — to the OHSAA state track and field meet beginning in 2013.
Wheelchair athletes in one boys division and one girls division will compete in the 100 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and shot put. The athletes will wear school uniforms and will be awarded for individual honors.
Track and field is the first sport in which the OHSAA will include wheelchair athletes as part of a state tournament and makes Ohio one of 15 states to do so.
“This is something we have talked about for some time now and I’m thrilled that our board of directors has taken the formal step to make this a reality,” OHSAA Commissioner Daniel B. Ross said.
“The executive committee of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches has worked diligently to finalize the details and establish the parameters, and we are excited that the OHSAA will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on this group of outstanding student-athletes and create lifetime memories for the participants, along with their families, schools and communities.”
During the regular season, wheelchair times in the 100, 400 and 800 and distances in the shot put will be collected by the coaches’ association, with the top eight boys and top eight girls times or distances in each event qualifying for final events at the state meet without regard to the division the participants’ schools are in.
To qualify for the wheelchair events, athletes must have a permanent physical disability and must be verified by a licensed physician. Participants must also meet all OHSAA and school eligibility requirements.
Coaches may not assist athletes in the 100, 400 or 800, and no motorized chairs are permitted. Athletes in the shot put may be assisted by coaches in getting to the competition area and entering and leaving the circle. The coach may also hold down the chair during the throw to prevent excessive movement.
“The impact on the young athletes with physical disabilities participating in this championship will be incredible,” said Charlie Huebner, United States Olympic committee chief of paralympics. “They will be representing their schools and communities in ways that have never been seen in Ohio. I commend the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the state track and field coaches association for making this dream a reality for the athletes participating in paralympic sport.”
Dave Kirk, coach at Chagrin Falls and District 2 representative to the coaches’ association, said between 6,000 and 8,000 junior high and high school kids in Ohio use a wheelchair and will now have the opportunity to be student-athletes.
“The OHSAA jumped on board quickly when we brought this forward,” he said. “During the past year when we have been working on this, every coach we have talked to has said they wish this would have been available awhile ago.”
Jenna Fesemyer, a freshman at Southeast High School who wears a prosthesis on her leg, attended the news conference.
“This is about no man left behind,” she said. “This is the chance for us to compete and be inspired. I am very excited to watch this happen.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
