BlazeSports recognized with Rings of Gold Award for its youth programs
John Grimsley of Gainesville is the only student at his high school in a wheelchair. But when he plays basketball and tennis, he’s among friends who can relate to his disability.
Everyone plays on wheels for BlazeSports teams.
The 15-year-old high school freshman began playing wheelchair basketball for BlazeSports at age 9, and then wheelchair tennis three years ago. He still participates in both, and has his sights set on wheelchair tennis in college and, hopefully, as a professional.
“John was always very athletic, always had a ball in his hands, so we knew (BlazeSports) would be a fun new thing for him,” his mom, Mary Grimsley, said. “We just had no idea how great it would be.”
The nonprofit adaptive sports program based in Norcross is also great for parents.
Grimsley said friendships and comradery formed among other families are more important than the sporting events.
“The sports are wonderful, but we talk a lot about medical issues, surgery and give encouragement to help each other get through everything that’s coming our way. It’s really been incredible,” Grimsley said.
BlazeSports is recognized as having the nation’s best adaptive sports program for kids.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee presented the organization with its 2025 Rings of Gold Award as the top program for helping children develop their Olympic or Paralympic dreams.
BlazeSports also received the award in 2016 and 2017, making it the only three-time recipient.
The award is recognition that adaptive sports matter as much as able-bodied sports, said Dawn Churi, BlazeSports executive director.
It also says “job well done to everyone,” she added.
“One of the driving forces that we think about and work on every single day is that adaptive athletes should have the same access to quality, diversity and availability of programs equal to those who don’t have disabilities,” Churi said.
Each year, more than 1,000 children ages 6-18 participate in Blaze’s wheelchair basketball, track and field, swimming and tennis programs. There are also programs for adults and veterans.
One of the newest youth programs is BlazeTots, which focuses on active play and healthy eating for young children with disabilities.
Blaze instructors operate a six-week BlazeTots program in child care centers, then turn it over to an in-house instructor to continue. More than 40 centers and 500 children participated this year.
“It’s such a powerful opportunity to teach independence, improve health, self-advocacy, all the things that happen outside the playing field or court,” Churi said. “We kick ourselves when we only discover an athlete when they’re 12 or 13.”
Jason Joines of Woodstock coaches the youth varsity wheelchair basketball team. His son, Josh, first played in the basketball program at age 13 and went on to play wheelchair basketball on scholarship at the University of Illinois.
Josh Joines is now working at his dream job in the University of Illinois athletic department.
Joines continues to coach at BlazeSports because of the life lessons that competitive athletics teaches — winning gracefully, working with others to meet a goal and learning to take direction from a boss someday.
“It’s all about helping these kids learn life skills that they can take and be fully functioning members of society. That’s what keeps bringing me back,” he said.
Joines said many young athletes come into the program without life goals beyond high school until “we start showing them what being independent means,” he said.
Churi said 100% of BlazeSports’ participants graduate from high school, 90% attend college and 70% participate in collegiate adaptive sports.
The organization offers Paralympic and collegiate tracks for athletes who want to keep competing.
“Not everybody will play in college, but coaches provide that level of training,” Churi said.
Coaches are all volunteers and include a Paralympian in track who wants to give back to the sport, U.S. Tennis Association wheelchair athletes, former Blaze athletes and parents.
“They share the mission to give their time to create spaces where youth with disabilities can dream big, build confidence and play at whatever they want to,” Churi said.
BlazeSports has been a leader in adaptive sports for almost 30 years.
The organization was formed in 1993 as the legacy organization for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. It was the first time the same city hosted the Olympics and Paralympics, a requirement now.
“It’s really special for the Atlanta community to understand how big we are in this adaptive sports movement,” Churi said. “That’s where Blaze was born.”
