CSU, Chico News

More than 100 students from the North State will visit California State University, Chico on Friday, Nov. 8 for the Third Annual Adapted Physical Education Sports day.

Teachers, parents and guardians will accompany students from Butte, Glenn, Tehama, Shasta, Sutter and Yuba counties as they attend the sports day in Acker Gym. The students have hearing, orthopedic and other low-incidence disabilities. More than 29 sports events will be set up and run by CSU, Chico students working on Adapted Physical Education Specialist credentials. These students are future teachers who will work in special education programs in the public schools.

The Adapted Physical Education Sports Day was started three years ago as a result of a request from adapted physical education teachers in the North State. This sports day is one of the only events in the North State for students with low incidence disabilities. These students could be future participants in the Paralympics, but not Special Olympics, which is specifically for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The sports day provides an opportunity for students to discover new skills, participate in both competitive and cooperative events and challenge themselves to discover their own limits.

Last year 289 people participated in the sports day: 23 parents, 81 university students, 67 teachers/aids/interpreters, 28 high school students, and 90 athletes.

Although all of the events are run by students taking classes within the adapted physical education program, other students from a variety of classes and programs assist: athletic training, nursing, recreation therapy, exercise physiology and teacher education. For the first time, students from the Freshman Honors Program will volunteer.

“The most exciting part of the day for me is seeing all of the student athletes from the schools having an opportunity to be challenged,” said Professor Rebecca Lytle of the adapted physical education program. “It is also gratifying to see university students in adapted PE classes begin to apply and understand the concepts we have been learning in class. At the end of the semester, many of them share that this was one of the most significant learning experiences of the entire semester.”

The Department of Physical Education and Exercise Physiology and the Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports Program support the program. For more information, contact Professor Lytle at 530-898-4298.

APE Sports Day Schedule
9:00 a.m. Participants check in to Acker Gym and begin activities
9:15 a.m. Opening ceremonies: music, dance routine, juggler
10:00 a.m. Team sports begin in Acker Gym and on-going events in Shurmer Gym
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sack lunch in designated eating areas
12:30 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Closing ceremonies

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 6th, 2002 at 10:26 am and is filed under 2002 Fall.