{"id":4791,"date":"2019-10-25T08:24:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T15:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/?p=4791"},"modified":"2019-10-25T08:24:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T15:24:44","slug":"michelle-bautista-student-athlete-proves-life-on-wheels-has-no-boundaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/michelle-bautista-student-athlete-proves-life-on-wheels-has-no-boundaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Athletes Prove Life on Wheels Has No Boundaries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Meet Riley Phelps<\/strong><br \/> A single look at Riley Phelps\u2019 activity schedule is exhausting. Whether she\u2019s hitting the slopes in Mammoth with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (with brother Evan snowboarding by her side), surfing the waves in La Jolla, or cheering on the Chieftains as part of the Clairemont High School Cheer Team, you can bet she is not idle. <br \/><br \/> Riley\u2019s mom, Cheryl, doesn\u2019t consider afterschool programs to be exclusively for typical kids, so when cheer tryouts came around, Riley just rolled on in. Next thing you know, she was cheering at home games as a member of the varsity squad. Riley practices with a 1:1 aide after school, who also helps her perform parts in high school plays. Without Riley\u2019s extracurricular endeavors, she was often seen as the little blonde girl in the purple wheelchair. <br \/><br \/> \u201cWe constantly hear, \u2018I didn\u2019t know she can do that,\u2019\u201d says Cheryl. \u201cIt increases awareness of Riley\u2019s abilities.\u201d <br \/><br \/> Riley\u2019s dad Drew, an avid outdoorsman, connects with both kids through surfing and skiing, which also keep the family in top physical shape. \u201cRiley maintains a vast social network online until she can rekindle those relationships at events,\u201d says Drew. \u201cEvery organization brings new friends. We get to know the parents and Evan gets to know the siblings.\u201d Families connect through various programs to build a network of support for their athletes. <br \/><br \/> Riley\u2019s parents decided early on that in order for both kids to enjoy the best of San Diego, they were going to need the right equipment. Riley is one of many kids supported by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), which provides grants for adaptive sports equipment, including her big-wheeled beach chair, adaptive surfboard and a special three-wheeled bicycle. Riley and Evan regularly participate in fun runs for CAF and fundraisers that provide equipment for Riley and other athletes to participate in sports programs in San Diego County. <br \/><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Angelo-sanchez.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4918\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Angelo-sanchez.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/michelle-bautista-student-athlete-proves-life-on-wheels-has-no-boundaries\/angelo-sanchez\/\" class=\"wp-image-4918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Angelo-sanchez.jpg 700w, https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Angelo-sanchez-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><strong>Meet Angelo \u201cTigershark\u201d\nSanchez<br \/>\n<\/strong>Ten-year-old\nAngelo \u201cTigershark\u201d Sanchez is an off-road beast who nabbed a national record\nin the 1,500-meter race in his <em>everyday<\/em>\nchair. He is one of only two pediatric wheelchair athletes to compete in the\nSpartan Kid Races: tough, muddy obstacle competitions that challenge kids to\nuse every muscle to complete them. He has finished three and earned the coveted\nTrifecta. Angelo has benefitted from grants from Challenged Athletes Foundation\nand Kelly Brush Foundation \u2014 both helped provide specialized equipment so he\ncould compete. <br \/><br \/>\nThe nickname Tigershark emerged after Angelo insisted he felt just as much at\nhome in the water (shark) as on land (tiger). The Life Rolls On and Stoked for\nLife Foundations have provided ample opportunities for Angelo to surf and raise\nawareness since age 2. <br \/><br \/>\nAngelo competes in nine land and water sports, but he\u2019s not all brawn \u2014 he also\nchoreographs and performs graceful dance routines with his sister Gracie. They\nperform with the Wheelchair Dancer Organization and in school assemblies that raise\ninclusion awareness, which their dad Mike helps organize. In these events,\nstudents learn about disabilities and participate in an all-abilities flash\nmob. In Mike\u2019s \u201cWheelchair for a Day\u201d events, typical students are encouraged\nto try out a chair and brave a simple wheelchair obstacle course. <br \/><br \/>\nWith his sights set on the Paralympic Games, there is nothing holding Angelo\nback. At age 4 he told his parents, \u201cWhen someone says I\u2019m too little or I\ndon\u2019t look that strong, or I hear people whisper, \u2018How will he complete this?\nHe\u2019s in a wheelchair!\u2019 it makes me want to show them that I can do it.\u201d Angelo\u2019s\n\u201cjust watch me\u201d attitude fuels motivation. He never quits or lets perceived\nlimitations get in the way\n<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"741\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/michelle-Batista-741x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/michelle-Batista-741x1024.jpg 741w, https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/michelle-Batista-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/michelle-Batista-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/michelle-Batista.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><strong>Meet Michelle Bautista<br \/><\/strong>Michelle Bautista, our cover girl on the 2014 issue of <em>Flourishing Families<\/em>, is killing it on the courts. Her Adaptive Sports and Recreation Association (ASRA) wheelchair basketball team, San Diego Hammer, went to nationals last year and expects to move forward from regionals again this year. Michelle, a freshman at Valhalla High School, has been a member of ASRA\u2019s basketball program for 10 years. As a small forward, her job is just as much defense as it is offense. A wheelchair team has five players on the court. Michelle must drive and guard the ball, shoot from long distances, and defend and steal the ball as the other team drives. <br \/> <br \/> Michelle\u2019s experience has enhanced her social game as she builds connections with other teams and national coaches, most notably at the University of Arizona\u2019s summer basketball camp. The women\u2019s team coach introduced Michelle to collegiate level play to prepare for that next big step, as team participation really helps with the social aspect of transitioning to college.<br \/> <br \/> Michelle\u2019s participation in sports not only maintains a balance of physical and mental health, it also helps teach others that every sport is for everyone, regardless of ability. <br \/> <br \/> <em>Flourishing Families<\/em> is committed to maintaining an ever-growing list of recreational opportunities for students with physical challenges, as well as intellectual and developmental delay. Visit the Recreation sections of <em>Flourishing Families<\/em> to discover programs: Find the <a href=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/special-needs-resource-list-san-diego\/recreation\/\">San Diego listing here<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/special-needs-resource-list-imperial-valley\/\">Imperial County listing here<\/a>. <br \/> <br \/> <em>Emily Dolton is a local mom and resource parent.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet Riley Phelps A single look at Riley Phelps\u2019 activity schedule is exhausting. Whether she\u2019s hitting the slopes in Mammoth with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra (with brother Evan snowboarding by her side), surfing the waves in La Jolla, or cheering on the Chieftains as part of the Clairemont High School Cheer Team, you can bet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4791","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-info","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/specialneedsresourcefoundationofsandiego.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}