The Sports Association of Gaylord Hospital supports disabled sports teams and clubs throughout Connecticut. The association encourages people with physical disabilities to participate in sports and to experience new sporting activities.
The Sports Association staff organizes and manages disabled sports teams, tournaments and Discovery Nights for many sports. Persons with physical disabilities are welcome to participate and join the teams.
The Sports Association is a proud member of Disabled Member of Disabled Sports USA.
Teams
Connecticut Jammers Quad Rugby Team
The state’s only quad rugby team, the Jammers compete in tournaments throughout the United States. The team provides new competitive opportunities for athletes with quadriplegia. The Connecticut Jammers is a member of the United States Quad Rugby Association.
Gaylord Tennis Team
The Gaylord Tennis Team competes on the hospital’s new courts and travels throughout New England.
Clubs
Alpine Ski Club
Members go on six trips to Pico Mountain in Vermont to learn and enjoy adaptive skiing techniques. Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sport assist members of the ski club.
Handcycling Club
The club hosts a number of rides throughout the state for members.
Other Activities
Teaching Clinics
Teaching clinics provide participants with a safe, supervised, supportive setting in which to learn or re-learn sports skills. Clinics include:
- Tennis
- Archery
- Golf
- Kayaking
- Discovery Nights
Discovery Nights introduce people with disabilities to a new sport through an educational demonstration from an expert in the field. Resources are also provided so people may independently pursue the sport. Topics include:
- Quad Rugby
- Wheelchair Tennis
- Kayaking
- Skiing
- Scuba Diving
- Sailing
- Handcycling
- Gaylord Road Race
A five-mile road race for people of all ages and abilities, the Gaylord Road Race features a wheelchair championship race that begins and ends on the hospital’s main campus in Wallingford. Trophies are awarded to the top three male and female winners in each category. Prizes go to the top overall finishers for men, women and wheelchair.
Gaylord Sports Association Banquet
Every May, the Sports Association honors its disabled sports athletes, coaches and volunteers at a banquet. During the dinner, two individuals who have contributed to the advancement of wheelchair sports in Connecticut are awarded the Challenger Medal and inducted into the association’s Wall of Fame.
Gaylord Hospital Open (GHO)
Each year, golfers with disabilities are invited to join in a 9-hole golf tournament at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford.
Contact Information
Learn more about the Sports Association through the Director or call (203) 284-2772. Feel free to request the latest issue of the association’s newsletter, Bearings. Remember to include your name and mailing address.
To get involved, volunteer or make a donation to the Sports Association, or if you would like to receive a copy of our newsletter, contact:
Todd Munn, CTRS
Director, Sports Association
Gaylord Hospital
P.O. Box 400
Wallingford, CT 06492
Remember to include your name and mailing address.