News

NBC Connecticut
By Jolie Sherman
June 24, 2023

Hundreds of people braved the rain in Wallingford Saturday. Athletes of all abilities participated in what's known as the Gaylord Gauntlet, a 5K obstacle run that celebrates adaptive athletes. These are people who have experienced spinal cord injuries, amputations, strokes or other mobility impairments.

"Some of these adaptive athletes will be either paraplegic or quadriplegic and have certain different levels of strength in their arms. But they may require a wheelchair for parts of the course and their team is there to assist them get through the hard parts," said Steven Holland, race director and Chief Medical [Director] at Gaylord Hospital.

CT Post
By Andy Tsubasa Field
June 18, 2023

SEYMOUR — Chris Pranger was rounding a curve on his motorcylce in October 2021, when he collided head-on with a car and lost his right leg. 

A nearby Seymour police officer saved his life by quickly applying tourniquets to stop bleeding from the missing limb, according to Gaylord Hospital where he did his therapy.

Now, less than two years later he will be among the nearly 1,000 people expected to take part in a 5K trail and obstacle course run this month. 

The Middletown Press
By Andrea Valluzzo
June 19, 2023

DEEP RIVER — Natalie Matarazzo of Deep River may only be 19, but she has already faced a gauntlet and is about to take on another.

One moment she was a high school senior, and, in the blink of an eye, her life changed after a car crash in October 2020 left her with a spinal cord injury and no feeling below her chest. Today, after much intensive therapy at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare that is still ongoing, she has regained some feeling, mobility and independence.

Channel 8 CT Style June 16, 2023 New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) – The Gaylord Gauntlet is coming up on Saturday, June 24th. It’s a 5k trail and obstacle run that raises funds for Connecticut’s largest adaptive sports program. To discuss this exciting event, CT Style Host Natasha Lubczenko got together with Katie Joly, Program Manager of Gaylord Sports Association, and Natalie Matarazzo, Featured Adaptive Athlete participating in this year’s Gaylord Gauntlet. Katie tells our viewers about the event, “It’s a 5k obstacle mud run. It features 24 different obstacles, everything from walls to climb over mud pits, rope walks, even a huge water slide at the end. We also have a festival area with food trucks and music, so it is a super fun day for...

WALLINGFORD, CONN, January 24, 2023 — The Gaylord Sports Association, a program of the nonprofit rehabilitation-focused healthcare system Gaylord Specialty Healthcare and the state's largest provider of adaptive sports programming, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Hartford Wolf Pack Foundation in support of its sled hockey team, The Gaylord Wolfpack. 

 

The Hartford Wolf Pack presented the generous grant to Katie Joly, Program Manager of the Gaylord Sports Association, and Gaylord Wolfpack team members at a recent game.