PARASPORT SPOKANE

Once the Summer Olympics are done, the City of Lights will host the Summer Paralympics August 28-Sept 8th. One of our own, Spokane resident Teresa Skinner will be there to coach them.

Since 2013, Skinner has been the driving force behind local accessible sports for athletes with disabilities. As the founder and Executive Director and a coach for ParaSport Spokane, she has trained athletes who have gone on to compete on the international level.

In July, she was chosen as the 2024 recipient of the Tom McTevia Memorial Award for creating outdoor recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.

She was selected by Team USA to be part of the coaching crew.

Originally from Alaska with a love of sports education and coaching, she studied occupational therapy at Eastern Kentucky University. Her internship at Atlanta’s Shephard Center influenced her career.

She saw first hand how the adaptive sports affected people with spinal cord injuries or TBI’s. As a fierce defender of personal rights and independence, she stayed on in the Inland Northwest and started the first wheelchair rugby team.Through adaptive sports, people with disabilities can change their perception of what they can accomplish independently. ParaSport Spokane was born.

ParaSport Spokane offers year-round cross-sports programs for athletes with disabilities. The programs are offered for free thanks to fundraising, grants and corporate sponsorships. Although a big percentage of people are reluctant to try the sports for the first time, they find their outcome definitely outweighs first time jitters.

Six women with ties to the region have been chosen to the United States Paralympics track and field team, following the team trials in Miramar, Florida.

Let’s give our support! If you want to donate to the ParaSports Spokane non-profit, click here.