National Junior Disability Championships

Main article: Wheelchair Sports, USA

National Junior Disability Championships

Abbreviation	NJDC
First event	1984 (1984)
Occur every	Happens every year
Purpose	Sports for disabled people
Headquarters	St. Peters, Missouri, USA
Operation Manager	Ralph Armento
Website	www.njdc.net

The National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC) is an annual Olympic-style sports competition for physically disabled youth, including (but not limited to) those with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, amputees, visually impaired/blind, dwarfism, and any other similar physical disabilities that impede movement/the ability to participate in non-adapted sportswas. NJDC has become one of the largest junior sporting competitions held in the United State for youth with physical disabilities. Held each year in a different city/state of the United States, NJDC attracts more than 250 athletes from all over the United States including several foreign countries.

Typically, competitions are held in track, field events (javelin, shotput, discus, club, softball throw), weightlifting, table tennis, archery, swimming, and sometimes boccia and 3-on-3 basketball.

Athletes can be from 7 – 21 years of age. Several Paralympic athletes started their career as competitors at the NJDC.

History

Junior disabled athlete Joey Chiavaroli, at the 2004 NJDC in Mesa, Arizona

Founded in 1984 by the Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA, witch held the first games in July of that year, with only three events The games are held every year in different host city in the United States. Each year Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA, who sanctions NJDC selects a host organization, who bids for or request to host NJDC in their home city the following year.

Athletic events offered annually

Archery

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Powerlifting
The NJDC powerlifting competition or weightlifting competition consists of both power and bench styles. Participants taking part in ether the powerlifting or bench weightlifting competitions compete together in the same weight and age classes. The individual athlete's disability is not taken into consideration in determining the individual's classification placement. For example Ambulatory athletes can compete against wheelchair athletes in their respected age a weight categories.

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Swimming
The NJDC swimming competition offers both individual and relay events consisting of two swim courses, the swimming long course and the swimming short course. The events are listed as follows:

Swimming short course events

• Individual: 75IM, 100IM, 25 Breast, 25 Free, 25 Back, 25 Fly, 4X25 Free, and 4X25 Medley
• Relay: 200yd Free Relay, and 200 yd. Medley Relay

Swimming long course events

• Individual: 200m, 150IM, 200IM, 400IM, 100free, 50breast, 100breast, 50free, 50back, 100back, 200back, 50fly, 100fly, 200fly, 4X50free, 4Xmedley, and 400Free.

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Table Tennis
Athletes participating in the NJDC table tennis competition compete according to skill level not disability. For example a wheelchair athlete can be paired up with a amblatory athlete opponent. The NJDC table tennis classifications ternament events are as follows:

• Individual
• Open
• Doubles
• Open novice play

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Track & Field (Athltics)
The NJDC Track and Field competition consist of both Ambulatory and Wheelchair events. Both the Ambullatory and wheelchair track events are held together based on event race. Typically, wheelchair athletes race together, preceded by the ambulatory athletes. The track events are listed as follows:

• Track events: 60m, 800m, 20m, 100m, 200m, 5000m, 400m 1500m, Relays, & 100m Open

The NJDC field events are organized into two categories field events for Ambulatory athletes and field events for wheelchair athletes, which are held separate from each other usually on different days. The field evemts are listed as follows:

• Ambulatory field events: discus, club throw, high jump, long jump, triple jump,javelin, softball throw, and shotput.
• Wheelchair field events: discus, club throw, javelin, shotput, and softball throw.

Athletic events offered occasionally

Exhibitions

Boccia

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Hand Cycling
At NJDC, the hand cycling exhibition is event the offers particients the opportunity to try out hand cycling bike. Hand cycling bikes are usually provided by the event sponsoring organization or local adaptive sports/athletic organization. The hand cycling exhibition has been held as part of NJDC 2010 Deerfield, IL and NJDC 2014 Ames, Iowa.

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Sitting volleyball
Sitting volleyball premiered for the first time at the 2013 NJDC in Rochester, Minnesota as a demonstration social event, led by former Paralympian Deb Vosler. The goal of the demonstration was to have youth learn to work together as team in a social setting while learning a completely new adaptive team sport at the same time.

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Wheelchair Basketball 3-on-3
NJDC Wheelchair Basketball 3-on-3 is a wheelchair basketball tournament utilizing half court play and consisting of three wheelchair athletes per team. The tournament was last held at the 2010 NJDC Games in Deerfield and Lake Forest, Illinois.

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Clinics

Wheelchair Track Clinic
The Wheelchair Track Clinic or Track Camp is a two day wheelchair racing track clinic held in partnership with Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). The clinic is led by Adam Bleakney, Head Coach, Wheelchair Track & Road Racing, at the University of Illinois. During the clinic, participants work on the following aspects of wheelchair racing:

• Top Speed & SS Acceleration (asphalt and/or tail)
• Rolling Acceleration
• Stroke Mechanics Goal Setting Session
• Lactate & Speed Reserve
• SS & Endurance & Stamina
• Equipment Race Tactics

The Wheelchair Tack Clinic was last held at the 2015 NJDC held in Union County, New Jersey

Past host cities

Edition	Year	Location city / county / state	Venues	Host
1st	1984	Delaware
2nd	1985	Fishersville, Virginia
3rd	1986	Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
4th	1987	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	Rider College	Children's Specialized Hospital
5th	1988	Johnson City, Tennessee	East Tennessee State University
6th	1989	Cupertino, California	De Anza College
7th	1990	Ft. Collins, Colorado	Colorado State University
8th	1991	Princeton, New Jersey	Princeton University	Children's Specialized Hospital
9th	1992	Orlando, Florida	Walt Disney World
10th	1993	Columbus, Ohio	Ohio State University
11th	1994	Edmond, Oklahoma	University of Central Oklahoma
12th	1995	Ft. Collins, Colorado	Colorado State University
13th	1996	Birmingham, Alabama	Samford University	Lakeshore Foundation
14th	1997	Mesa, Arizona	Mesa High School
15th	1998	Bellevue, Washington
16th	1999	Albuquerque, New Mexico
17th	2000	San Jose, California	San Jose State University	City of San Jose
18th	2001	Piscataway, New Jersey	Rutgers University	Children's Specialized Hospital
19th	2002	New London, Connecticut	Connecticut College
20th	2003	New London, Connecticut	Connecticut College
21st	2004	Mesa, Arizona	Mountain View High School
22nd	2005	Tampa, Florida	New Tampa YMCA University of South Florida	Shriners Hospital, Tampa
23rd	2006	Tampa, Florida	Freedom High School New Tampa YMCA	Shriners Hospital, Tampa
24th	2007	Spokane, Washington	Spokane Area	Spokane Adaptive Sports
25th	2008	Piscataway, New Jersey	Rutgers University	Children's Specialized Hospital
26th	2009	St. Louis, Missouri	St. Louis Area	DASA - Disability Athlete Sports Association
27th	2010	Deerfield and Lake Forest, Illinois	Deerfield High School Hyatt Deerfield Lake Forest High School	GLASA - Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association
28th	2011	Saginaw, Michigan	Saginaw State University	TSWAA - Tri-State Wheelchair Athletic Association
29th	2012	Mesa, Arizona	Mesa Community College	Arizona Disabled Sports
30th	2013	Rochester, Minnesota	Century High School Rochester Recreation Center UCR Regional Sports Center	Rochester Amateur Sports Commission
31st	2014	Ames, Iowa	Cyclone Sports Complex Gateway Hotel and Conference Center Iowa State University	Adaptive Sports Iowa Iowa State University Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau
32nd	2015	Union County, New Jersey	Union County, NJ Park System Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel - Iselin, NJ	Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at Children's Specialized Hospital Tri-State Wheelchair and Amputee Athletics (TSWAA)

External links

• Official website
• http://www.tswaa.com/2009%20NJDC.htm - Official website of the NJDC 2009
• http://www.njdc2010.org/ - Official website of the NJDC 2010
• http://2012njdc.blogspot.com/ - Official website of the NJDC 2012
• http://www.njdc2013.com/ - Official website of the NJDC 2013
• http://www.njdc2014.com/ - Official website of the NJDC 2014
• http://www.njdc2015nj.com - Official website of the NJDC 2015