NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (August 9, 2012) – Hospital for Special Care (HSC) announced today that it will kick off its Hospital for Special Care Ivan Lendl Adaptive Sports Camp on Monday, August 13, 2012 at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.
Now in its 22nd year, the adaptive sports camp is the only one of its kind in New England and is offered free-of-charge to children living with physical disabilities between the ages of 6 and 19. The camp will take place from Monday, August 13 through Friday, August 17 this year.
“Instruction in sports such as tennis, swimming, basketball, soccer and track & field is offered by experienced coaches and athletes also living with physical disabilities,” said Janet Connolly, MS, CTRS, Sports & Community Programs Manager, HSC. “The camp provides role models for children living with physical disabilities, the opportunity to build self-esteem, life-long friendships and the pursuit of athletic achievement.”
Janeace Slifka, the mother of a child living with a physical disability, developed and coordinated the first camp in 1991, with the help and support of tennis legend Ivan Lendl. The camp attracts campers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont, with more than 40 campers signing up last year.
Ivan Lendl will be on-site at the camp to meet and participate with this year’s campers. Lendl is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. He was one of the game’s most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. Lendl captured eight Grand Slam singles titles and competed in 19 Grand Slam singles finals.
For more information about HSC’s Ivan Lendl Adaptive Sports Camp, please call 860.832.6220, or visit www.hfsc.org.
