Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fayetteville-based gym CrossFit Commence hosted a day of Disability Awareness workouts in observance of Disability Pride Month, celebrating adaptive athletes in the community
Disability Pride Month is annually observed in July, coinciding with the month the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted in 1990
CrossFit Commence also works with Hardwired NWA, a local nonprofit organization that helps the gym acquire specialized gym equipment for adaptive athletes, as well as helps fund those adaptive athletes’ gym memberships at CrossFit Commence
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“There’s a lot of gyms that people go to; they’re doing their own workouts, they’ve got their AirPods in, and they’re doing their own thing. Here it’s all about working out side by side,” said Elisabeth Schoch with Hardwired NWA
Schoch is also a coach at CrossFit Commence and noted that the gym has members with a variety of disabilities, including spina bifida, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, congenital disabilities, and spinal cord injuries
“It doesn’t matter your abilities, your athletic stance; anyone can do CrossFit. All we’re doing is finding community. We’re moving our bodies. We’re getting fit for our physical and our mental health. I just want CrossFit Commence to be a welcoming place for anybody,” said Schoch
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Jamie Smith, an adaptive athlete who has been a member at CrossFit Commence for the last three years, joined Commence through a grant program and became a member of the gym after the grant program ended
“I think exercise is important for anybody,” said Smith. “It’s really important now to stay healthy, stay sane, and just a way to function in society. But it’s important for the gyms to incorporate people with disabilities as much as they can, because I think it’s good to see and have the able-bodied athletes working with the people with disabilities because we can inspire each other, we can help each other, and encourage each other.”
Helen Rivera, co-owner of CrossFit Commence, noted that she hopes to host more events like this at Commence in the future
“I think that fitness can be as much or as little as you want it to be,” Rivera said. “We want to break down barriers. And so something is maybe as little as a piece of equipment that can make it accessible should be offered in every opportunity in gym settings.”
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