Wheelchair Palooza is a wheelchair user focused event that came through the dreams of a of mothers of children with Spina Bifida in Utah. Aaron Fotheringham, aka “Wheelz”, is the event headliner, along with Utah WCMXer Kyle Marchant, and Utah adaptive organizations. Individuals and families are invited to come drop into the skatepark, interact with others, and ask a panel questions about being wheelchair users. This is the 4th time that the event will occur. It brings participants from the Uintah basin, northern Utah, and a few from central Utah. It continues to grow and help introduce individuals of all abilities to adaptive sports. Dinner will be provided. Come join us Saturday September 7, 2024, from 4-8pm at Bluffdale Skatepark.
Day Ranch Park, Bluffdale Skatepark, and Pumptrack
Holiday Sale
The area surrounding the skatepark is a great, multi-functional area including; a large field, a pump track, pickleball courts, accessible bathrooms, large parking lot, and an all inclusive playground on the far side (a block away). Check out some adaptive play at the playground (video takes you to tiktok): https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNLn3hPJ/
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2022 at Woodward Park City, UT
It is so exciting for the event to be taking place at Woodward this year. Firstly, the location is a nice change for many adaptive events. Having an event outside of the Salt Lake Valley helps show the individuals that don’t live there that we care about them attending as well, and try to make it closer to them. Woodward is an excellent location with the unique feature that they have an indoor and outdoor skatepark. In the past we have only used an outdoor skatepark. Also, Woodward attracts a crowd of dedicated outdoor BMXers along with skiers, snowboarders, and mountain bikers. This will help individuals with disabilities break more into this community within Utah. It will also show other communities that wheelchair users are interested in high competition sports. I am excited to see how much more attendees we will have this year. The event is scheduled at the tail end of a conference that is taking place in Salt Lake City. It is also following up many activities that have included multiple adaptive organizations. As we continue to work, we are becoming a more cohesive adaptive nation in Utah.
Origin Story
Wheelchair Palooza came through the dreams of a group of mothers of children with Spina Bifida in Utah. They enjoyed playdates and events that occurred within their Spina Bifida group, but wanted to provide something a little bigger where more wheelchair users could gather and connect After learning about Aaron Fotheringham, aka “Wheelz”, who is a Nitro Circus performer, they reached out to see if he would be interested in showing off his skills at a skatepark in Sandy, Utah. Along with Wheelz, they reached out to other adults in the area that either had Spina Bifida or were involved within the Utah wheelchair community. They also h taught some mini classes and held a panel for Q&As from the community. All of it centered around helping parents raise their children that use wheelchairs. The event was such a success, bringing together over 50 children to learn how to enjoy the skatepark on a wheelchair and learn more about resources in their community.
by Amanda King
Edited by Stephanie Medelin
