Wednesday, November 20, 2019 

 

For my Capstone project, I am interested in volunteering at Oak Hill Adaptive Sports and Gym. I first heard about them from my sister, who was really fascinated about the equipment and opportunities they offer to those that are disabled. While my situation is not even as severe as some of the cases of the members of this gym, I really have a soft spot for how strong these people are and their efforts to defy the odds. I am thinking about doing a wheelchair basketball game because Paul Weiland, the sports coordinator, loves playing this sport, he has the resources to play, and he has people who are interested in playing. Personally, I can barely play basketball, but I would be interested in learning how to play wheelchair basketball. I am worried that I will be uncomfortable in this new environment because I won’t be confident enough to approach and introduce myself to people. This will probably be the most difficult part of this project, going out of my comfort zone.

 

Monday, December 16, 2020

 

 I believe I’m going to lean toward the sitting volleyball game because of my love for the sport. I wrote last week to Kelly Boscarino and today I got Paul’s number so I decided it would be great to contact him. Before I dialed Paul’s number, I was really nervous. I hate talking on the phone because I stumble and never know exactly what to say, which is why I am more comfortable talking to someone face to face. However, I called Paul and he was beyond ecstatic on what I am trying to do for my capstone project. My biggest worry is that students, especially upperclassmen won’t be as interested in adaptive sports as I am. Although, the new facility is opening up on January 2, 2020 which is okay, but I feel like I have a late start compared to some of the other students

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

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Today was my first day actually going to the new Oak Hill facility, and I had no idea what to expect. Walking out of my car, I was so very nervous. I literally had to control my breathing because I was worried about my heart rate. As I walked in, my first impression was, wow it's so empty. And that is when I got TERRIFIED. Next, Paul took me to the cardio section, where I was really intrigued by the zero gravity treadmill. That machine allows members to run at 20% of their body mass! What! It apparently was the second machine in all of New England and I got to see it. He actually began to describe how he could see the passion in my eyes for this topic and how I should intern.

 

Monday, February 3, 2020

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 I realized how much this topic meant to me and how I could possibly do a minor in disability studies. I actually really hate the world disability because it makes people seem as being incapable which is extremely rude. I can genuinely say I am excited for the next steps in my Capstone project because it will be a big learning environment from now on. 

 

Friday, February 7, 2020 

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Before, I planned to do an after school sitting volleyball event, however after discussing it with Bout, I might involve sitting volleyball in Portal’s class. I basically would have to give a brief overview of sitting volleyball and what adaptive sports offers to those who are disabled. Overall, since the start of capstone, this process has taught me patience and that everything is not going to work out how you previously planned it. I am excited and thrilled that my capstone turned from just volunteering to having an internship where I will be involved in the classes, helping out those who are disabled, and observing how physical exercise can be very beneficial for the body. The next thing I believe I must do is set the date for the actual sitting volleyball class and make sure that everyone from Paul, to Portal, to our second block capstone class can attend. 

 

Tuesday, February 26, 2020

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Today was a pretty simple day at Oak Hill. During our hour long circuit only two people showed up. Greg, who I have seen multiple times already, and Jillian, who I met for the first time. We worked primarily on our triceps and quadriceps. I was excited to try working out in a chair, but it wasn’t needed since there was a larger majority of able-bodied people. Kayla, who is another intern, wasn’t there today but Jocelyn, another student from Springfield College was. I informed Paul about which date the sitting volleyball games could potentially be and he is excited to bring so much knowledge to our school.

 

Thursday, February 28, 2020

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I actually went in earlier today and even managed to be involved in the crank class. Using only my arm strength, this gave me a perspective how limited the options and movements were for those with disabilities. While waiting for the circuit to start, all the interns, especially the medical students, began talking about the amount of debt they have gathered over the years. This really opened my eyes to apply to as many scholarships as I can to prevent gathering debt in the hundred thousands. I even met Lucy!!! She is Cheri’s dog and she is beautiful. Looking at Paul’s strength is astonishing every single time. With his cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, he still managed to do every single part of the circuit perfectly, and even managed to make it harder for himself by adding bands.

 

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

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Well today I received news from my mentor that he will not be coming to sit volleyball this Friday. I’m not sure if I was upset because I would have to run the whole thing by myself or because I was excited about bringing people from our school together so they could witness the passion that Paul has about adaptive sports. If I was not in capstone when I got the text, I would have been a mess the rest of the day. Instead, Bout calmed me down and told me that I am more than capable of running it by myself. I think when I approached her I was on the brink of spilling tears. However, after she made me pull myself together I went right back planning sitting volleyball for Friday. 

 

Friday, March 13, 2020 

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The previous day everyone got a text saying school was canceled on Friday, therefore a lot of students didn’t show up. When I got the text I was shocked because I knew I had sitting volleyball the next day. Anyways, Zamorski ended up joining us in the field house and I was pretty happy with how everything went down. The teams were a little uneven, but I believe the students made the most out of it. I remember running up and down the hallways, especially when I realized Adrian didn’t show up. Luckly, he came after I found him in Rodriguez. I even ended playing myself, joining here and there when a team needed another player. Senior year has definitely been a rollercoaster. I never imagined myself doing a capstone project that I would grow to adore and be really motivated to do. I even decided when I attend Uconn in the fall that I will minor in disability studies or anything similar to the topic. I really hope everything goes back to normal after this COVID-19 outbreak so that I can continue going to Oak Hill.