Paralympic Gateway to Gold

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Offered through Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department (MCPRD), the Paralympic Gateway to Gold event is a program of the Therapeutic Recreation Section’s Paralympic Sport Metrolina. The Paralympic Gateway to Gold (G2G) is a three day event for youth and adults with physical disabilities and visual impairments. The G2G is a talent identification program that introduces athletes to a variety of sports and potentially leads the athlete to the pipeline and participate in the U.S. Paralympics. The Charlotte G2G was the first multi-day, multi-sport event held nationally. Athletes from the southeast had the opportunity to work with United States Olympic Committee (USOC) coaches, trainers and staff, and Paralympic athletes during sport specific clinics and perform Paralympic protocols designed to help identify emerging athletes. Athletes participated in track, cycling, swimming and paratriathlon sport clinics and received one-on-one coaching. The program increased participation in Paralympic sports and expanded awareness of Paralympic Sport Metrolina and the sports the program offers to the community.