By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT

BLAZE SPORTS CLUB UNDERGOES MAJOR EXPANSION
If it weren’t for BlazeSports Club of Tampa Bay, 8-year-old self-proclaimed tomboy Emily Clarke would be stuck at home, passing the time with her brother.
Instead, the second-grader at Hugo Schmidt Elementary School in Brandon has the opportunity to play sports such as basketball, tennis and swimming. Due to Clarke’s spina bifida, she is forced to either walk with crutches or get in a wheelchair to play many of the sports she loves.
“I like to come here and play sports and hang out with my friends,” she said. “It is a lot of fun and it is much better than school.”
Clarke joined the BlazeSports Club, about two years ago. She and others with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, amputations and visual impairments get the chance to play a variety of sports including wheelchair basketball, adaptive tennis, swimming, and track and field events such as running, shot put, discus and javelin.
“This is the first place I ever got to play sports,” she said. “I didn’t get to run before because I am on crutches. My favorite sport is basketball.”
Andy Chasanoff, sports coordinator for BlazeSports Club in Tampa, said he sees many good things happening in Clarke’s future.
“She could be one of the best athlete’s I ever had and I have been doing this for 30 years,” Chasanoff said. “She is really grown socially and emotionally from this program. She has such great potential. She is a very competitive young lady who has great determination to do well in any sport she tries. She has the potential to compete on a national level.”
The BlazeSports Club operates out of Hillsborough County’s All People’s Life Center. The facility, 6105 E. Sligh Ave., has gone from having an office in a 3,500-square-foot space to having a new 45,000 square-foot building. The new facility cost the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department $7.2 million.
It offers room for a gym with two full-size basketball courts and space on the sides, a multipurpose room, a fitness center, a dance classroom plus additional classrooms, a conference room and four locker rooms.
“I envision lots of tournaments and lots of games here,” Chasanoff said. “We can now host a variety of events. We can have local, national and international events here; that is how big the facility is.”
BlazeSports has been providing sports programs for physically disabled children ages 6-22 for the last five years in Tampa.
“We used to have to borrow space to run a lot of our programs,” Chasanoff said. “Now that we have all this room, we can start up some new programs.”
Chasanoff is hoping to start an adult program in wheelchair basketball and a table tennis program.
“Our goal first and foremost is for the kids to have fun,” Chasanoff said. “We base the program on the athlete’s ability rather than disability. There are lots of different levels and each athlete participates on the level they are comfortable with.”
The different levels are social, recreational, national and international.
The programs are provided at no cost to the athletes. BlazeSports raises the funding needed through a variety of sources including the Friends of the County Parks, grants, donations and fundraisers. The next fundraiser will be March 30. The club will host a Bowling for Blaze fundraiser at the Terrace Sports Skate and Bowl, 5311 E. Busch Blvd., at 1 p.m. The registration fee is $20 per person.
“We have some athletes who are interested in competing at the National Junior Disability Championship in July at Spokane, Washington and a few other athletes who have set a goal to compete at the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Trials at the end of June in Atlanta,” Chasanoff said. “These are all great kids.”
In 2006, the club had more than 200 athletes participate in at least one event offered throughout the year. There are about 25 regular members who actively take part in all the programs.
“The social and educational value of being in a program like this and being part of a team is equal to if not more important than the competitions themselves,” Chasanoff said. “We only ask that they give their best effort and always try to have fun.”
Not only does the club offer the opportunity for children to play different sports, the club also has self-esteem boosting events like the Diva Camp.
The camp will be March 24-25 and will be open to all BlazeSports girls.
“Girls will be doing team-building exercises,” Chasanoff said. “They will be working to improve their self-esteem and self-confidence. They will also get to have some fun and play some sports.”
A track and field meet is coming up April 14 at King High School. The event will be open to all athletes ages 5 to 22 with a physical disability. Events will include a 60-, 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, softball and club throw, shot put and discus.
Many more events are planned through out the year. The club is open to athletes with disabilities ages 6 to 22.
“The only requirement is for the athlete to have a physical disability,” Chasanoff said. “We do not turn away athletes no matter where they live.”
Pre-registration for upcoming events is required. For information about BlazeSports Club of Tampa Bay, call Chasanoff at 744-5307.