Team Paradise expansion to benefit all paralympic sailors

by Magnus Liljedahl on 25 May 2014 Both Team Paradise Paralympic Sports Club (PSC) Miami and the US Sailing Center in Miami (USSC) are excited to announce a new partnership. Initially, US Sailing Center will provide office space and sailboat access for Team Paradise to promote their mission as a high performance management operation (HPMO) for aspiring Paralympian.

Team Paradise PSC partnering with the US Sailing Center is an excellent mission fit, as both are local City of Miami non-profit high performance management operations committed to providing training opportunities for top athletes in the sport of sailing. Magnus Liljedahl, Director of Team Paradise, will continue his close working relationship with Shake A Leg Miami (SALM).

Team Paradise is a local Paralympic Sport Club, whose mission statement is to 'Provide Paralympic equipment and coaching support to sailors who are physically disabled' with a vision to 'find the next generation of physically disabled and blind sailors who can become Paralympic medal contenders for 2016 and beyond.

US Sailing Center, Inc. is a local non-profit organization based in the City of Miami created to support and promote the sport of sailboat racing. As well as being an official US Olympic Training Site and the home of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. USSC also provides public boat storage and water access and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

Sailing is one of the few sports where disabled athletes can compete against anyone, disabled, or not. The sport integrates individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Boats are adapted to suite the needs of the sailor. Blind sailors develop their other senses, some paraplegics control their boat from a swivel chair, double leg amputees often require transfer benches and cross bars for lateral movement and participants with no arms are able to steer with their feet and only minor adaptations are needed.