The Westminster School sixth-grader was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 16 months. Her parents, Chad and Tammy Bolen, agonized. They envisioned an image of a helpless child drawn up in a wheelchair. The picture didn't reconcile with their energetic, bright-eyed girl.

The other thing you should never underestimate is the unwavering will to get a job done.

Chad and Tammy determined they would move mountains if that would let Sydney - decidedly not a helpless child - be her athletic self. They did just that in Baltimore where they lived until their daughter was 7.

Adaptive sports programs are plentiful and varied there and Sydney would go twice a week for mobile development using a gym and a pool. "We'd see kids in wheelchairs playing basketball and racing," said Tammy.

But when Chad took a job with the Grizzlies as vice president, corporate partnership, they saw things were different in Memphis.

"When came here we didn't realize what we had back there," Tammy said. The well-organized groups and activities they'd become used to didn't exist here.

They thought back to the first time they had to move mountains in Baltimore after the diagnosis. The first doctor they consulted said Sydney had to have surgery right away and would be in a wheelchair for life.

A second opinion wasn't much better.

By the third, they'd determined that since she was so young, they'd have her do physical therapy. They had no unrealistic expectations, but they weren't going to throw in the towel either.

The family learned more about adaptive physical education. Sydney started walking at 2 1/2 and riding a tricycle. "She was doing all the things she was told she could not do," said Tammy.

This became the standard for the family until the move to Memphis. Sydney was 7.

"Sydney is confident and able," Tammy says. "She could do monkey bars, she knows her weaknesses but also her strengths. It made her into a different child and Chad and I into different parents."

Faced with few organized opportunities, the Bolens chose to get it done themselves.

It didn't take long before like-minded parents found them, many through the network of physical therapists.

They were able to put on an all-weekend sports camp in December 2004 with about 14 kids participating. And every month thereafter, except in summer, about eight to 10 kids get together for a few hours of activity.

They meet at the WellWorX sporting club in East Memphis, spending time in the gym, tennis courts and pool. Tennis pros at the club work with the kids and sometimes physical education students from the University of Memphis pitch in.

Dr. Paul Wright, assistant professor at U of M in health and sport sciences, enthusiastically supports the Bolens' efforts. When he came here five years ago from Chicago, he also noticed a general lack of awareness of the need for adaptive sports programs.

He said Tammy was making some phone calls in the dark trying to find some support for her project when she connected with him. "I've come out and contributed to the teaching and workshops," he said. "And it's a service learning opportunity for my undergraduates."

The young athletes get some knowledgeable attention, the U of M students get some valuable hands-on experience, and the Bolens' fledgling enterprise gets solid support on no budget.

It's been steady, but the Bolens see an even greater need and are ready to do more. They've established a nonprofit organization so they can do fund-raising and bring attention to the rewards of adaptive sports.

One of those rewards is participation in the Paralympic Games. The competition for athletes with a disability holds events in conjunction with the Olympics.

But for now, the Bolens want to nurture the local scene with their budding nonprofit. "We want to expand our partnerships and get support," Tammy says.

They'd like to eventually hire an adaptive specialist and make a concerted effort to help athletes get into the Paralympics.

Because for those with the competitive urge and the will to get things done, it's a great way to adapt.

-- Jon W. Sparks: 529-2533

Jon W. Sparks