The Commercial Appeal - Focus: The Mid-South Adaptive Sports and Recreation A sporting chance

The Mid-South Adaptive Sports and Recreation (MASR) was founded to provide physically challenged children without significant cognitive delays the opportunity to participate in sports and recreational activities in the same way their able-bodied peers do.

The program offers individual and team sports for physically challenged children ages 2-21 for both recreation and competitive sports with varying degrees of physical abilities.

The junior wheelchair basketball team of Mid-South Adaptive Sports and Recreation stayed in shape this fall during their basketball season, from October through mid-March.

The team enjoyed traveling to out of town tournaments. One of team's trips was to Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham for a regional tournament.

To honor March as "National Disability Awareness Month," the junior wheelchair basketball team of Mid-South Adaptive Sports and Recreation joined the adult team, the Rollin' Grizzlies, on March 7 in an exhibition game at the Raymond Skinner Center in Memphis.

MASR is a nonprofit organization that enables children with physical disability to realize their potential through sport, recreation and lifestyle changes. MASR provides individual and team sport opportunities, sport-specific training, local, regional and national competitions, and family recreational opportunities for youths with any diagnosed physical disability that prevents them from participating in able-bodied activities. This includes cerebral palsy, spina bifida, amputation, spinal cord injury, visual impairment, dwarfism and other challenges.

For more information, visit MASRteam.org or call 355-6005.

Mid-South Adaptive Sports and Recreation junior basketball player Beecher Bruno of Eads leans in for a steal from a Nashville competitor at Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham during a recent regional tournament.

Zach Farmer of Cordova looks for an open shot against the Nashville defenders.