with physical disabilities through sports, fitness, and recreation programs. Danielle learned about BORP through Rajon’s physical therapist and when another mom noticed Rajon’s braces and recommended sled hockey. “His coach has now really encouraged Rajon to try wheelchair basketball,” Danielle says. “They say it’s really fun and there’s more opportunity to communicate with your teammates. With the helmet, it’s harder on the ice to hear each other. So far, Rajon has not wanted to learn two things – how to be in a wheelchair and how to try basketball.” Danielle is also interested in Rajon exploring adapted bicycling, where youth pedal with their hands. “Pedal with your hands?” Rajon chimes in, sounding curious. “How does that work?” The truth is Danielle isn’t very familiar with what sports are available for Rajon. At school, Rajon participates in PE and recess. He wears braces but walks unassisted and can run around. “There’s a lot he can do,” Danielle said. “It would be great if the schools knew more about [sports] opportunities. It seems like that connection isn’t quite there. It’s just an underfunded area of sports and there needs to be more programs, resources, outreach, and education about the opportunities.” It took Rajon a couple months to get the hang of using a sled for hockey. At first, he was scared because it’s easy to flip over. He still gets tired – and his legs fall asleep – because sledders don’t use their feet at all. The hands are the key. Rajon’s new goal is to become good enough to allow his blades to be taped closer together to make hairpin turns. “I want to get faster and score more goals.”
Rajon Amaru Mahones-Ospina, 11
Rajon finally got to play a real sled hockey game. All it took was leaving Oakland for a tournament in Los Angeles. “We beat them all,” says Rajon, who has spina bifida, a condition that affects the spine as a type of neural tube defect. “We weren’t playing against skaters so that makes it easier. Having contact is fun.” By skaters, Rajon is describing what his hockey practices at the Oakland Ice Center have looked like over the past four years. His Sharks team does drills and usually scrimmages each other or able-bodied skaters on the other side of the ice. No checking is allowed against skaters. “It’s really hard to get the puck from them,” Rajon says. “And they have a giant goalie who has all the padding in the world. It’s just not fair.” Rajon’s mom, Danielle, is just grateful this opportunity even exists in Oakland through Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP), a nonprofit working to improve the health, independence, and social integration of people
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