Supported by volunteers, Sportable athlete Marci crosses the finish line at a Sportable 2-miler event at Dorey Park.
This adaptive club makes sports accessible.
Clay Mayhood had always been an athlete—from cycling to playing competitive soccer to running marathons. But when he suddenly developed a neuromuscular condition that made even walking a challenge, the thought of forfeiting his active lifestyle was unimaginable.
Jarrett, a member of Sportable’s competitive cycling team, competes in a road race during the Mid-Atlantic Paracycling Series.
After six weeks in a hospital ICU, he was admitted to Sheltering Arms Institute in Richmond, where he had to relearn what most of us take for granted—holding a fork, brushing his teeth, standing up. After months and months of therapy and regaining some of his strength, Alison Clarke, Community Engagement Manager at SAI, and Kathryn Blosser, Mayhood’s physical therapist at Sheltering Arms’ outpatient clinic at Bon Air, entered the picture and helped him with the next step in his recovery—hooking him up with Sportable. “It was like divine intervention,” he says.
Based in Richmond, Sportable creates opportunities by making sports accessible and inclusive for individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments. Currently on their menu are 16 sports and 25 programs, ranging from rowing, basketball, and pickleball, to soccer, rugby, cycling, rock climbing, and more. Their 500 members come from all over the state and range in age from 3 to 87; five are at the Paralympic level.
Severe neuropathy had completely numbed Mayhood’s legs and feet from his knees down, making his balance precarious, so riding a bike would be tricky. But he persevered, and without skipping a beat, Sportable helped him source larger bike pedals with wider toe clips for greater stability. Then, because of his static balance challenges, they rejiggered the way he mounted his bike. These
simple changes can make a big difference for an active person adjusting to changes in their physical abilities.
Cycling is one of Sportable’s most popular sports, says Hunter Leemon, CEO of the Richmond-based nonprofit—and the city’s urban bike lanes and nearby Capital Trail are popular with Sportable participants. “We’re all about creating a fun, inclusive, accessible environment,” he says. “And we help transform the lives of our athletes so that they can see beyond their disability.”
Sculling was always on Mayhood’s bucket list, and Sportable made it happen. He met up with a group at Rocketts Landing on the James River in downtown Richmond, where a fleet of sleek shells are stored at the Virginia Boat Club. Sportable staff and volunteers helped him transfer from dock to boat where he soon found himself seated in front of a volunteer and member of the VCU rowing team, who coached him on oar placement, rhythm, and propulsion. In inclement weather, the group practiced on stationary rowing machines inside.
“There almost aren’t words to describe the feeling,” Mayhood says, as he recalls that first time rowing on the James. “It was in the spring, and the daffodils were popping on the banks across the river. The sun was setting over the city skyline, and I could see bald eagles soaring overhead. I hadn’t tried rowing in a skull as an able-bodied person, but the fact that I could tackle it and be out there on the water when I was just relearning to walk again was incredible.”
“Sportable gives our patients opportunities that can be real game-changers after an injury or illness, which can be very isolating experiences” says Sheltering Arms’ Alison Clarke. “Their programs give people with physical challenges opportunities to reengage with the community and, in many cases, get back to their old lives or introduce them to new experiences.” She says that from playing wheelchair basketball, to playing soccer, rowing on the James, or biking the Capital Trail, Sportable makes it happen.
Today, thanks to his relentless determination, the support of his Sheltering Arms team, and the opportunities Sportable offered, Mayhood has nearly recovered from the “incident” that nearly killed him four years ago. Gone is the wheelchair, the braces, the walker, and the hiking poles. He’s back to walking and working out every day, and is once again training to hike Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas later in the summer—an expedition that was derailed when he fell ill.
Sportable wheelchair rugby player Josh eludes an opponent at the Paralyzed Veterans of America Rugby Invitational.
Clay Mayhood’s recovery was slow at first, but he has made a spectacular recovery.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue.
