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Nothing can hold back these kids thanks to Valley Children's 'Adaptive Sports' program

Thursday, April 25, 2019
Nothing holds back these kids thanks to Valley Children's 'Adaptive Sports' program
A sports program for children in the Valley with disabilities launched 11 years ago with only a handful of kids and it's now grown to serve hundreds!

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- In competitive sports, you can't hold anything back; and out on the track, there are no excuses either.

"On two years I was on wheelchair, this year is running," said Bayley Wong.

"How's it been going?"

"Good," she said.

You can always count on seeing a member of the Wong family at track practice for the Valley Children's Adaptive Sports program. The league provides a place for kids with disabilities here in the Valley to shoot for their athletic goals.

Bayley Wong had her legs amputated when she was young, but after getting prosthetic blades last year, she's running for the first time in a long time.

Her sister Bella has spina bifida, meaning her spine and spinal cord didn't form properly.

"This foot is crooked, so I have to have this brace to straighten it out," Bella said."

But, like everyone here, it's not stopping her.

"Amputees, we have missing limbs not well developed, CP, a variety really," Tiffany Alvarez has been a coach on the team for the last two years.

"The heart and passion is there every day, and I love kids so it was perfect," she said.

The team meets every Saturday at Clovis East for practice and depending on which week you go, you might see Baylee, Bella, or one of their 10 other siblings.

In total, there are 12 kids in the Wong family, all between the ages of 7 and 23

Eight of them were adopted from China, and seven of them are in the adaptive sports program.

"They were here last year and I fell in love with them,"

The program was launched in 2008 by Dr. Jennifer Crocker after she saw a need in the Central Valley.

"I think kids take this on as finally having the opportunity to show everything that they have," Dr. Crocker said.

The kids take part in events for good causes like the Run with the Heroes, but many take it to the next level.

"We can start them at the introductory level and get them to know the sport, and as they get into bigger competitions, they begin to compete against other kids in the area or even outside the area," Dr. Crocker said.

Regardless of how far they go in the competition, they're proving something every time they hit the track.

"I'm inspired every day," Alvarez said.

Proving that nothing can hold them back.

The Adaptive Sports Program is completely free, and all kids are encouraged to come out and participate, no matter what they're facing.