The 12th Annual Athletes with Disabilities (ADN) Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Dinner will be held October 28, 2010 in Troy, Michigan. The event recognizes the achievements of men and women who compete in sports at the elite level despite physical disabilities. According to ADN, chosen athletes are honored for both their dedication to sport and for inspiring others through their words, actions, and community service.
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| Chris Casteel, photograph courtesy of ADN. |
Chris Casteel will be awarded the Rick Knas Lifetime Achievement Award. Casteel is a rock climber and kayaker, and at the 2009 Extremity Games, he captured the bronze medal in kayaking. Casteel, who has a right knee disarticulation, began his dedication to others as a peer visitor in 1988. Since then, he has facilitated limb-loss support groups. As a member of the Volunteer Task Force at the Amputee Coalition of American (ACA), he helped develop the Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) First Paddle Adaptive Kayaking Clinic. In July, he traveled to Haiti to assist with local orthotic and prosthetic programs and counsel persons with amputations.
 Melissa Stockwell, photograph courtesy of ADN. |
Melissa Stockwell has been selected as the Pat McDonald Female Athlete of the Year. Awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, Stockwell lost her leg in Iraq when her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Four years later, she competed at the Paralympic Trials for swimming and finished in the top five. She took first place at the Paratriathlon World Championships in 2010 in Budapest and is the reigning World Champion. She is a current member of the Paratriathlon National Team. Through military groups, she serves as a coach and mentor for newly disabled athletes and is an ACA-certified peer visitor.
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| Mike Schultz, photograph by Sara Schultz, courtesy of ADN. |
The Roger McCarville Male Athlete of the Year will go to Mike Schultz. An elite Adaptive Motocross and Snocross racer, as well as a kayaker and wakeboarder, Schultz took first place at the ESPN Winter X Games in Adaptive Snocross and the Adaptive Moto X Super X Finals, and second place in the Adaptive Action Sports X Games Qualifier at Extremity Games, fifth place at Extremity Games 5 Motocross, and first and second place at Extremity Games 5 Main Event in kayaking and wakeboarding, respectively. Schultz coaches athletes for the National Snocross Championships and is currently working on the patent for a prosthetic knee and foot, slated to help other athletes with disabilities compete in the sport of their choice.
Other inductees include Dave Kiley and Gabriel Diaz de Leon, National Hall of Fame; Glen Ashlock, Michigan Hall of Fame; Unisys Corporation, Tony Filippis Sr. Corporate Leadership Award; and Adam Rose and Angeline LeVasseiur, Mark “Doc” Andrews Rising Star Award.
For more information, visit www.adnpage.org
