{"id":47,"date":"2018-11-28T16:54:28","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T16:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adaptiveaz.wordpress.com\/?page_id=47"},"modified":"2018-11-29T22:25:25","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T22:25:25","slug":"destination-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/destination-phoenix\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination: Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/cdn.knightlab.com\/libs\/soundcite\/latest\/js\/soundcite.min.js'><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/script><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_96\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-96\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-96\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-11.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-96\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brock Naylor is seven-years-old and his mom told us, &#8220;He was so bummed when he couldn&#8217;t try out for the school basketball team, Arizona Disabled Sports has really allowed him to get back to what he loves.&#8221; (Photo by Owain Evans)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ben\u00a0Goss is 23. He\u2019s an athlete with aspirations of competing at the highest level in front of a global audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To achieve this, he moved from his home in Massachusetts to Phoenix. \u201cOnce I saw it, I didn\u2019t want to leave\u201d, he recalls about the facility. \u201cThere\u2019s none on the East Coast like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goss is also quadriplegic. As a 14-year-old, he was involved in a car accident that broke his neck. He\u2019s now a wheelchair rugby player based at Phoenix\u2019s Ability 360.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A former lacrosse player, Goss wanted to get into a contact sport. It took five years from his accident before he had the chance to play wheelchair rugby &#8211; which also uses the name \u201cmurderball\u201d &#8211; at home. Its physical nature drew him in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goss is just one of many making the most of Phoenix\u2019s top-of-the-range facilities. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of other players that moved out here just to play for this team,&#8221; he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Players at a recent camp he\u2019d attended had traveled from places as diverse as the East Coast &#8211; like him &#8211; and Hawaii.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While national figures on participation are hard to obtain, programs here in the Valley, like Arizona Disabled Sports, are expanding with more staff members. Figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations show a year-on-year increase in adaptive sports participation since at least 2015-16.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Challenges still face the programs here in the Valley. Adaptive sports aren\u2019t cheap. Lack of competition also becomes an issue &#8211; with teams spread across vast distances and sometimes requiring burdensome travel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet the two major programs in the Valley &#8211; Ability 360 and the Mesa-based Arizona Disabled Sports &#8211; are trying to overcome those challenges. With the fundraising efforts they put in, and their ambition to be the best, they may well do just that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>\u201cWe\u2019re like a big family, in a way\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a Tuesday night, Ability 360\u2019s power soccer teams are out for practice. They\u2019re making use of a large, shiny court that seems to form the heart of the facility. Just outside the window is a swimming pool, busy with people doing laps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power soccer is a fairly straightforward game. Played on a basketball court, the aim is to get an oversized ball to go between two posts &#8211; not unlike its namesake. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the court, the players pass the ball around. In their powered wheelchairs, they spin suddenly, hitting the ball off a guard in front of their feet <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"537355863\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"13506\" data-plays=\"1\">while music blasts in the background.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_91\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-91\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-3.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-91\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wheelchairs for adaptive sports can cost anywhere from five-thousand to twelve-thousand dollars. Each athlete has unique needs and therefore needs a specifically designed chair. These programs would be nearly impossible to participate in without grants and scholarships, as well as donations, coaches told us. (Photo by Owain Evans)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The number of players that night could be counted with two hands. Between them, they form two of Arizona\u2019s three teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ability 360\u2019s soccer coach is Alison Baionno. \u201cHaving the opportunity to have a sport that you can improve in is a confidence booster for everyone,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone is an appropriate descriptor. <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"537361653\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"10345\" data-plays=\"1\">Power soccer is unique as a sport, Baionno says, because it doesn\u2019t separate athletes into categories &#8211; they all compete together.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dalen Soto is one of those athletes. He has a specially designed wheelchair which can be controlled with his head, and a few years of power soccer experience under his belt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s done a lot to boost my confidence to get out and do things,\u201d he says, \u201cinstead of staying at home and doing nothing.\u201d <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"537364026\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"14159\" data-plays=\"1\">Not only does the team practice together, but they also socialize away from the court: \u201cwe\u2019re like a big family, in a way\u201d, Soto remarks.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He couldn\u2019t talk for long. <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"537368415\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"9457\" data-plays=\"1\">They\u2019ll soon begin scrimmaging<\/span>, and his teammates need him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of those teammates is Filsan Awale. She\u2019s the only female player on either side, and found out about the team through social media. <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"537375567\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"18078\" data-plays=\"1\">With her Ability 360 membership provided by a scheme that\u2019s helping her into work, she was able to join.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI never knew anything that I can fit in that was out there,\u201d Awale says, \u201cuntil I found out about power soccer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Remember the pain<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_95\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-95\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-4.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-95\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">William &#8220;Bill&#8221; Lytton has a specialized wheelchair with a hooked basket that allows him to attach himself to other player&#8217;s chairs in order to slow them down. This basket also tells his teammates that he does not want the ball to be thrown to him as he has no function of his fingers. (Photo by Owain Evans)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same court plays host to Goss\u2019 rugby practices, although with a lot more \u201cbashing and all that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the power soccer players, adaptive sport has had an impact on his life. \u201cI was independent before, but when I came out here it really made me more independent.\u201d he says. \u201cBeing around 15 other guys in wheelchairs, you learn a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s hard to describe Goss as anything but independent. He lives on his own &#8211; his parents are still back in his hometown. He drives into practices by himself. The little things, like easier methods of getting into that car, are what he\u2019s picked up in Phoenix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goss\u2019 independence shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies have long harked about the benefits of adaptive sports. A 2009 survey from Disabled Sports USA found that the employment rate of its athletes was twice that of the general disabled population. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These results were backed up by a separate study in 2015 by academics from the universities of Washington and Houston. Their study showed that, for the first ten years of participation, each year of sports increased the employment rate by four percentage points. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, Goss\u2019 independence requires adaptations. A wall knocked through in his house. A special type of car. Water to squirt on himself when training.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On his right arm is a tattoo &#8211; \u201cremember the pain.\u201d Nearly ten years on from his accident, he hasn\u2019t forgotten yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>\u201cThe best kept secret in the Valley\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across in Mesa, two boys race each other in their wheelchairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court that they\u2019re on isn\u2019t as glamorous as Ability 360\u2019s purpose-built center, but it has no need to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is Arizona Disabled Sports &#8211; the Valley\u2019s other major adaptive sports program. There is a younger vibe here, and that\u2019s visible today &#8211; it\u2019s a wheelchair basketball practice, and five kids have shown up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey say that we\u2019re the best kept secret in the Valley,\u201d remarks Taylor Wilson, Arizona Disabled Sports\u2019 Program Supervisor. The smiles on the faces of athletes suggest she may be on to something.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_93\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-9.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-93\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">His reaction after shooting the ball is priceless. Jackson Ensminger always has a smile on his face, his teamates told us. (Photo by Olivia Steinfeld)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mesa-based nonprofit, founded in 1989, is a smaller operation than cross-town Ability 360, although they do have three permanent staff members. They offer a variety of sports &#8211; from track to bowling, and from cycling to kayaking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, though, it\u2019s basketball. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coach Christiana Chambers is lining the players up for shooting practice. Once, she was in their place &#8211; \u201cI started with Arizona Disabled Sports when I was 13 years old. I was an athlete all throughout junior high and high school, and then when I graduated high school, I decided to become a coach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She pauses to think through the numbers. \u201c8 years,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve been a part of the program for 8 years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>To Chambers, just being able to compete makes a huge difference for players. &#8220;For them to come here,&#8221; she says, &#8220;to be able to call themselves an athlete, that impacts them the most.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;It&#8217;s a pretty penny&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI would say that funding is probably our biggest [problem] right now,\u201d Wilson says. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It isn\u2019t an unexpected statement. Adaptive equipment, often heavily specialized, comes at a price.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Ability 360, Baionno helps the players to apply for funding, and the facility provides some of the equipment. Beyond that, the athletes are expected to help fundraise for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dalen Soto is one of those athletes, and he recently bought himself a power soccer chair &#8211; after three years of fundraising. \u201cIt\u2019s quite a bit of money because it\u2019s customized to my needs,\u201d he says. \u201cI think altogether it\u2019s about $12,000. It\u2019s a pretty penny, especially when you try to raise it on a limited income.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_92\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-92\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-2.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-92\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Athletes at Arizona Disabled Sports enjoy friday nights at Tempe Town Lake kayaking during sunset. Program supervisor, Taylor Wilson, says &#8220;This is a good opportunity for families and athletes to enjoy a sport together.&#8221; (Photo by Olivia Steinfeld)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arizona Disabled Sports provides equipment for its athletes, and Ability 360 also helps out its players. If it wasn\u2019t for that help, then many, including Awale, wouldn\u2019t be able to participate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Neither would Carl Farley&#8217;s daughter. An athlete in Mesa, she&#8217;s taken part in archery, track and now bowling. He said that a chair for her would cost around $5,000, a figure that &#8220;would definitely be cost prohibitive for us. She wouldn&#8217;t be able to participate.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Expenses go beyond just equipment. The dispersal of teams makes travel a problem too. Baionno says that she only knows of a single team in each surrounding state, with the exception of California. Arizona&#8217;s three teams are all based at either Ability 360 or Arizona Disabled Sports.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a problem she thinks will only be fixed via education, and making people aware of the sport. This is no mean feat &#8211; while Paralympic coverage is increasing, it&#8217;s still just six years since NBC devoted only five and a half hours of TV coverage to the London games.<\/p>\n<p>Yet progress is being made. Ability 360&#8217;s sides are becoming travel teams for the first time ever, and will host a tournament in the coming months. Opportunities are continuing to grow.<\/p>\n<p>To help make ends meet, they&#8217;re looking for sponsors. It&#8217;s a struggle, as a newer side, for power soccer to draw in backers. The challenge isn&#8217;t quite so steep for Goss&#8217; wheelchair rugby team, who have won national championships.<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got to work slowly&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Ben&#8217;s ambitions are high. &#8220;The goal is to play U.S.A. ball,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_94\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94\" src=\"http:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1-1100x733.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Steinfeld_Enterprise_Individual-pics-1.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-94\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scrap Smith, Mason Symonds, and Jose battle it out at the Ability 360 Wheelchair Rugby Camp that was coached by paralympic medalist and Arizona Hall-of-Famer, Scott Hogsett. (Photo by Olivia Steinfeld)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Goss&#8217; coach, Scott Hogsett, had earlier laughed at his comments, questioning why Ben hadn&#8217;t attended a recent national team camp. There&#8217;s a clear rapport between the two, and the comment is light hearted. Hogsett likely knows best, though. After all, he does have multiple Paralympic medals to his name.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Goss is self-aware. &#8220;I&#8217;m only four years in,&#8221; he concedes, &#8220;so you&#8217;ve got to work slowly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In Phoenix, at this point in time, maybe he should start dreaming. After all, adaptive sport here has never been in quite so good a place.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben\u00a0Goss is 23. He\u2019s an athlete with aspirations of competing at the highest level in front of a global audience. To achieve this, he moved from his home in Massachusetts to Phoenix. \u201cOnce I saw it, I didn\u2019t want to leave\u201d, he recalls about the facility. \u201cThere\u2019s none on the East Coast like this.\u201d Goss &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/destination-phoenix\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Destination: Phoenix<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-47","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156,"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onestepdeeper.com\/paralympicsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}