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Disabled Athlete Sports Association | DASA

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Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA)

At DASA, all children, adults, and military veterans with disabilities are encouraged to seek their highest level of independence for daily functioning and productivity and become involved to the fullest extent with their non-disabled peers and their community as a whole.

 

We support athletes with:
Cerebral Palsy
Spinal Cord Injury
Spina Bifida
Muscular Dystrophy
Amputation
Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Visual Impairment

 

In 1997, Kelly Behlmann gave physical therapy to children with disabilities. Kelly dreamed of providing an affordable service to her kiddos that emphasized the abilities each child had rather than focusing on their disabilities.

What began as a dream has gone far beyond anything Kelly could have EVER imagined. While DASA maintains its original goals and core values, the organization has since expanded into a successful sports club that grooms national champions, international record-breakers, and Paralympic gold medalists.

 

Along the way, DASA also started community education programs, personal care training, and social outlets for youth with disabilities, as well as their families.

 

At DASA, our St. Louis, St. Charles, and Columbia, Missouri athletes with physical, visual, and hearing disabilities discover ABILITIES that take them places even we might not have imagined possible.

 

Mission: All of those who live with a physical or visual disability or are deaf or hard of hearing will be given the opportunity to participate in sports and fitness activities designed to improve self-esteem, growth, and well-being while instilling family values.

 

We would love to learn more about your fitness needs and how DASA can help, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Activities

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Alpine/Downhill Skiing

Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis.  There are tons of disabled skiers flying down the slopes across the country. Experienced skiers make it look easy as they swoosh and cut their way through powdery (and sometimes not so powdery) snow. While it takes some practice to refine…

Archery

Archery is a versatile activity. It is something that can be done for fun, for hunting, or for competition. “Target shooting wasn’t a thing for me,” said US Para Archery Head Coach Jonathan Clemins. “But I realized I enjoyed shooting my bow as much as I enjoyed hunting.” In addition, archery can be a year-round…

Baseball

Basketball

In the beginning you had to have a spinal cord injury in order to play wheelchair basketball. But that, much like the game itself, has come a long way since 1946. Today, in order to be eligible to play wheelchair basketball within the NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association) a person must have a permanent lower…

Cycling

Rain, sleet, snow, or hail … it seems that no matter the weather, you can always see a cyclist biking for pleasure, on an errand, or keeping fit. The love of bike riding is rapidly growing across nearly every demographic. Cycling has always been a great way to enjoy the outdoors, socialize with fellow bikers,…

Fencing

When Byron Branch was younger, he was involved in a chess club and played a lot of chess. “I’ve always been intrigued by anything that is intellectually heavy,” he said. When he was 16, he decided to give fencing a try. He did pretty well. One year later, he would take third place in Ohio’s high school state championships.…

Golf

“That’s what makes golf so great. It’s a handicap system. If I’m playing against a guy who’s got all his limbs and he’s got a 14 handicap, I’ve got to give him seven strokes. Golf is such an equal game because of the handicap system. That’s what makes it fun for people everywhere to play.”…

Lacrosse/Wheelchair Lacrosse

Martial Arts

Taekwondo Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art using dynamic movements including a variety of foot skills. The sport gets its name from the combination of three Korean words “Tae” meaning foot, “Kwon” meaning fist and “Do” meaning way or discipline. The combination provides the basis of the sport, which focuses on sparring techniques utilizing…

Rock Climbing

One of the things I like about rock climbing is that it always gives you little triumphs. You can reach new levels, you are never out of challenges, and you can do it pretty much anywhere. – Jarem Frye, Climbing Enthusiast and K12 Prosthetics founder   Becoming Familiar with Adaptive Climbing For a full body…

Running/Wheelchair Racing

Getting Started   Start Slow to Go Fast   Just because you have never run farther than the bus stop, is not a reason to ignore the pleasures of recreational and competitive running. The sport provides many benefits. Besides improving overall health, cholesterol levels, and lung function, running is a confidence booster, a stress reliever,…

Scuba

Scuba is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Although humans have been venturing underwater for more than 2000 years, it wasn’t until 1942 they were able to breathe underwater free from a surface supply of air. It was Jacques Cousteau, collaborating with French engineer Emile Gagnan, who developed the SCUBA. Getting Started To…

Sled Hockey

All About Sled Hockey Sled Hockey A Sport for All Abilities Sled hockey had its beginning in the early 1960s when some enterprising athletes at a physical rehabilitation center in Sweden wanted to play the game. The men modified a metal frame sled with two regular-sized ice hockey skate blades that allowed the puck to pass…

Snowboarding

All About Snowboarding History Thank you to Lindsay Schultz for contributing information to this article. Pipelines, shredding, jibbers, and boardercross are all part of the colorful trappings of what’s attracting winter sports lovers to the country’s newest and most popular pursuit of things-that-go-bump-in-the-snow. Otherwise known as snowboarding….. Originally embraced by preteen and adolescent males who…

Soccer/Power Soccer

There is a rapidly growing adaptive sport that is changing the way people think of those using a power chair. That sport is power soccer. “It is not only changing the perception others have, but also how participants think of themselves,” said Jonathan Newman, the Adult Sports Coordinator at Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program…

Swimming

Since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, swimming has been one of the Games’ main sports.   The thrill of competition aside, swimming offers many benefits including strengthening the cardiovascular systems and the major muscle groups of both the upper and lower body. It also develops flexibility in the muscles and joints as…

Tennis/Wheelchair Tennis

The people you meet through tennis are friendly, happy, optimistic and outgoing, They just want to have a good time and want others to have a good time. – Steve Kappes, Director of the San Diego Wounded Warrior Tennis Program and Director of Military Outreach for the San Diego District Tennis Association   All About…

Track and Field

Track and Field is the largest Olympic and Paralympic sport in terms of the number of athletes and number of classifications and categories. In addition to the races that take place on the track, there are a number of competitions that take place on the field inside the track. In particular, there are throwing and…

Triathlon

Getting Started Get Out and TriThank you to Dare2tri for contributing information and photos for this article. Paratriathlon made its Paralympic competition debut in Rio 2016.  The sport, which combines swimming, running and biking into one race, has been rapidly growing in the U.S. and abroad among athletes at all age ranges and ability levels.  From…

Wheelchair Rugby

Trying to describe the sport of wheelchair rugby may be difficult. You just have to see it. Better yet, you just have to play it. “There really isn’t an able-bodied counterpart,” according to Katie Joly, program manager at the Gaylord Hospital Sports Association, a Move United member organization based in Connecticut. “It is a mixture…

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St. Peters MO 63376

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St. Peters MO 63376

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