Exercise Made for People with Disabilities
"Working out at the Y with the program opens up all kinds of independence and freedom so you don't have to wait for other people to meet you and help you. I couldn't put a price on that," EMPWD participant and wheelchair rugby enthusiast Scott Pope.
Tu/Th 2 pm - 4 pm - supervised workouts
Mo/We 2 pm - 4 pm - independent workouts
Cost: $30/month + $50 annual program membership
Contact Nils Jorgensen, at 415/615-1355 or by email for an appointment.
With inclusive fitness machines and personal trainers for people with disabilities, the Embarcadero YMCA offers a perfect space for those beginning the process of living with disability or "habilitation."
It's also well suited to those with disabilities who want to build strength and endurance on our inclusive fitness machines. For anyone with a competitive streak and an interest in playing a team sport, add to the mix our popular Saturday afternoon Wheelchair Rugby Group Exercise class.
The program helps those who have recently sustained injury as well as those with long-term permanent disabilities. Created to assist those who have finished clinic-based rehabilitation, EMPWD is best suited for those with some motivation to achieve everyday independence.
Content includes:
- Program, equipment and facility orientation
- Basic fitness and physical skill assessment
- Learning skills for new activities
- Flexibility and stretching techniques
- Motivation and goal setting
- Basic nutrition
Every Saturday afternoon on the Embarcadero YMCA's basketball court, that familiar “chirp” of high tops is replaced by the crunch of wheels during Wheelchair Rugby Group Exercise class.
The game is a cross between bumpercars, hockey and football, played by athletes in wheelchairs with a volleyball.
Sometimes called "Murderball" after the movie of that name, it can be rough but what brings these athletes onto the court is the chance to play a team sport in a welcoming environment.
Watching the players, it’s clear who has played before and who is using a loaned wheelchair for the first time. Longtime wheelchair users have a distinct advantage over their “able-bodied” team members as they cross the court to pass, roll and score.
Coach Jorgensen is a champion wheelchair athlete in the national Quad Rugby Hall of Fame. He calls it a group exercise class rather than a “special needs” program because he doesn’t think there’s anything “special” about chasing people down the basketball court and getting sweaty.
Scott found the independence and freedom for new possibilities.
In December, 2004, Scott was hit by a car while riding his mountain bike home from a late-night band practice on Folsom Street.
He broke his C7 vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down and ending his days of mountain biking in Marin County. During rehab, he saw the film Murderball and was inspired to find his way to our Saturday afternoon Wheelchair Rugby class to build strength, community, knowledge and confidence. He’s become a regular in our Exercise Made for People with Disabilities program and in wheelchair rugby. Pope now has the strength to take on some of his favorite trails with his wheelchair.
Before my injury I was a drummer in high-energy, head-banging rock bands playing shows in the Bay Area. Playing rugby in group exercise class is the only thing I’ve found that gives me the same high-energy, hard-driving adrenaline rush now. I love it. When I got out of rehab at the hospital it felt like Mount Everest. Working out at the Y with the program opens up all kinds of independence and freedom so you don’t have to wait for other people to meet you and help you. I couldn’t put a price on how much it helps me.