“this gets you out and away from
everything you deal with on a daily basis.
And standing up on my own––that’s one
of the benefits that make me feel so good.
I don’t get that any other time.”
ALEXIS LANE (3)
— JENNIFER, A STAND UP AND PLAY PARTICIPANT
The local program, nearly three years old,
is based at Windy Hill Sports Complex in
Chesterfield County. Phillips offers eight
clinics a year, and there’s a waiting list.
Participants, who come from around the
commonwealth, must go through training to
become certified on the ParaGolfers. They
learn the settings and adjustments to help
them actually play golf—not just hit range
balls. They can wheel onto teeing grounds,
putt on greens and even hit from bunkers.
Sid Cook, who has multiple sclerosis, gets
out regularly at Birkdale Golf Club, which
shares a cart with Brandermill Country Club.
“It’s wonderful. If I play from the forward
tees, I feel I can make some pars. And I’ve
made a few birdies,” says Cook, 71. “I can at
least get out and play. That’s the big thing—
you feel as though you can do something.”
That’s a big deal for Phillips and other
volunteers as well. She recalled a program for
the regional chapter of Paralyzed Veterans
of America.
“There was this guy who hadn’t stood in
25 years. He said, ‘I can use this for fishing
and other activities. For him to be able to
stand up was spectacular,” Phillips says.
The foundation was itself a product of
trauma. Anthony Netto, a professional golfer
in South Africa, was en route to a tournament
in 1994 when a drunk driver hit his car.
The accident left him paralyzed from the
waist down. After months of rehabilitation
and therapy, Netto heeded the words of a
countryman.
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“Nelson Mandela is one of my heroes,”
Netto said in a phone interview. “He said
sports has the power to change the world.”
Netto began working with an engineer
at a German firm to design a cart to raise a
person from the sitting position. The intent
was not only to reduce the risk of injuries
from attempting athletics while sitting, but
also to increase range of motion, give joints
and ligaments therapeutic stretching and
enhance self-esteem. Allowing people to talk
with others at eye level was significant.
The resulting device uses a three-wheel
base, leg and body straps and a hydraulic lift to
position the user vertically with unrestricted
shoulder movement. The weight and straps
provide stability.
For purposes of the Stand Up and Play
Foundation, the device goes by Paramobile
as well as ParaGolfer.
“The idea behind that is it opens it up
to other uses,” Cobine says. “A person in
California is doing tae kwon do with it.”
Netto and Phillips crossed paths about
five years ago at a golf event. She had been
working with disabled people for years and
experienced some frustration with equipment
that had people hitting from stationary chairs
or sports wheelchairs.
Then along came Netto.
“He whirls in and lights a fire under
all of us,” Phillips says. “You had an
opportunity that could make a difference
in somebody’s life.”
Jerry Yospin had a similar experience. A
Participants admit being a part of the program helps
to build morale.
disabled friend who attended a Paramobile
clinic was so excited that Yospin drove
from Richmond to Hilton Head, S.C., to
meet Netto.
“I saw him hit and couldn’t believe it. He
can hit it 300 yards,” Yospin remembers.
Now Yospin is chairman of the Richmond
chapter’s board. His involvement comes not
from disability, but from a desire to help.
“I just enjoy doing this work—to see the
expressions on these people’s faces,” he says.
With 5.6 million wheelchair users in the
U.S., no single organization can do it all.
Thus, Stand Up and Play works with other
nonprofits, including the Salute Military
Golf Association in Olney, Md.; the Tunnels
to T
owers Foundation in New York City;
Fairways for Warriors in Orlando, Fla.; and
the nationwide First T and Independence
ee
Fund groups.
In Richmond, Sheltering Arms’ adaptive
golf program is vital to helping players use
the device.
As the Windy Hill clinic wound down,
Cook moved from the range to the practice
green. Upright with knees bent in his
ParaGolfer, he lined up a 10-foot putt. The
ball kissed the edge and lipped out. He
grimaced—the face of every golfer who has
seen a ball flirt with the hole. Two putts
later, he drilled it and raised his hand as
volunteers hooted.
Such moments make a difference.
“The people who come out here have a
great attitude about life,” Yospin says. “And
they have a better attitude after playing
golf.”
Author Lee Graves is a writer from
Richmond and a regular contributor to
Virginia Golfer.
September/OctOber 2013 | Virginia golfer
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8/30/13 8:36 AM