Joey Chiavaroli turns to sports for therapy. But his racing wheelchair alone costs $3,000 and needs annual replacement.
By SHERYL KAY
Published February 9, 2004
[Times photo: Mike Pease]
Joey Chiavaroli, 8, races wheelchairs and participates in track and field, but the price of competition is high. Seven races in a year can cost his family about $15,000, so an escrow fund has been established.
ODESSA - Last year Joey Chiavaroli traveled to Connecticut for shot put and discus throws and wheelchair races.
He placed second and third in most of the events, then did a repeat performance at the Orange Bowl Junior Olympic games in Miami.
He returned with an armload of first-place trophies.
"Some of my friends can walk," said 8-year-old Joey, who has spina bifida. "But I don't wish that was me. I like me just the way I am."
Affecting about one in every 1,000 newborns in the United States, spina bifida causes paralysis when the fetus' spine fails to close correctly.
Although a very few afflicted with the disease do achieve normal mobility, many require transportation aids and therapy .
"We had Joey in therapy when he was around 3 or 4, but he was giving us a real hard time with it," said his dad, Randy Chiavaroli of Hudson. "He just fought it and fought it, and that's when I got him into wheelchair racing. Now he gets his therapy and exercise through sports."
Joey's parents are divorced, and so he splits his time between their homes in Rotonda and Hudson. When he's not with them, he's at his grandparents' repair shop, Harry's Fix-it in Odessa, or training for competition at the Blaze Sports Club Tampa Bay, a free program for disabled children in East Tampa.
Affiliated with the National Parks Department and the Hillsborough County Department of Parks and Recreation, Blaze offers programs in wheelchair racing, swimming and track and field. Joey practices twice a week in two-hour sessions.
"It makes my muscles bigger," he said proudly, pointing to his bicep. "See right there, where it sticks out? That comes from racing."
Racing has helped him socially, and it's also a good mental workout.
"It's all about attitude and determination, and this builds his self-esteem and self-confidence," said Andy Chasnoff, 50, Joey's coach at Blaze. "We focus on his ability, not his disability."
Seeing the clear benefits, Joey's family tries to provide opportunities for him to compete.
"Let's face it, the therapy didn't build his self-esteem, and it didn't help him make friends," Randy Chiavaroli said. "This is so much better for him, so somehow we have to make it work."
But it's costly.
"If we can get him into seven races this year, we're looking at about $15,000," said his grandfather, Harry Gurr. "He needs a new racing wheelchair almost every year, and the chair alone is almost $3,000."
A large portion of that budget is for travel expenses. There's no avoiding it, said Randy Chiavaroli, who owns an automotive machine shop. Joey needs to travel in order to be able to compete against children in his own age group.
The National Disability Sports Alliance and Wheelchair Sports USA co-sponsors these competitions and seeks to assist families who have trouble affording them.
Wheelchair Sports USA also accepts and escrows funds for athletes, including Joey, and administers the payouts when they compete. Individuals or companies can donate to their accounts.
"There's no money at the end of the line," Randy Chiavaroli said. "Joey could be the top wheelchair racer in the world, but very few companies are going to race out to sponsor him."
