The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Inc. (AAASP) recently honored retired Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) Athletic and Activities Director Ed Shaddix and Oakland Meadow School Coach Len Boudreaux. Mr. Shaddix was awarded the Eli Wolff Award for Advocacy, and Mr. Boudreaux was named the Junior Varsity Coach of The Year award recipient. The honorees were recognized at the AAASP’s Fifth Annual Adapted Sports Programs in Recreation and Education (ASPIRE) Awards Celebration.
Mr. Shaddix and Mr. Boudreaux were among a select group of 43 people and organizations honored for their outstanding contributions to supporting student-athletes with physical disabilities. Patrick Cusick, an actor, writer, and television personality, and Aaron Golub, the first-ever legally blind Division I Athlete representing Tulane University, emceed the event.
Mr. Boudreaux, a coach with the Gwinnett HEAT, GCPS’s adapted sports program, is proud of the district’s commitment to giving physically impaired students opportunities to participate in athletic competitions. “I'm grateful for the recognition, as well as the opportunity to coach the HEAT,” Mr. Boudreaux shares. “Our athletes inspire me, and I'm incredibly proud of their accomplishments over the years. I hope the award brings some extra attention to our team and our athletes because they're the real stars.”
The ASPIRE Award recognizes the significant contributions of these individuals and organizations that have been central to the mission of making adapted sports programming available nationwide. Through these programs, student-athletes with physical disabilities across the country reap the physical, social, emotional, and academic benefits of competitive athletics, resulting in personal and social empowerment. You can see the complete listing of those honored by visiting the AdaptED Sports website.
The AAASP, headquartered in Atlanta, is a not-for-profit association dedicated to developing interscholastic-adapted sports programs in partnership with national, state, and local educational agencies. It has created one of the nation's most comprehensive school-based athletic programs for students with physical disabilities attending elementary, middle, and high school.