Whitehorse athlete touts benefits of 'skateboarding, but in wheelchairs'

Whitehorse athlete Darryl Tait is hoping to raise awareness in Canada about the growing sport of WCMX, or wheelchair motocross.

He hasjust returned from the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, where he participatedin an annual event that's part competition,part clinic to work with children interested in learning whatTaitdescribes as skateboarding, but with wheelchairs.

Taittook second place in his competition, which was better than he thought he'd do.

But it's the work in the clinic that the older athletes do with children as young as threeyearsold thatbrings Tait, and others, to tears.WCMX is a sport and a lot of fun, Tait said, but it also teaches the kids confidence and practical skills that can make their days much more enjoyable.

'If they see a curbcut, they can jump it'

"They learn all these skills in the skatepark, but they can take them out into theireveryday [life] and if there's any challenges with wheelchair accessibility,they can overcome them with those skills," he said.

"So if they see a curbcut, they can jump it or make it seem like it's more fun, just thinking outside the box, pretty much."

A lot of the credit goes to Mike Box, Tait said.

Box is known as a sort of Santa Clauswho makes custom-built wheelchairs forchildren.

Their ownchairs are often too big for them and as a result, their parents have to continually push them around, said Tait.

"Then Mike builds a properly fitted chair for them and they jump in it and suddenly their world becomes totally independent for them.

"They can do everything on their own, and now the parents are freaking out because they're chasing their kids, going down ramps and trying to learn wheelies and stuff."

The sport is mainly centred in the United States, Taitsaid, but starting up in other countries as well.

Taitsaid hehope to see Canada added to that list soon.