in Florence the new inclusive gym “Pararcobaleno”

On Saturday 24 September 2022 the rehabilitation facility “paracobaleno“, Strongly desired bySimone Borgheresi Association – Champions of Life and its president Simona Spini. “The opening of the activities of our rehabilitation center is the realization of a dream -explains President Spini-, the one shared by me and my husband Simone Borgheresinational archery champion, but above all “Champion of Life”, who loved to spend himself for others, generating wonderful opportunities for inclusion and solidarity”. First of its kind nationwidethe Pararcobaleno center will offer from now on the possibility of following a long-term rehabilitation path to patients who have suffered spinal injuries and who will have undergone a first post-operative rehabilitation in Spinal Center of Careggi. During the celebratory afternoon, the activities of the center were presented, also through a practical demonstration of archery, and the first supporting members of the project had the opportunity to register with the Simone Borgheresi – Champions of Life Association, paying a fee of 25 euros.

“Sport is fully part of the rehabilitation program promoted by the Centro Spinale Careggi Onlus Sports Group – explains Piero Amaticoordinator of sports activities in the Careggi Spinal Center -, obviously together with drug therapies. We are a multi-disciplinary team. Not all patients are suitable for sporting activity, but if the doctor and physiotherapist give a favorable opinion, a sporting path is proposed that is comparable to a playful and aggregative activity, certainly not competitive. We are talking about people who live the tragedy of becoming paraplegic or quadriplegic and sport can be a medicine for the mind and for the return to sociability. As an association we are connected with the territory, through collaborations such as the one with the aps Simone Borgherese, which offers our patients the opportunity to continue their experience in the ward, becoming part of a sports association recognized by the Federation. A very nice aspect is that the “Pararcobaleno” gym welcomes everyone, from people in wheelchairs to the able-bodied, who can share a truly inclusive space”.

The Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Florence was present at the inauguration Cosimo Guccione: “I am happy to inaugurate this activity that will take place at the Pararcobaleno, which thus enriches the sporting offer of a rehabilitative and inclusive type with archery. This specificity was missing, which is why the structure is unique in its kind in Florence. One more tool – underlines the commissioner Guccione – for the rehabilitation and inclusion of people with disabilities. A great opportunity made possible by the passion of many volunteers and above all of Simona Spini whom I thank. To try your hand at this discipline you don’t need excessive physical prowess, and this makes it inclusive par excellence. The athletic gesture, however, needs a necessary concentration, and these two factors lend themselves very well to the rehabilitation process, for example after a certain type of trauma. Archery is a sport whose benefits are a determining factor in the recovery activity”.

“The Aps dedicated to the memory of Corporal Major VVFF Simone Borgheresi -comments the president Spini- represents a absolute novelty on our territorybecause it aims to offer activities aimed at the physical, psychological and social recovery of Medullolese people discharged from Spinal Center of Careggi, thanks to national archery instructors who put their expertise at the service of the cause. Until now, patients discharged from the hospital had two options before them: to pay for themselves privately for effective rehabilitation, or to shut themselves up at home and gradually lose many of the skills that, instead, could be maintained, in addition to the not secondary aspect of sociability. Archery is the inclusive sport par excellence – concludes Spini -, because each athlete can participate indiscriminately in Paralympic and non-Paralympic competitions, and because the teams can be made up indiscriminately of men and women. It is also a sporting discipline recognized as rehabilitation for people with spinal injuries. However, our Aps is not interested in competitions: non we are looking for competitive champions, but champions of lifethat is people who want to recover after having suffered a difficult “bereavement in their body”, through a path of rehabilitation of the body and mind, with the aim of regaining self-confidence and obtaining satisfaction from daily improvements”.

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