Center designed for fitness enthusiasts with disabilities

At age 14, Nick Springer was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he came down with a bout of meningitis that left him a quadruple amputee. But that hasn't deterred him from participating in sports.

Now a world-class athlete, the Phoenix resident is a member of the U.S. National Wheelchair Rugby Team, which will compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. The games run Aug. 29 to Sept. 9, soon after the Olympics and in the same venue.

The rugby team won the gold medal in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.

"Getting into disabled sports is one of the big things that pulled me through," Springer said. "It helps with quality of life."

He is a regular at the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities at 5031 E. Washington St. in Phoenix, which opened last fall. The center, a program of the non-profit Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, covers 45,000 square feet and is the first of its kind in the western United States.

It has a basketball court, indoor track, 50 pieces of fitness/training equipment and a 40-foot rock-climbing wall donated by the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.

The center also has a therapy pool, lap pool and whirlpool with elevators, chair lifts and ramps.

"Quite a bit of effort went into making sure every piece of adaptive equipment was built in," spokesman Loren Worthington said.

On the basketball court, the hoops can be raised or lowered for those in wheelchairs.

Overlooking the basketball court is a one-tenth-mile walking track with a low-impact surface to make walking easier for people with joint or bone ailments, and the track surface promotes friction, helpful in allowing leg prostheses to get a good grip.

Overlooking the court is a clear railing so people can sit in wheelchairs and watch the action. The railing is equipped with electrical outlets to accommodate people on ventilators.

Other programs at the center include yoga, nutrition education, adaptive rowing and power soccer.

Springer said participating in athletics gives him a goal, a benefit for a lot of people.

"Kids with new injuries ... want to strive and do better at sports. It helps with rehabilitation, gives them a better attitude and makes for a stronger body," he said.

Another advantage of the center, he said, is getting out and meeting others in wheelchairs.