Image: BORP logo in blue and orange, a stylized drawing of person in a moving wheelchair plus the words BORP adaptive sports and recreation.

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is ready to take January by storm. Here at BORP there is much to be excited about in 2024:  

1. Board: We have seven new board members joining this month. We sent an invitation out to the community and the response was successful beyond our wildest hopes. It was very hard to winnow the 20+ applications down to seven and we are grateful to everyone who offered to step forward to serve the organization in this way. We'll be rolling out introductions in the coming months.
2. Membership: BORP is launching a new participant membership program this year. It will provide a steady revenue stream and reduce the administrative burden for both participants and staff. Participant members will be asked to pay $20 a month to access all BORP Programs. For what BORP provides, this rate is a bargain, but you can rest assured that no one will be ever turned away for lack of funds.
3. Programming: We have BORP-hosted power soccer and quad rugby tournaments on the calendar this winter, plans in play to open a permanent cycling hub in San Francisco come spring, and lots more to look forward to. 

In Community,

Image: Emily Seelenfreund at the 2023 Revolution Ride Roll and Stroll

Program Updates

On Saturday December 9th, BORP hosted the first Goalball invitational tournament since the pandemic pause. Six teams from the Bay Area and beyond with a mix of veteran and new players pulled on their pads and eyeshades and hit the court. The competition was fierce, fun and friendly. We would like to congratulate the Cyclones team from SoCal on their first-place win and thank all of our players and volunteers for the amazing work they put in to make this tournament a success. (Click for more photos)

The High Fives, BORP's Wheelchair Rugby team, is on a tear with a 1st place finish at their most recent tournament in Reno, and two teammates aiming to represent Colombia in the 2024 Paralympics. BORP is co-hosting the Battle of the Bay Wheelchair Rugby Tournament (click for details) this weekend at the Palo Alto VA. Go cheer on the team!

BORP Power Soccer teams, the Bombers and the Shockers are also back in action with four games, including two conference games, under their belt already. BORP is hosting a regional tournament on February 24 & 25. More details in the next newsletter.

The Jr Road Warriors went 4-1 but didn't quite seal the deal in the championship game in their most recent tournament in Phoenix. Never-the-less Braulio Noriega was named to the All-Tournament Team and Zach Nazareno was named tournament MVP.

Our adult wheelchair basketball team is just back from Fresno where they kicked off their competition season. The BORP All-Stars were in every game until the buzzer but couldn't quite come away with a W. BORP will be hosting a tournament on March 23 & 24 and will be hard at work on defense in practice in the meantime.

Top Images: Image 1 Goalball team celebrates victory; Image 2 Brandon letting loose in from of the BORP banner; Image 3 Two teams congratulating each other. Bottom images: image 1 The BORP All-Stars Adult Wheelchair Basketball team posing on the court; Image 2 The team enjoys post-tournament pizza in Fresno.

BORP will be laying out our plans for 2024 and beyond at two house parties in February.

February 1st - in Orinda at the home of Barbara and Rick Bennett

February 29th - in El Sobrante at the Home of Dorene and Steve Giacopini

While these are fundraising events, and space is limited, we want to make sure to engage everyone who is interested in building BORP's impact across the Bay Area. Please email andrew@borp.org if you are interested in attending a house party or learning more about BORP's future plans.

Image: Photo from the first house party with guests watching Emily's presentation.

Do you enjoy sports and get a rush from meeting people and making new connections? Then consider participating in an international exchange and being an adaptive sports ambassador. People with disabilities explore a wide variety of world travel through Mobility International USA (MIUSA) which was co-founded by Susan Sygall (who also co-founded BORP). Check out the MIUSA program in partnership with the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange. Scholarship opportunities abound, here are 10 programs to check out. Email MIUSA with any questions: clearinghouse@miusa.org. 

Challenge yourself and change the world!®

Image: Group of people including two people in wheelchairs are sight-seeing in an old arcade with stone arches and brickwork.

Image: Photo from Misako Akimoto's Exhibition The Athletes in Harmony, it is a shot of the Jr Road Warriors after practice with text superimposed: "By the people of BORP, The Athletes in Harmony, photographed by Misako Akimoto, at: Ironworks 800 Potter St., Berkeley 10AM to 10 PM 510-981-9900."

Image 1: Photo from last year's Rev of riders gathered for the ride safety talk. Superimposed is: "Save the date for the Revolution Ride, May 12, 2024.

BORP Adaptive Sports and Recreation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our mission is to improve the health, independence and social integration of children, youth and adults with physical disabilities and visual impairments through sports, fitness, and recreation programs. www.borp.org

Image 1: BORP logo in blue and orange, a stylized drawing of person in a moving wheelchair plus the words BORP adaptive sports and recreation. Image 2: Facebook logo. Image 3: Instagram logo. Image 4: YouTube logo. Click Social Media logos for BORP social media.