Adaptive sports aren't about making athletics easier. They're about ensuring talent—not physical challenges—determines the opportunity to compete.

Comparisons between life and sports are often cliché, but they're also often true.

In both, we enter with goals, expectations and the desire to do our best. We all bring different strengths, different weaknesses and different challenges. Success isn't determined by whether those challenges exist. It's determined by how we respond to them.

The same is true in sports.

So when you hear the phrase adaptive sports, what comes to mind? If you're anything like me, you may automatically think easier. Less challenging. Maybe even a version of sports where the competition itself has been softened.

That was my misconception going into a recent conversation with Katie Smart, athletic coordinator for Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation, and Ben Kowalczyk, recreation center supervisor, for Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation. 

I was wrong.

One thing I hadn't considered before this interview was the difference between a challenge and a limitation. A limitation implies an ending. A challenge implies a path forward. The philosophy behind Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation's Adaptive Sports Program isn't to ignore the physical challenges athletes may face. It's to remove the barriers surrounding those challenges so talent—not circumstance—has the opportunity to take the lead.

What happens when a community chooses to adapt the game instead of lowering the standard?

That's exactly what Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation has done.

"The talent comes first," Kowalczyk said.

That philosophy became the foundation for everything we discussed.

Adaptive sports don't begin by focusing on what an athlete can't do. They begin by recognizing what an athlete can do. The adaptations come afterward, removing barriers that might otherwise prevent someone from competing.

Smart said one of the biggest misconceptions people have is believing adaptive sports are watered-down versions of traditional athletics. In reality, the modifications aren't intended to reduce competition. They're designed to preserve it while creating an equal opportunity to compete.

Wheelchair basketball offers one of the clearest examples.

Players are assigned a functional point value based on their physical abilities, and the combined point total of the five athletes on the court cannot exceed a designated limit. The system isn't designed to determine who's more talented. Instead, it balances functional ability so the outcome is determined by skill, teamwork, strategy and effort—not by differences in physical challenges.

That same philosophy extends beyond the basketball court.

Playing environments are adapted to accommodate athletes using wheelchairs, walkers, canes and other mobility devices. Rule modifications make participation possible while preserving the integrity of the competition.

The adaptations support the athlete.

They never replace the athlete.

While wheelchair basketball may be one of the program's most recognizable offerings, it represents only one part of a much broader commitment to 

adaptive recreation.

Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation offers Buddy Sports for participants ages 5 and older, with no upper age limit, creating opportunities for individuals who want to stay active, build skills and enjoy the social benefits of recreation, whether or not competitive sports are their goal. The department also offers adaptive opportunities for youth, adults and veterans through aquatics, golf, tennis, soccer, flag football, wheelchair basketball and other seasonal programs.

The department also serves as the Cumberland County headquarters for Special Olympics, reflecting a long-standing commitment to ensuring athletes of all abilities have access to meaningful recreational and competitive opportunities.

That commitment continues throughout the year.

As summer gives way to fall, indoor soccer and flag football begin in August, followed by outdoor soccer. Wheelchair basketball players are also preparing for their season, which tips off in October. Each program is intentionally designed to meet athletes where they are while continuing to challenge them to grow.

Perhaps what impressed me most wasn't the variety of sports being offered.

It was the intentionality behind them.

Every adaptation, rule modification and adjustment shared the same purpose: preserving competition while removing unnecessary barriers to participation.

By the end of our conversation, my misconception about adaptive sports had completely changed. I walked into the interview believing adaptation meant lowering expectations. I walked away understanding that adaptation isn't about lowering expectations at all.

It's about removing barriers.

Challenges may still exist, but they no longer have to become limitations. Instead, athletes are given the opportunity to compete, grow and succeed based on what they bring to the game—not the obstacles they face getting there.

That perspective is perhaps best captured by the philosophy Kowalczyk shared at the beginning of our conversation.

"The talent comes first."

Everything else simply helps ensure the talent has the opportunity to be seen.

To learn more about Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation's Adaptive Sports Program, visit the department's Adaptive Sports webpage at https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Sports-Athletics/Adaptive-Sportsor the Steve Gillmore Adaptive Recreation Center is located at 1600 Purdue Drive.