Participants Needed to Start Cerebral Palsy Wrestling Program

When Karri Sparkman’s son was told he couldn’t wrestle because of his cerebral palsy, Sparkman was willing to “forget about it” at his request, but she never stopped looking for a way to fulfill his dream.

Now, with the help of the , Sparkman is on the verge of starting one of the first special-needs wrestling programs in the state. But she needs the community’s help.

“I went through Special Olympics–no wrestling program. I went through adaptive sports for physically impaired people–no program,” Sparkman said. “So I thought, there has to be something … I was in the Macomb Recreation Center and noticed they had a special needs program for cheerleading and basketball.

“I asked about a wrestling program and they said, ‘If you can get the kids together, we can have an instructor and give the kids a place to wrestle.’”

However, for the camp to succeed, more participants are needed.

“They may cancel it this Monday if we don’t get enough people,” she said. “But then maybe we will try again in the fall. I’d really like to see if people are interested.”

Sparkman’s sons, Jesse, 17, and Jacob, 13, will both participate in the camp, as well as two others. And while the session could take place with only the four, Sparkman said six to eight participants is ideal. 

“I don’t want parents to be afraid,” Sparkman said. “I don’t want them to think the kids are going to be hurt. We are trying to teach them to have a competitive edge, to have a drive, to have camaraderie and learn teamwork.”

The camp, which runs July 18-22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is still open to any child with cerebral palsy who is interested.

From this first camp, Sparkman said she hopes to develop a team.

“I thought, if we could get a team together here in Macomb County, people would talk about it, then get together in Oakland, then Wayne and we could start developing it where they can wrestle against each other,” Sparkman said. “I can’t do it by myself and I know there are tons of kids who have cerebral palsy in very different degrees, but for kids with strong upper bodies, (wrestling) it is perfect for them.”

Anyone interested in the program can contact Sparkman directly at 586-718-5994.

The camp at the is $55 for residents and $60 for nonresidents. Registration is through the recreation center, 586-992-2900.

“I would like nothing more than to see Adaptive Recreation thrive at Macomb Township Parks and Recreation,” said Michelle Duda, program leader. “We have been trying for a few years now with little success. I really appreciate the initiative that Karri has taken to promote this. It really appears the target groups will need to be reached by people within those networks.”

The Adaptive Recreation program is headed by Jeannie DiCicco, an education specialist with a K-12 endorsement in cognitively impaired, a bachelor’s in education and a master’s in learning and behavioral disorders.  

“She has a sincere passion to help these kids, and the few that have been in her programs have had great success,” Duda said. “We hope we can reach this special population through our programs, as currently, very little is being offered in our community. We appreciate anyone with special education connections to spread the word!