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Athletes with disabilities from around the country were given the opportunity to compete on the national stage at the Hartford Nationals from July 12-18. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By TYLER RALEY | Special to the Reporter

National competition was brought back to Shelby County for another year as the Hartford Nationals hosted numerous competitions from July 12-18.

The Hartford Nationals provides an opportunity for athletes around the country with physical, visual or intellectual disabilities to compete against each other and show off their skills in a variety of sports, including archery, parapowerlifting, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, track and field and wheelchair tennis.

Competition was held at various local venues around the area, including Spain Park High School and Oak Mountain State Park.

The 67th edition of The Hartford Nationals was the second in a row to be held in the city of Hoover, but the third time it has hosted overall along with the 1996 edition.

Move United’s communication manager Shuan Butcher was once again very pleased with how the festivities turned out this year, knowing it was important for everybody involved.

“The second year is obviously easier because we’re returning, we’re repeating,” Butcher said. “I can’t say enough good things about the city of Hoover and our other partners like the Lakeshore Foundation. They’ve really helped elevate the event and really stepped up a notch in terms of not only laying out the red carpet for our athletes and for the athletes competing and coaches and parents and families, but have been great partners to work with.”

In order to compete in their respective events, the 397 athletes that attended had to qualify at another sanctioned competition by placing high enough or by meeting a time or distance standard. Those competitions were held at a number of regional locations across the country, all leading to the national stage.

Butcher says that by competing for these limited spots, the competition provides an avenue for these athletes who perhaps want to take their skills to the next level.

“For (the athletes), this might be an opportunity to compete against a much larger crowd of competition,” Butcher said. “When you have an athlete that is somewhere in their journey, this is kind of that stepping stone for athletes who want to continue to improve, who want to continue to strive to compete at larger events, for example the Paralympic Games or other international competition.”

In addition to the competitive aspects of the event, the Hartford Nationals host educational clinics and social events, allowing for the athletes and city to come together as a community and have fun when they are not putting their skills on display.

Putting this on each year is a highlight of Move United’s initiative and Butcher what this event does is provide a true chance to push their goal: redefining disability.

“It’s a big opportunity to support athletes and to provide the platform to really showcase the power of sport,” Butcher said. “Sport has the power to change the world and throughout our country’s history, sport has been at the forefront of changing the world and changing perceptions… This is obviously an opportunity for us to do that.”

With adaptive sports on the rise in recent years, holding The Hartford Nationals is something Butcher believes will have a large impact in the United States, hoping that it provides more opportunities to those with disabilities as time goes on.

“When London held their Paralympic Games, it really just brought disability to the forefront,” Butcher said.  “We anticipate that also being the same thing here in the U.S., so we’re trying to build that movement so that, one, if an athlete with a disability or an individual with a disability sees that on their own television when they’re watching it or online and they say, ‘I want to do that,’ then there are places to do that.

“We’re trying to build that groundswell. We’re trying to build that infrastructure so that there are full opportunities to participate in sport when an individual is ready, and for us, we think that that’ll be in 2028 when (the Paralympics) comes back to the United States.”

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