Although it’s been open since last Halloween, The Virginia G. Piper Sports and Fitness Center marked their grand opening on Feb. 24. The center wanted to raise awareness of the facility for one special reason: The fitness center is for those who have disabilities.
Phil Pangrazio, the CEO and 12-year president of Arizona Bridge to Independent Living —as well as a Sun Devil alumnus— was gung ho about opening an adaptive fitness center. He, too, could benefit, aside from the business aspect.
Pangrazio is a C6-C7 quadriplegic, meaning his legs are paralyzed but he has good use of his upper body. In 1979, Pangrazio was in a car accident. He remembers it being really hard to cope with his disabilities for the first ten years, transitioning from being a high school athlete to stuck in a wheelchair.
“It was really hard,” Pangrazio says. “That’s kind of the part when I got involved in athletics ten years after (the crash). It probably helped me more psychologically.”
Pangrazio picked up wheelchair rugby twenty years ago. The sport had stimulated him mentally and allowed him to accept his disability.
“Disability sucks, everything in your life changes,” Pangrazio says. “There’s no reason why people should go it alone.”
The facility was constructed to promote an “environment where people can be inspired.” Pangrazio hopes to have fellow disabled people connect and bond; he wants a community. Through activities like strength training and rock climbing, he looks to make that connection between members.
Richard Romley , a former county attorney for Maricopa County and another a Sun Devil alumnus, wants to see the bonding of the disabled through the facility. He wants it to be a building experience for all of its users.
“You have the inner strength that is contagious,” Romley said in a statement. “Don’t dwell on the disability. Move forward.”
That is what Romley has done. Romley was a Marine and a squad leader at that. During his time there, he suffered injury from a detonated land mine in Vietnam. He is now an amputee, losing both legs above the knee.
“You can overcome the worst of things,” Romley says in an interview. “This facility brings camaraderie. Your physical fitness, your continuation with some of your passion is really critical to not just your physical side but your mental side. I am a true believer that those individuals with disabilities bring so much to the community.”
From Pangrazio’s tie to Arizona State University, he also tried to incorporate the college that much more into the facility’s grand opening. Anthony Robles, an ASU alumnus, wrestler and 2011 National Champion spoke to the disabled who gathered in the gym. Robles was born without his right leg.
“We all wrestle with issues,” Robles said in a statement. “I learned at an early age that even though you have competitors, you can always be on top.”
In a nutshell, Robles was a high school wrestler who continually showed progress in the sport. Without any college offers due to his disability, he walked on to Arizona State’s wrestling program. There, he came out “on top.”
He remembers his mother, Judy Robles, saying that God made him like that for a reason and to just keep going. That became his mindset, Robles said.
“It’s a really cool facility,” Robles says in an interview. “There are no limitations.”
With a center that can aid to the disabled, Pangrazio hopes to empower them. He believes that the disabled have the ability to do anything.
“Folks with disabilities can learn from each other,” Pangrazio said. “That’s the best thing that can come about this.”
Virginia G. Piper Sports and Fitness Center is located on 5031 E. Washington St. in Phoenix.
Any questions or ideas? You can e-mail me at bcapria@asu.edu.
