Move United Junior Nationals

The Move United Junior Nationals[1] (formerly the National Junior Disability Championships and the Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals) is an annual multi-sport event organized by Move United (formerly Adaptive Sports USA) for junior athletes between the ages of 6 and 22 who have disabilities, with sports including para-athletics.

Move United Junior Nationals
StatusActive
GenreYouth parasports
Date(s)Varying
FrequencyAnnual
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1984 (1984)
Most recent2019
Organised byMove United
Websitehttps://juniornationals.adaptivesportsusa.org

Several Paralympic athletes started out as competitors at the NJDC.[2]

The 2019 Junior Nationals were hosted from July 14–19, by Eden Prairie, Minnesota, at the Eden Prairie High School campus.[3] The 2020 event was to be hosted in Denver, Colorado[4] but was cancelled and deferred to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Events

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Junior disabled athlete Joey Chiavaroli, at the 2004 NJDC in Mesa, Arizona

The event was founded in 1984 by Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA and was first held in July 1984.

Similar to the Olympic Games, the Junior Nationals are held every year in a different host city in the United States through a bidding process.[6]

Participant Eligibility Requirements

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All participating athletes must be at least 23 years or younger to participate. In 2020 the games were canceled and deferred to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Junior Nationals returned the following year 2021 the decision was made to allow athletes, 23 years of age that would have aged out of Junior Nationals in 2020 to compete.

Athletes must have a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment that is classifiable under the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification System.

Athletes must also achieve required qualifying standards prior to the Junior Nationals registration deadline.[7]

Qualifying Events

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List of Move United Sanctioned Competition, an NGB or High School Athletic Association sanctioned event that qualifies for the Junior Nationals that are held throughout the United States of America.[8] [9]

March

  • Baltimore Para Classic presented by EY
  • Tri-State Regional Swim Meet

April

  • Texas Regional Games
  • GUMBO North
  • Lone Star Para Invitational
  • Palmetto Games

May

  • Challenge Games
  • Dairyland Games
  • Desert Challenge Games
  • Dixie Games
  • Gateway Games
  • Great Lakes Games
  • IM ABLE Foundation’s Got the Nerve?
  • Lone Star Para Invitational
  • Russ Harvey Memorial Archery Tournament
  • Thunder In the Valley Games

June

  • 5280 Challenge
  • Angle City Games
  • Adaptive Sports New England Track Meet
  • Bennett Blazers Invitational
  • UCO Endeavor Games
  • Beehive Games
  • Gopher State Games
  • KC Ultimate Games
  • Peachtree Paragames
  • Pine Cone Classic
  • Southeastern Regional Wheelchair Games
  • Sportable River City Slam
  • Turnstone Endeavor Games
  • Tri-State Wheelchair & Ambulatory Games
  • University of Michigan Adaptive Track & Field Meet

August

  • Adaptive Sports New England Track Meet
  • Chicago Para-Archery Championship
  • JTCC College Park Championships

September

  • GLASA USTA Tennis Tournament

October

  • GUMBO State Governor's Games

Past host cities

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Edition Year Location city / county / state Venues Host
1st 1984 Dover, Delaware
2nd 1985 Fishersville, Virginia
3rd 1986 Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
4th 1987 Lawrenceville, New Jersey Rider College Children's Specialized Hospital
5th 1988 Johnson City, Tennessee East Tennessee State University
6th 1989 Cupertino, California De Anza College
7th 1990 Ft. Collins, Colorado Colorado State University
8th 1991 Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University Children's Specialized Hospital
9th 1992 Orlando, Florida Walt Disney World
10th 1993 Columbus, Ohio Ohio State University
11th 1994 Edmond, Oklahoma University of Central Oklahoma
12th 1995 Ft. Collins, Colorado Colorado State University
13th 1996 Birmingham, Alabama Samford University Lakeshore Foundation
14th 1997 Mesa, Arizona Mesa High School
15th 1998 Bellevue, Washington
16th 1999 Albuquerque, New Mexico
17th 2000 San Jose, California San Jose State University City of San Jose
18th 2001 Piscataway, New Jersey Rutgers University Children's Specialized Hospital
19th 2002 New London, Connecticut Connecticut College
20th 2003 New London, Connecticut Connecticut College
21st 2004 Mesa, Arizona **Mountain View High School
22nd 2005 Tampa, Florida New Tampa YMCA
University of South Florida
Shriners Hospital, Tampa
23rd 2006 Tampa, Florida Freedom High School
New Tampa YMCA
Shriners Hospital, Tampa
24th 2007 Spokane, Washington Spokane Area Spokane Adaptive Sports
25th 2008 Piscataway, New Jersey Rutgers University Children's Specialized Hospital
26th 2009 St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis Area DASA - Disability Athlete Sports Association
27th 2010 Deerfield and Lake Forest, Illinois Deerfield High School
Hyatt Deerfield
Lake Forest High School
Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association
28th 2011 Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw State University Tri-State Wheelchair Athletic Association
29th 2012 Mesa, Arizona Mesa Community College Arizona Disabled Sports
30th 2013 Rochester, Minnesota Rochester Amateur Sports Commission
31st 2014 Ames, Iowa Cyclone Sports Complex
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center
Iowa State University
Adaptive Sports Iowa
Iowa State University
Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau
32nd 2015 Union County, New Jersey Union County, NJ Park System
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel - Iselin, NJ
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at Children's Specialized Hospital
Tri-State Wheelchair and Amputee Athletics (TSWAA)
33rd 2016 Middleton, Wisconsin Baumann Outdoor Pool complex
Madison Marriott West
Middleton High School
Middleton Parks System
Adaptive Sports USA
Madison Area Sports Commission
Middleton Tourism Commission
34th 2017 Middleton, Wisconsin Baumann Outdoor Pool complex
Madison Marriott West
Middleton High School
Middleton Parks System
Adaptive Sports USA
Madison Area Sports Commission
Middleton Tourism Commission
35th 2018 Fort Wayne, Indiana Turnstone
36th 2019 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie High School
37th 2021 Denver, Colorado Delta Hotels by Marriott Denver Thornton
Horizon High School
Mountain Range High School
North Stadium
Trail Winds Park and Recreation Center
Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center
Children's Museum of Denver Marsico Campus[10]
38th 2022 Metro Denver, Colorado Denver Marriott Westminster
Mountain Range High School
North Stadium
Trail Winds Park and Recreation Center
Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center
39th 2023 Hoover, Alabama Birmingham CrossPlex
Finley Center
Hoover Met Stadium Lakeshore Foundation Campus
Oak Mountain State Park
Spain Park High School
City of Hoover
Greater Birmingham Convention & Vister Bureau
Lakeshore Foundation
40th 2024 Hoover, Alabama Birmingham CrossPlex
Finley Center
Hoover Met Stadium Lakeshore Foundation Campus
Oak Mountain State Park
Spain Park High School
City of Hoover
Greater Birmingham Convention & Vister Bureau
Lakeshore Foundation

References

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  1. ^ "Disabled Sports USA and Adaptive Sports USA merge under new name". Inside the Games. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  2. ^ "About Junior Nationals". Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  3. ^ Huss, Daniel (3 July 2019). "Junior nationals will run in Eden Prairie". SWNewsMedia.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  4. ^ Gewirtz, Jason (2019-11-04). "Denver to Host Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals". SportsTravel. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  5. ^ "Junior Nationals Canceled". Sports N Spokes. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  6. ^ "History of the NJDC". Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  7. ^ "Eligibility Requirements". Move United Junior Nationals. Move United. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Move United 2021 Sanctioned Competitions". Move United Sport. Move United. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Move United 2024 Sanctioned Competitions" (PDF). Move United Sport. Move United. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Event Schedule & Venues". Move United Junior Nationals. Move United. Retrieved 20 July 2021.