A PATH TO POSSIBILITY
BY LORI MARANVILLE
Adaptive sports programs in Ann Arbor are making a difference for local families.
For 17-year-old Grace Cregar, the whole world is a stage and participating in sports has given her the script. Skating as part of the Unified Hockettes team of the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club (AAFSC) is a perfect fit, says her mother, Marie Cregar, explaining the sport gives her the chance to combine her love of music and performance in one “beautiful mode of expression.”
Cregar’s daughter is on the autism spectrum and although high-functioning, she has always needed a little extra support. Marie credits the adaptive skating program with giving her daughter a sense of belonging and self-confidence, as well as the opportunity that transcends the skating rink.
“The biggest change I saw was that she didn’t feel like she was on the outside looking in. She was a part of the group.”
