It was a viral moment that captured all the positive attributes of sports.
Teamwork, sportsmanship, perseverance, confidence, collaboration, and fun were all on display last week in a game between Maryland boys’ high school rivals, Saints Peter & Paul and Severn School.
Caleb Krewson of SSPP took possession at midfield, raced downfield while dodging defenders, circled around X, and took a shot at the Severn goal. He missed, but a teammate grabbed the rebound and put the ball back on Krewson's stick. After another crease roll, he buried the shot in the upper corner.
The fact that Caleb is an adaptive athlete and did all of this in his motorized wheelchair and with the aid of a customized catapult stick designed by engineers only served to magnify the special moment.
After the goal, players from both teams rushed the field in celebration.
“I was real happy to score that goal,” said Caleb, who has cerebral palsy. “It made my week.”
While the social media video has put Krewson, 15, in the spotlight, scoring goals is not a new frontier for him. He has been a part of the SSPP program since middle school, attending all practices and games. It’s not an uncommon practice for Coach Freddie Wolters to get Caleb in at the end of games and let him execute something that he’s been working on at practices.
“It’s such as easy thing to make happen,” Wolters said. “I make sure to talk to the officials and the coach of the other team before the game, and then we call a time out before the end of the game and get Caleb on the field. A lot of credit goes to the other coaches, who are always agreeable.”
Caleb’s love for the game is fueled, in part, by his older brother Kyler, who also played for Wolters at SSPP and is now a sophomore attacker at Gettysburg College. Seeing Caleb as a constant presence at Kyler’s practices and games, Wolters decided there was no reason not to take him off the sidelines and onto the field.
“We don’t treat him any differently than any other player,” Wolters said. “No one here sees that he is in a wheelchair. He’s just another freshman player.”
The only obstacle to Caleb’s initial participation was getting a stick that he could use with his wheelchair. That’s where longtime adaptive sports advocate Marty Delaney got involved to help facilitate Caleb’s on-field experience. Delaney has been a dedicated and central figure in Maryland’s adaptive sports community for many decades.
“I was made aware of Caleb's love of the game and his desire to participate from a local coach who knew his family,” Delaney said. “I reached out to Caleb’s dad and provided some background about adaptive lacrosse and some of the possibilities that might be available.”
Delaney also connected the Krewsons with Angela Tyler, program director at VME, a Maryland-based network of volunteer engineers who tackle special projects to develop solutions for persons with disabilities. VME had worked with Delaney previously on a customized stick design for wheelchair athletes, as well as an improved sensory ball for blind athletes.
“We build all sorts of devices to help people with disabilities who can’t find what they need in the marketplace,” Tyler said. “We initially met with Caleb and his family to understand what his range of motion might be, to understand how his arm rest works, and to take some measurements, and then we developed a design based on his wheelchair’s configuration.”
John Haug, a retired mechanical engineer, served as VME’s lead engineer for Caleb’s stick design, and moved the project through the various stages of development. The customized stick was completed in three months, with the family then returning for a final fitting. The stick can be attached and removed from Caleb’s wheelchair as needed.
“They were such a lovely family to work with and Caleb was so excited with the stick,” Tyler said. “We’ve now created a template for this design that we can share with other engineers. We want to reach even more athletes.”
Caleb’s extracurricular activities are not limited to lacrosse. He is also an active participant in many of his family’s other outdoor exploits, including snow skiing.
“He is not strictly confined to the wheelchair, but he needs something motorized to keep up,” said his mom, Kristi. “He likes to ride his quad in open fields and he can walk short distances with crutches.”
In addition to his hard work on the lacrosse field, Caleb also pushes himself in physical therapy, and is now walking unassisted for up to five minutes on the treadmill.
Caleb’s goal against Severn last week, which counted as part of the game’s final score (a 22-10 win for Severn) was the first time he has scored in a high school game. It’s not likely to be his last, but Wolters isn’t sure when the next one may come. Even though Caleb dresses for every game, Wolters is strategic in deciding when the opportunity is right to get him into a game.
“We don’t do this in every game,” Wolters said. “It’s not a dog and pony show. It’s about giving an opportunity to a kid who works so hard. He just loves lacrosse.”
Like every other reserve player waiting their turn to get on the field, Caleb spends much of each game cheering on his teammates, offering words of encouragement, and being supportive.
“He’s a great cheerleader and loves to help motivate the other players,” Kristi Krewson said. “He’s been teammates with some of these same boys for years. He just loves being on the field with them.”
Wolters is quick to note that Caleb brings an invaluable presence to the team.
“He reminds all of us every day that lacrosse is still just a game and the reason we play is to have fun,” Wolters said. “What he does for us is more than we’ll ever do for him.”
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USA Lacrosse has a proud history of supporting lacrosse participation by adaptive athletes, and stands firm in the belief that there’s room for everyone in lacrosse.
While adaptive sports are activities designed specifically for athletes with disabilities, these sports are often extremely similar to their “mainstream” counterparts, with slight adjustments to the space, rules, or equipment which allows more people to play. Adaptive lacrosse can be offered in a variety of formats so that each program or organization can select a participation model that is flexible and works best with their resources and population.
USA Lacrosse’s Adaptive Lacrosse Mentors Group provides resources and support for coaches and program administrators who wish to develop new or existing adaptive lacrosse programs. Through formal mentorship, administrators will have the opportunity to learn directly from influential leaders to gain practical adaptive coaching and management experience.
To learn more about adaptive lacrosse and to access additional resources, please visit usalacrosse.com/adaptive-lacrosse.
Individuals may also contact USA Lacrosse for more information via email at diversityprograms@usalacrosse.com.
