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Conversations with Chandra Neal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandra Neal.

Chandra Neal

Hi Chandra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
SNAP Sports provides individuals with physical and developmental disabilities the opportunity to engage in a variety of sports-based activities. SNAP stands for Special Needs Athletes and Peers. 

Our athletes often shatter the notion of commonly held limitations by accepting the challenge of more complex competitive sports. Players gain confidence and poise while becoming better equipped to manage their individual disabilities. Athletes who participate regularly routinely develop the essential physical and social skills needed to improve their everyday lives. 

SNAP Sports programs provide the opportunity for regular, rigorous physical activity, disciplined team behavior, and demonstrable moments of accomplishment. We encourage the use of peer athletes to accelerate this process, and the program welcomes all athletes with disabilities who wish to expand their knowledge and skills of a team sport through the support of experienced coaches and skilled peers. 

SNAP Sports was founded in March 2012. It began with a group of coaches and special needs athletes who went to a hockey game and the athletes asked, “why can’t we play hockey?” And the coaches responded, “why can’t you?” And SNAP Hockey was formed! 

In association with the Ice Station Valencia, now The Cube, SNAP Sports created a year-round Developmental Skating School and seasonal Ice Hockey program for special needs athletes. 

In 2013, SNAP joined ASHA (American Special Hockey Association) as a sanctioned special needs hockey team. 

Soon after SNAP Cougar Flag Football was in place. Along with the Cheer Club. 

In 2016, SNAP Roadrunners Distance Running Club was launched. Athletes complete in 5k events throughout the season. 

Adaptive and Developmental Ice Skating is offered year-round. Hockey, Flag Football, Cheer, and Running are seasonal. 

SNAP Sports is 501(c)3 non-profit, 100% volunteer-only organization. Without the help of our generous donors and benefactors, a dynamic sports program such as this would be financially impractical for most of our participants who are reliant solely on SSI benefits. Throughout the year, we conduct several small fundraising initiatives that support the ongoing efforts and costs it takes to run this program at low or no cost to the athletes. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is completely smooth, but the heart of the coaches, volunteers, athletes, and families keep this program alive. One of our main struggles recently was when The Ice Station skating rink was going to shut down in 2019. Without a rink, we would have lost the core of our program. 

There was a major effort by our community to save the rink. And the City of Santa Clarita came to the rescue. Now we call The Cube our home base. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are a nonprofit sports program that provides developmental and adaptive sports programs for individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities. We have athletes from ages 5 to 55. Other than a low-cost fee for the hockey program, our programs are free to the athletes. 

We fill an unmet need in our community that engages athletes with peers in the community. 

We are so grateful to see how our program can boost the confidence and health of our athletes and their families. Our skating program provides a space for not only the special needs athletes to skate, but also their family. In many cases, it’s the only place where the entire family can participate in something together. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
As a parent of a blind and autistic athlete on the hockey and football teams, I am so grateful at how this program became home to us. There weren’t many local sports programs that my son could safely participate in. 

Then we found SNAP, and everything changed. 

He started ice skating with a walker, then with a coach by his side. Now he uses a hockey stick as a cane and can navigate the ice with it. They have a hockey puck that is larger, and it beeps so he can find it. 

He is also the center for the flag football team. 

He can’t wait to go to practice and games. It gives him purpose. And it makes me so happy, as a parent, to see him enjoying a full life. 

Pricing:

  • Hockey program – $400 currently
  • Ice Skating – Free
  • Flag Football – Free
  • Running – Free
  • Cheer – Free

Contact Info:

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