Catalyst Sports Blazes New Trails for Adaptive Athletes
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A climber who uses a wheelchair belays another climber during an adaptive climbing program in Murfreesboro, TN.
For many people with physical disabilities, outdoor adventures can feel out of reach. That’s why Catalyst Sports provides access to activities like rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, and hiking using specialized adaptive equipment, aiming to promote participants’ physical and mental well-being.
The idea for Catalyst Sports took root when Eric Gray, its Founder and Executive Director, was working at a VA hospital in Augusta, Georgia. While there, he had a climbing wall installed to help rehabilitate veterans and service members. He highlights the therapeutic benefits of climbing: “physical therapists saw it as an opportunity to gain strength, range of motion, and endurance, occupational therapists saw it as an opportunity to address proprioception and vestibular challenges, and speech therapists saw it as an opportunity to work on problem solving.”
Recognizing the growing demand for adaptive sports—and the lack of access—Eric founded Catalyst Sports in Atlanta in 2011. As interest surged, the organization attracted supporters eager to expand opportunities for adaptive athletes, resulting in new chapters. Today, Catalyst Sports has 14 locations across the Southeastern United States and serves over 1,000 people each year.
Catalyst Sports initially focused on rock climbing, but the social distancing measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted additional outdoor activities like mountain biking, kayaking, and hiking. “For some people, it was just a matter of hiking through the woods, for others it was a matter of getting that adrenaline rush, for others it was increasing their cardio,” Eric observes. “Everyone came outside for a different reason, and so much of it was the mental health piece as well.”
Volunteers at Catalyst Sports work closely with athletes with physical disabilities, using specialized adaptive equipment—such as handcycles, off-road wheelchairs, and custom climbing gear—to ensure that everyone can participate. Eric believes that Catalyst Sports has “some of the best volunteers in the world,” whose passion for these sports has played a key role in lowering barriers of access for people with disabilities.
“There’s a community here for you, and there’s an opportunity for you to access nature and all of the benefits that come along with that,” Eric notes. “We’ve seen this domino effect, where it’s not just for the participants and it’s not just for the volunteers, but it’s the entire community together.”
The emphasis Catalyst Sports places on connection and community is reflected in the lives of its athletes. One person who has benefited from Catalyst Sports is Maggie Smith, who has been involved with the organization for over a decade now.
Adaptive mountain bike participants at the AMBC Fall Fest in Knoxville, TN.
Born with spina bifida—a condition that affects spinal cord development and can impact mobility—Maggie fondly recalls her love for the outdoors as a child, saying, “We had a creek in our backyard, and I was down in the creek with my siblings, I was under our deck digging . . . I was just always outside.” But as she got older, there were fewer opportunities to get out into the woods.
Maggie first joined Catalyst Sports in 2014 for its rock climbing but fell in love with adaptive mountain biking in 2020. “For me, it was just being on the dirt, on the mountain bike, in the middle of trees,” she shares. “It was a whole new experience and it’s just so healing—even if you don’t feel like you need healing.” Her passion for biking quickly grew—in 2021, when Catalyst Sports hosted bike tours at ten of its chapters, Maggie participated in eight of them.
Mountain biking wasn’t the only thing Maggie fell in love with at Catalyst Sports. She met her future husband, Brad Smith, at an adaptive biking event in 2020. The couple were married in November 2024 at Blankets Creek, the same park near Atlanta where they first connected.
It was a whole new experience and it’s just so healing—even if you don’t feel like you need healing.
Grateful for the opportunities Catalyst Sports has provided, Maggie reflects that it “has really helped me open up and take chances. I’ve gotten to camp in a tent outside, I’ve gotten to rock climb outside, I’ve travelled as far out as Arizona to go mountain biking. It’s given me the opportunity to get outside in ways I couldn’t on my own.”
Maggie’s story is just one of many, and as Catalyst Sports continues to grow, Eric is excited about providing additional opportunities. The adaptive mountain bike program is expanding to cities like Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Washington, D.C, and there are plans to offer more immersive events. “We’re looking to elevate the opportunities and not just leave people with a two-hour recreational experience,” Eric explains. “We’re going for those overnight, experiential opportunities for people to really connect on a deeper level.”
With its commitment to access and adventure, Catalyst Sports empowers adaptive athletes to reach new heights and experience the transformative power of nature. Moving forward, its adaptive sports programs will continue to challenge limits, build confidence, and create lasting memories for athletes and volunteers alike.
Associated Case Study: Catalyst Sports