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 | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Youth parasports |
| Date(s) | Varying |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1984 |
| Most recent | 2019 |
| Organised by | Move United |
| Website | https://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
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
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
List of Move United Sanctioned Competition, an NGB or High School Athletic Association sanctioned event the qualifies for the Junior Nationals that are held throughout the United States of America.[8]
April
- Texas Regional Games
- GUMBO North
May
- Challenge Games
- Desert Challenge Games
- Dixie Games
- Gateway Games
- Great Lakes Games
- Lone Star Para Invitational
- Russ Harvey Memorial Archery Tournament
- Thunder In the Valley Games
June
- 5280 Challenge
- Angle City Games
- UCO Endeavor Games
- Beehive Games
- Peachtree Paragames
- Southeastern Regional Wheelchair Games
- Turnstone Endeavor Games
- Tri-State Wheelchair & Ambulatory Games
August
- Adaptive Sports New England Track Meet
- Chicago Para-Archery Championship
Past host cities
| 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 | Century High School Rochester Recreation Center UCR Regional Sports Center | 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[9] | |
| 38th | 2022 | Metro Denver, Colorado | Denver Marriott Westminster Mountain Range High School North Stadium Trail Winds Park and Recreation Center Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center |