Clarification: In a previous version of this article, Kevin Flike’s involvement in the special forces was unclear. Flike is a former green beret.

After being shot in the abdomen, Kevin Flike, a special forces former green beret, never thought he would enjoy skiing, his favorite sport, again. But through a number of surgeries and an organization known as STRIDE Adaptive Sports, Flike is back on the slopes and has regained control of his mobility.

Flike is an adaptive sports success and his story is one of many told in “Changing Sports, Changing Lives,” a documentary by Dennis Deninger, an Emmy-winning professor of practice in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. The film will premiere in Watson Theatre on Monday at 4 p.m. After the premiere, there will be an award presentation and a symposium that includes a question-and-answer session with a panel of speakers followed by a reception.

The panel includes speakers such as six-time Paralympic medalist Bob Balk, chair of the International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council and Nienke Dosa, medical director of the Spina Bifida Clinic at SUNY Upstate University Hospital, who specializes in children with spinal injuries, Deninger said. Both Balk and Dosa are featured in the film.

“I’m really looking forward to having them all interact,” Deninger said.

Students taking the course SPM 300: The History of Sport provided the background research for the documentary. It required students to study the way sports have adapted to allow disabled athletes to participate.

Deninger said preparation for the course began in spring 2013 and students completed research at the end of the fall semester. All of the students are credited in the film as part of its research staff.

“There is no way that we would have been able to produce this film and premiere it in April without having the research done by these students. The student research was invaluable,” Deninger said.

A few students assisted in creating the documentary, requiring them to continue working on the project, said Andrew Feder, a sophomore psychology and sport management major.

“We had to research in even further depth,” Feder said.

The movie delves into the history of adaptive sports programs such as the founding of the International Paralympic Games in 1948, the development of programs at the high school and collegiate level and the development of equipment for adaptive sports, among other topics. The documentary includes an interview with Tim Nugent, who led the development of wheelchair sports programs for veterans after World War II. Deninger interviewed Nugent for the project.

“There are a few times when you’re interviewing when you feel like you’re interviewing history,” Deninger said. “He is a vibrant and interesting 91-year-old man.”

The documentary not only includes profiles on wounded soldiers but also on wheelchair athletes such as Hermin Garic, who broke his spine at age four while fleeing his village in Bosnia during a mortar attack.

Garic recently won the 2014 Miami Marathon in the wheelchair pushrim division, said Dan Gorman, president of SU’s Sport Management Club. At the premiere, Garic will receive the “Perseverance in Sports” award from the club.

“It’s an incredible honor to be able to present this perseverance award to Garic, as he truly demonstrates the positive qualities that make a successful role model,” Gorman said.

Deninger worked at ESPN for 25 years and said Chris Fowler, who also narrated ESPN’s SportsCentury, narrates “Changing Sports, Changing Lives.” Deninger said there’s the potential that the film will air on ESPN.

“If we present this to them and they think it to be valuable programming, we hope that they’ll consider it,” he said.

Michael Veley, chair of the sport management department at SU, said in an email that he feels that the documentary is worth watching.

“The film will completely inspire you,” Veley said. “Human triumph and utilizing sports as a means of becoming a more inclusive society is a story that we all should embrace.”

Published on April 28, 2014 at 12:41 am

Contact Rob: rromano@syr.edu