Gerry & Gwena Herman
Contributor | 2012
Gwena and Gerry Herman started their careers together at the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, Mass. As part of an interdisciplinary team established by Dick Crisafulli, they began their journey into sports for the physically challenged attending the second National Junior Wheelchair Games in Fishersville Virginia. The addition of Massachusetts Spina Bifida Sports Program allowed them to grow their team and begin to utilize their multi-sport approach to participation, adding archery, table tennis, swimming and track and field. As members of the National Junior Committee they served as sports representatives for archery, adapting distances and age groups to better serve the needs of junior athletes. They also served as table tennis representatives conducting the table tennis championships at the Junior Nationals for several years.
In 1989 they transitioned to Baltimore Maryland where, under the leadership of Dr. Charles E. Silberstein, they formed the Bennett Blazers Physically Challenged Sports Program. They established their motto of “teach children they can before they are told they cannot…” and extended their sports program down to athletes as young as age two. Gwena was appointed as chairperson of the United States Cerebral Palsy Youth Sports Committee and established the National Junior Cerebral Palsy Games. They started to also bring their ambulatory athletes to the Junior Nationals to compete in swimming, archery and field events and led the push for inclusion of these athletes into the track program. Working with Connie Hanson, they brought Petra/ Race Running to the USA, importing the first race runners to the United States. The Bennett Blazers became perennial champions of the National Junior Disability Championships. They served as coaches for multiple international junior and adult competitions around the world. Their multi-sport approach to training and participation provided the foundation for athletes such as Carol Hetherington, Joshua George, Tatyana McFadden Hannah Mcfadden and Daniel Romanchuk to go on to the University of Illinois and the Paralympics.
Gwena and Gerry continue to conduct a multisport program in Baltimore providing opportunities for over 50 athletes on a weekly basis as well as the opportunity to compete locally and nationally. The Bennett Blazers won multiple National Championships in a variety of sports.
