Patricia Karman
Achievements
Adaptive Sports Hall of FamePat Karman was devoted to the wheelchair sports cause for the better part of her life. She gave hundreds—perhaps thousands—of hours of her time to further wheelchair sports, first in the Pacific Northwest, but also on a national level.
Pat was instrumental in organizing the first National Wheelchair Games outside of the state of New York in 1974, which began the practice of alternating years for the NWG between the East and West coasts.
Pat was seen as a natural leader. She was a co-founder of the Washington State Wheelchair Athletic Association and served as its chairperson for many years. Pat was deeply involved in the organization and management of all of the Northwest Regional Wheelchair Games and served as co-director of the 25th Annual National Wheelchair Games that were held in Seattle.
Pat was not only a great organizer of wheelchair sports events—she also coached swimming and track at the local, national, and international levels. She was the very first female coach to travel with the U.S. Wheelchair Team to international competitions.
Pat Karman was a highly creative leader, brimming with new ideas and always looking to the future to develop the growth of wheelchair sports. She has been a valuable asset to the wheelchair sports movement. Her tireless devotion has placed her in the Hall of Fame.