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Event Lets Girls Be Girls

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By JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 24, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - Lip gloss and sports were the primary draw to last weekend's sleepover at All People's Life Center.

They both fit in with the focus of the Diva Camp, open to physically disabled female athletes who are members of BlazeSports of Tampa Bay, an outreach program offered through the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.

The two-day affair, which included activities such as journal writing, public speaking, dancing, tennis, arts and crafts and some girl talk mixed in with a little primping, was led by Karin Korb, a two-time Paralympics wheelchair tennis champion.

"So often they only see themselves as different, but I tell them they can use that either as a weapon or a tool - they set the rules," said Korb, who at 16 broke her back in a gymnastics move that left her paralyzed from the waist down. "When you walk into a room, all eyes are going to be on you, so make it count."

Korb uses the acronym LIP GLOSS - loyalty, independence, perseverance, graciousness, leadership, originality, spirit and success - to portray the tools the girls need to make the most of their lives.

So often, she added, they grapple with their femininity, an issue that Korb, a 6-foot-1-inch, blond-haired former high school homecoming queen, fully understands.

"They struggle with being that diva - the lip gloss, looking like every other girl - and being an athlete. ... That's ridiculous because you don't have to look like a boy to play sports, and you don't have to act like anything other than what you are," said the 41-year-old Korb.

Before a session when the girls, ages 8 through 17, stood before their fellow camp mates to recite what they'd written in their journals on what they liked and disliked about themselves, Korb stressed the importance of good posture and eye contact.

"It's all about presence," she said.

Kristen Messer, a visiting BlazeSports member from a club in Texas, spoke first.

"I'm a good speaker, I'm happy, and I'm smart," Messer said. "One thing I also like about myself is my disability. It's opened a lot of doors and given me a lot of challenges that I've overcome."

There also was a quality about herself she wants to overcome.

"I tend to back away from meeting new people because I don't think they will have anything in common with me," Messer said.

Pauline Reyes of East Tampa was proud to tell the group of about a dozen campers that she is funny, loving, passionate, truthful and friendly. She works hard for what she wants to accomplish.

"But I don't like that I am stubborn, and it's hard to change my mind," Reyes said.

Brittany Barrett of Lutz recited her thoughts on the issue.

"I'm strong because of what God has given me. I'm kind, and I'm funny," she said. "But what I don't like is that I'm a pushover. When somebody says something nasty that really hurts, I don't say anything."

Korb, an Atlanta resident who travels throughout the country to lead diva and tennis camps, commended each girl for having the courage to speak in front of her peers.

"Through this and other exercises, you see the moment in time when they come out of themselves," she said. "When they learn to speak out, they can rise above their disabilities, and they can be advocates for social change."

Korb's older sister, Simone of Sarasota, was on hand to help out and to enjoy some time with her only sibling.

"Karin teaches these girls that people are all the same but with a little different twist," she said. "She shows them it's important right here, right now to be comfortable in your own skin."

Simone Korb wishes there had been programs like this available for her sister following her accident. It took Karin Korb more than a decade to accept her disability.

It was Temple Terrace resident Catalina Bustamante's second year at the camp.

"It's really fun for us just to be girlie-girls, and it's nice not to the have the guys around," said Catalina, who especially enjoyed the arts and crafts. "Karin's really a nice person, and it's like she's got a real upbeat personality."

Her best friend, Carissa Gore of Plant City, also was in attendance.

"The best thing about it is the friendships I've made," she said.

BlazeSports Tampa Bay program director Andy Chasanoff said the club was fortunate to have someone of Karin Korb's caliber to lead the all-girls camp.

"The aftereffect is good in that they feel good about themselves, and it carries over into our program," he said.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com. Keyword: Diva Camp, for a slide show on Diva Camp.

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