He credits his physical condition.

“People with severed spinal cords don’t sweat below their injury,” said Chilutti, 38, of Northeast Philadelphia who placed third in the B Division of the 15th Annual Philadelphia Wheelchair Tennis Tournament this weekend at the Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club. “My injury is at chest level, so the majority of my body doesn’t sweat. I wish it was because I was just in that good of shape.”

One of four members of the Magee Freedoms—a wheelchair tennis team sponsored by the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia—Chilutti has been a competitor all his life, even before a robber walked into his Northeast Philadelphia jewelry store in 1996, put a bullet in his chest, and left him paralyzed from the chest down.

“I played tennis before my injury, and I’m glad there’s an opportunity now not just to play, but to compete…to work hard to be number one and to win,” said Chilutti after his last match Sunday afternoon. “Like anybody, we just want to be the best. Being in a wheelchair doesn’t change that. The only difference between wheelchair tennis and regular tennis is that we get two bounces.”

And thanks to the sponsors, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital—which has been providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation to patients for the last fifty years, including to Chiluttii—Advanta, and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation’s Carousel House, the opportunities for disabled athletes to exercise and push themselves to their physical limits exist.

However, there aren’t nearly enough outlets.

“Events like this are wonderful,” said Tournament Director Carl George, who also oversees Carousel House, a facility in Fairmount Park that provides recreational activities for people with disabilities including children and seniors. “But there just aren’t enough opportunities in the country, never mind the Philadelphia area. We’re working on it, but equipment like the specialized chairs that the tennis players use is expensive ($2,500). Thankfully, we do get help. The Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club donates the court time for the tournament each year and for matches every week.”

“It’s critical for people with disabilities to have opportunities to exercise,” said Chilutti. “Not only for the competition, but to allow us to stay in physical shape, which is even more important since our bodies don’t function the way they should, and can break down easier than an able-bodied person’s.”

To participate or volunteer in recreational opportunities for people with disabilities, contact Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. You can also find out about opportunities offered by the Carousel House at http://members.aol.com/CAROUSELPA/.