Meet the Founders
Wes Hall
Co-Founder & Chief Engagement Officer
Born and raised in North Carolina, Wes was just 15 years old when he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, leading to the amputation of his entire right leg (hip disarticulation).
This is when his adapted sports adventures began, as he had a supportive group of friends that helped him push the limits of what was possible.
During his high school years, he learned to bodyboard, surf, sail, hydroboard, snow ski, and swam for John T Hoggard High School. Soon after, Wes trained to become a lifeguard and eventually became a certified American Red Cross lifeguard as well as a YMCA Lifeguard Instructor Trainer. In 1990, he started coaching swim team at the YWCA in Wilmington and then with the YMCA of the Triangle Area. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in biology. After UNC, he started working full-time at the Taylor Family YMCA as Aquatic Coordinator, which is where he started the kayaking program to serve youth in the YMCA summer day camp programs.
He has received the British Canoe Union 3 Star Award, Rescue Award, and Level 2 Instructor. He also received the American Canoe Association’s L2 Instructor and Adapted Paddle Endorsements.
In 2012 Wes started training for K1 kayak sprint for the Rio Paralympics and started volunteering developing an adapted paddle program for Bridge II Sports, which led to him being Director of Programs for Bridge II Sports from 2018 to March 2022, overseeing eight adapted programs.
Wes has a passion for getting people with a physical disability involved in sports to lead an active lifestyle. He wants to create a more inclusive and equitable world for adapted athletes.
Tony Luparello
Co-Founder & Director of Development
Tony was born near Pittsburgh, PA but raised in and around the Raleigh, N.C. area since he was 18 months old. After graduating from Cary High in 1989, Tony started college at UNCW and attended there until suffering complete kidney failure in the summer of 1991. After 4+ years of dialysis, he received a kidney transplant in 1995 and went back to school part-time eventually landing a job working in the healthcare industry. After battling cancer (renal cell carcinoma) and requiring 3 amputations (a toe, left leg, & right leg, both below the knee), Tony discovered adapted sports in the form of sled ice hockey and adaptive mountain biking as well as adaptive road biking. Tony has been married for 24 years to an amazing woman (Kathy) and has two children, Logan (22) and Ella (19).
Tony had an insatiable entrepreneurial spirit and loves to create new things. He enjoyed woodworking, electro etching on water bottles and knives, creating axe/knife targets, as well as working with precious metal clays and creating custom jewelry in his kiln. A big kid at heart, Tony enjoyed anything that involves working with or teaching kids.
Tony past away July 19th, 2024. His desire to serve the community living with a physical disability was devout and he had a saying “Let’s Make It Happen”. This quote from Tony will live on with the NCAS family as we honor his legacy and his tenacity of bringing NC Adapted Sports to life with Co-founder, Wes Hall.
In his honor, we will give a Tony Luparello Make It Happen Award to the volunteer and athlete that went above the call to improve the lives of people with a physical disability.