2025 Marcia Carter Best Paper Award

Marcia Carter (left) and Lori Koplin (right) stand together at the ATRA Annual 2025 Conference Awards Ceremony. Note: Tania Santiago Perez, while honored at this ceremony, was not present for the photograph.

The 2025 award is presented to Lori Koplin, CTRS, CPRP, CYSA, CARRS, City of Ormond Beach and  Tania Santiago Perez, PhD, CTRS, WSI, is an Associate Teaching Professor of Rehabilitation and Recreational Therapy at Florida International University for their manuscript "Pickle Squad, Intervention Protocol for Adolescents and Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)" that appeared in the Therapeutic Recreation Journal/Annual in Therapeutic Recreation, 58 (3), 2024, pp. 292-315.  

Lori Koplin, CTRS, CPRP, CYSA, CARSS, is a recreation professional specializing in therapeutic and community programming that advances inclusion and quality of life. She holds a Master of Science in Recreational Therapy from Florida International University (2023) and serves as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for the City of Ormond Beach. Her credentials include certifications from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (2022), Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (2023), Certified Adaptive Recreation and Sports Specialist (2025), and Certified Youth Sports Administrator (2019).

Tania Santiago Perez, PhD, CTRS, WSI, is an Associate Teaching Professor of Rehabilitation and Recreational Therapy at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. She currently serves as the Partnering Principal Investigator on a $600,000 Department of Defense-funded research initiative focused on evaluating the short- and long-term outcomes of a training program in adapted swim instruction for pre-professional students in recreational, physical, and occupational therapy. Tania has previously held leadership roles at FIU, including Program Director and Department Chair. She is currently completing a fellowship in Academic Planning and Accountability. Passionate about preparing the next generation of recreational therapists, Tania is committed to advancing evidence-based practices that empower both students and the communities they serve.

The Pickle Squad Program

As her graduate capstone project under Professor Tania Santiago Perez's guidance, Koplin developed Pickle Squad, an innovative recreational therapy program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program leverages pickleball—the fastest-growing sport in America—to teach both athletic skills and self-determination principles through structured sessions at the community center.

Program Impact and Outcomes

The program achieved its primary objective with publication in the Therapeutic Recreation Journal in 2024. Beyond academic recognition, Pickle Squad has led to many community inclusion initiatives including:

·         Friendsgiving Program: Facilitates integration between open play pickleball participants and Pickle Squad members

·         Police Department Challenge: Creates community engagement through competitive matches

·         Advocacy Platform: Demonstrates the effectiveness of recreational therapy and inclusive recreation programming

Future Vision

Koplin's expansion goals include recruiting additional participants to support broader program evaluation, fostering inter-community competition, and promoting replication of the program to validate outcomes across diverse settings. This manuscript illustrates the application of the recreational therapy process (APIED) within a community setting. The authors encourage other recreational therapists to adopt this protocol and share their results, contributing to a more robust evidence base for pickleball as a recreational therapy intervention for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Congratulations to the 2025 finalist:

Jacqueline L. Dyke, Jasmine Townsend, Marieke Van Puymbroeck, Brandi Crowe, and

Lisa Loar (2024). A Systematic Review and Critique of Recreational Therapy-

Specific Literature Regarding Substance Use Disorders. [Special Issue ATRA

Annual]. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 58(4), 365-393.