Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
It was a random Saturday afternoon, the temperature signaled the summer was fast approaching. I was walking towards the gym, following the bouncing sounds of basketballs. There was just a different sound that I hadn’t heard that often at a practice.
As soon as the door opened, and I was warmly greeted by her Mom, I saw Arelle, a fourteen year old athlete who embodies her love for sports. Like a lot of teenagers, Arelle wished she could also compete on school teams playing tennis, doing athletics but most of all playing Basketball. Unfortunately something happened that derailed those plans for her.
Arelle was born with a shorter left leg. Over the past years she has endured intense operations to lengthen her femur bone, with recoveries that would take up all of her summer break.
But not this time around… This will be her Summer filled with some great athletic opportunities. Besides Basketball, Arelle is active and very successful in adaptive track and on her way to defend her National titles and records in javelin, shotput and discus.
Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
The Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program
Back to me being at practice, watching Arelle breaking a sweat, but most of all enjoying being surrounded by teammates while playing the sport that brought me here. Her team, the Rancho Halos, is part of The Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program that serves athletes with varying levels of physical disabilities.
The Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program is part of Rancho Los Amigos, a National Rehabilitation Center. Together with other young athletes, both boys and girls, ranging from twelve till eighteen years of age, Arelle’s highly competitive wheelchair Basketball team practices to participate in tournaments all over the US.
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Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
The Paralympics and the NWBA
Some of you may have caught a glimpse of wheelchair Basketball players competing at the Paralympics. The US men’s wheelchair Team won Olympic Gold where the women won bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics. Under the flag of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) which is globally the largest Organization of all Disabled Sports, more than 200 different teams play wheelchair Basketball.
There are divisions for juniors, collegiate student athletes, men, women and high performance wheelchair players. According to the NWBA website there are currently teams in 42 of the 50 States, totaling about 3000 athletes active in Wheelchair Basketball.
Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
Like mother, like daughter
As earlier mentioned, Arelle has also played competitive tennis and joins Athletic meets from time to time. But her favorite sport is Basketball as she loves playing on a team, where she learns new skills and competes with her teammates. Playing Basketball has another meaning in Arelle’s life and I think it is a beautiful story in itself…
Her mom Sandra, has been a successful Basketball player in her own right. She played four years collegiate ball for the UCLA Bruins, had a chance to play for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA and has filled the roster for many different European Club teams, before Arelle was born. If one person knew how playing sports would make a difference in her life, it was her Mom!
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Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
An invitation to play overseas
Around age eight Arelle started playing able body volleyball and waterpolo. Having made the switch to wheelchair Basketball and seeing her progress, has made her decide to play Wheelchair Basketball in College and become a Paralympian. Her favorite Team USA wheelchair Basketball player is Megan Blunk. Arelle has met her at several camps and clinics where she left a great impression on her.
And who knows someday soon, Arelle will have the chance herself to follow in her idol’s footsteps. Because of her Basketball talent, and her Mom’s decision to raise Arelle as a worldly daughter, by sharing her Dutch citizenship and teaching her the language, she has been invited to come practice with the reigning Olympic Gold medalists in the Netherlands. Speaking of Opportunities!
Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
What it comes down to, is that Basketball Unites! At practice, it took me less than fifteen minutes realizing I didn’t even notice the chairs anymore. What I witnessed was a group of beautifully mixed teenagers, boys, girls, all from different cultural backgrounds having so much fun playing basketball. For a couple hours, no one cared about differences. Because there weren’t and aren’t any. This is a special group of teens who bond through Basketball. And they are more talented, determined and hard working than a lot of travel ball teams I have seen competing before.
If you are not as lucky as me being able to follow Arelle and her teammates competing or practicing live, then do the next best thing. Show support for any wheelchair basketball program by following them on social media. Be also open for opportunities to collaborate, because these programs and teams deserve as much funding, attention and support as regular sport programs!
Basketball Unites: Roll with it!
Your turn!
The common thread in this narrative is Unity. For Sports Coaches, being surrounded by young athletes especially in team settings, there is this great opportunity to build Unity. To educate every player or athlete that sports unites and that there are no differences when it comes to representing a team. No one is more important than the other and everyone brings their own sets of skills and characteristics. Parents have the same opportunity at home in the way they raise their kids and let them experience sports and friendships. Not sure where to start or how to relay the message? No need to look further…
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