Neuro Note 4: Rolling Grizzlies

I had the rewarding opportunity to go watch a basketball practice of the Division 1 team named Rolling Grizzlies of Memphis!  I had never heard of this team nor really knew wheelchair basketball was performed at a national level so this was all a new experience.  Before the practice began, the coach came over to us and briefly explained the concept and how they play by the same rules as NCAA College Basketball with minor differences such as two pushes on the chair counts as a travel.  He tells us about some of the players, one of which was on his way to the NBA before his injury.  Another player had some sort of disease where he was once paralyzed and played wheelchair basketball in college but is now able to walk.  Another teammate was also able to walk but we weren't given his story.  I found it interesting they were still allowed to play on the team.  As they all entered the gym, I noticed how they were transferring out of their typical chair to their game chair that they played in.  They all swiftly transferred independently and begin strapping themselves in.  Two things I noticed were that each chair were different and most differences were different widths, some had backs and some just had seats, all of the straps were different on every chair, slanted wheels, and the heights were even different.  I began wondering about why they were different and came to the conclusion that I bet the height of the backs of the chairs or absence of were based on the trunk stability of each player.  Same probably goes for the placement of the straps since some were higher, some were just proximal to the knees, and almost all of them had a strap that was just above the back of their ankles holding their feet on the step.

As the team kicks off the game, I was immediately amazed by their abilities.  That group of players are the most athletic and agile people I've ever watched play a sport!  Not only are they using hand-eye coordination to control the ball but they are also controlling their chair's direction, speed, and jolting in different directions as they played defense.  These guys would play so hard they would tip their chairs over and would all help each other get back up again as they remained strapped to the chair.  I found myself sitting there thinking about each of their journeys.  Did they have OT?  Was it a SCI or congenital?  What level of injury?  I saw many wedding rings and children in the stands and wondered about the journey of each family.  Were they there when it happened?  How about the children?  I plan to research the players and see if I can find their stories anywhere because I truly want to know.  I then reflected on myself and how I felt so much respect for this group of people who didn't let a diagnosis hinder their adventures.  I am very thankful that my teacher arranged for this activity for us and I will never forget this experience.  I've already told many friends about it and plan to attend a game in the future!