A Wheely Good Time
Wheelchair basketball takes off at TWU
It’s Monday night and the David E. Enarson Gymnasium is bustling with students. Inside, two intramural basketball games are underway, but one is undeniably louder and livelier, and facilitated by 15 sport wheelchairs. Wheelchair basketball has come to TWU and it has caught on like wildfire.
Wheelchair athlete, Pat Anderson, explains that the sport is not about disability so much as it is about participation. After a car accident at the age of nine left him without his lower legs, Anderson found his calling in wheelchair basketball. In fact, he is among the best wheelchair basketball players in the world—with two Paralympic gold medals and a full roster of athletic accomplishments under his belt. After retiring from Team Canada last year, he wanted to share his passion with others—the able-bodied as well as the disabled.
Fourth-year Education major, Chrissy Keown, sports raw and red blisters on both hands. With sweat on her brow, she takes a breather from the game to share her experience. “Wheelchair basketball is for the able-bodied as well. You really can’t tell the difference between those with disabilities on the court—except that they are much better than you,” laughs Keown. She acknowledges that the game is a great equalizer. “It doesn’t matter if you are good at regular basketball, you could be terrible playing wheelchair basketball.”
Already there are more and more students who want to try the sport, and the wheels are turning in Anderson’s head. His dream is to establish a league at TWU. Says Anderson, “I hope it’s not a short term thing. I hope it will be a spark that will catch fire.”
by Erin Mussolum '95
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