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Rolling Grizzlies

Last night my OT class had the opportunity to watch a local D-I professional wheelchair basketball team practice.  The Rolling Grizzlies is an athletic group of men who compete in the highest wheelchair basketball division.  What an experience it was getting to watch them play.  Not only did we get to watch, but the players let us take their chairs for a spin!  I played basketball growing up, so I jumped at the opportunity to try out one of the chairs.  Instantly I realized the arm strength required to shoot and pass the ball from a seated position as well as the coordination needed for pushing the chair and dribbling the ball smoothly.  It is much harder than typical basketball.  These men played for an hour and a half with hardly any breaks.  This shows what great physical shape is required to participate in this game.
During my undergraduate career, I was fortunate enough to take an adapted athletics course where we learned about all types of adaptive sports.  It was one of the most interesting classes in my major by far, and it exposed me to so many different sports.  The University of Alabama Women's Wheelchair Basketball team was the collegiate national champions in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2017.  Needless to say it is a very strong and highly acclaimed program.  My undergrad class also got to sit in on one of their practices, and those women were incredible.  Alabama did a phenomenal job advocating for adaptive sports while I was there.
Watching the Rolling Grizzlies made me feel overjoyed because you hear all the time about people who are injured and in a wheelchair that experience depression or social withdrawal.  These guys have built a community where they can stay active and be social.  I'm sure each journey was unique and challenging at times, but they are an inspiration to anyone struggling with social reintegration.  It can be done and it can be very fulfilling!
 

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