Clearwater officials reach out to challenged athletes
By JOE HARLESS
Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008  |
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| Photo by JOE HARLESS |
| Florida Force player Jeremy Day confers with his father, Bob, during halftime in the first round of play. |
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CLEARWATER – Four teams from around the country competed in a basketball tournament over the March 14 weekend for the right to advance to National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s championship.
The southern regional tournament served as the Division II playoffs for a chance to compete in the NWBA’s Final Four in Lexington, Ky., early next month.
Almost 80 athletes traveled from various parts of the country to participate in the tournament.
Dawn Lewellyn, therapeutic recreational supervisor for the City of Clearwater, said the tournament marked the first time the city of Clearwater had hosted any sporting venues for challenged athletes.
“This is something new for us,” Lewellyn, who first experienced the sport during an internship years ago, said. “We’ve been getting calls from everywhere.”
The afternoon of March 14 found the Grand Rapids Pacers and the Florida Force playing each other in the first round. Players sped up and down the court, boxing each other in, making shots and occasionally colliding as they played.
On the benches, friends and family cheered the teams on. The Florida Force members on the sidelines yelled out encouragement as Florida player Jeremy Day made another two points.
Day has played wheelchair basketball for eight seasons, including several seasons with the University of Texas in Arlington Movin’ Mavs college team. While Florida won the first round game the team still needed to win on Sunday to make it to this year’s Final Four, something Day has not yet experienced.
“It has been eluding me all of these years,” Day said, smiling. “We’ve been playing pretty well, too. Our defense is strong and we’ve made some pretty amazing shots.”
An eight-year veteran of the sport, Day got into wheelchair basketball after being approached at his office by a fellow amputee with an offer to play. Day, whose right leg has been amputated at the calf, accepted the offer.
The first practice, however, proved the sport to be tougher than it looked.
“I did nothing but flip over,” Day said. “I didn’t expect them to be in chairs.”
He estimates that he spends between 20 to 25 hours a week practicing, including driving to and from each practice. The teams also travel to many games, which means Day’s father, Bob, doesn’t always make the trip to watch his son play.
“I’ve been coming to his games for awhile,” Bob said during the second half. “I just can’t make all of them. There are a lot of tournaments and some travel involved.”
Lewellyn said she hoped the tournament will also drum up more interest in the wheelchair tennis tournament set to take place April 2 to 4, adding that any exposure people get to these sports would be good for the organizations and anyone who might be interested in trying them.
“These programs are few and far between,” Lewellyn said. “We’re hoping this gets the word out.”
Wheelchair athletics has received some national attention in the last years. Murderball, a documentary film about wheelchair rugby, exposed many people to the sport. Lewellyn said they have also started looking at swimming programs and a cycling event to coincide with the Gasparilla marathon in Tampa.
“You don’t see it necessarily on ESPN, but any exposure is good,” she said.
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Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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