Why I Am A Wheelchair Basketball

Last year was the first time I worked the Special Olympics, and I didn’t know what to expect. I signed up for it with my basketball team because the Special Olympians would be playing basketball and volunteers were needed to help run the scoreboard and keep time. Mr. Campbell, the man in charge, told me that the opportunity to play basketball will be an incredible experience for the special needs participants, but working the event will have an even greater affect on me. I was

One of the activities that I took part in that I feel has shaped me as a person, was basketball. I joined the Sea Point High basketball team in the tenth grade, in South Africa. Now basketball was not very popular in South African high schools, as such we lost our coach in my junior year. The choices that were given to the team was to either end the program or to continue without a coach. As team captain I rallied my teammates and we persevered through without a coach; we showed up for intensive training and competed against other schools. At the end of my senior year I was presented with the basketball player of the year; however I feel that award did not necessarily celebrate my skill in the sport, but it acknowledged the determination and

Stories become a great influence on people as they view other people either on television or through a book as they explain their struggles or experiences. They should not view them as a negative perspective because of the media. In the article, “ Slippery Slopes: Media, Disability, and Adaptive Sport,” the author William Peace notes how the media shows disability out as “something to be miraculously and inspirationally ‘overcome’ with real consequences”(Peace 676). When taking a gander at somebody with an incapacity, people tend to believe that they are not ready to do the things that individuals with abled bodies can, which is false. While having an incapacity there are approaches to work around things. People don't have to surrender and

I have had many opportunities to create relationships and memories that I would otherwise have not have had. The game of basketball has shaped me into a well-rounded and more productive member of my community. Many hours of practice and studying have allowed me to become successful and earn many honorable awards and recognitions from my teachers, coaches, and administrators.

The day was October 8th, 2014. I hardly played. One school day, my 5th teacher, Ms. Smit said, “flyers for the basketball team on the table” ordinarily I took one. Kids from 4th, 5th, and 6th grade came to try out for the team. After tryouts, a paper next to the nurse's office was hung up. The paper sheet named those who had made the team. Surprisingly, I made the team, most likely from my height. I felt like I shouldn’t have made the team. At the time, I barely started to play basketball. I went to the practices at school and tried to make myself a little bit better, since a tournament was about to begin in a few weeks.

When I was younger, basketball was all I wanted to play, it just looked like so much fun. In fifth grade I had my parents sign me up for CYB, then in sixth grade I tried out for middle school basketball and played all the way up until ninth grade. In middle school when I was in eighth grade I was awarded the captain position and that helped me build leadership and responsibility. All of the players especially the younger ones knew they could always come to me at any time if they needed anything or help with anything. High school basketball was a lot different than middle school. In middle school I was one of the star players so I played a lot but in high school that changed. I sat the bench a lot that taught me patience and understanding even

My entire life, I have lived and breathed basketball. When I was only three days old, I was being passed around in the stands of a basketball game while my parents coached my older sister. In first grade, I was begging my parents to let me play. I couldn’t, however, because in my town kids don’t start playing basketball until the third grade. They let me join an Upward basketball league that was near my area, but Upward wasn’t competitive enough for me. So the next year, I went a couple towns over to join their city league so I could play. From then on, basketball was my passion.

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

At a young age, without realizing it, I was developing my manual dexterity skills. Whether it was making lanyard and string bracelets for my friends at camp, drawing or painting to the Bob Ross instructional videos on YouTube, I always took great pride in my finished product. While in school, after various tryouts, I was asked to participate in travel basketball. Working as a team member not only helped me on the court and in developing my hand and eye coordination, but also in the work experience at Plainview Oral where teamwork is crucial when assisting with a

My family was born to play basketball, both of my brothers had the size and athleticism to play professionally, and my dad towered over others standing at 6’6”. At a young age I was expected to follow in their footsteps. However, I did not have the size that the rest of my family did, and struggled to compete due to my small stature. In the seventh grade I tried out for my middle school basketball team and was promptly told I wasn’t good enough to play. I came home crying feeling that I disappointed my family. The next year, during the eighth grade try-outs, the coach said the same thing and broke my heart for the second year in a row. Dissatisfied with these results, I promised that I would make a change before entering high school.

As a human with no physical or learning disabilities, the culture and lifestyle of those with disabilities is still new to me. After watching Murderball, a documentary that focuses on the U.S. quadriplegic rugby team, I was happy to find out that there are still many opportunities for disabled individuals to participate in sports. Through dedication and training, it seemed that anything was possible for these athletes. Unfortunately, it appears that those with mental/learning disabilities are not presented with as equal opportunities for success in sports. Lauren McKeon’s “Why Won’t You Let Me Play?” focuses on the discrimination that takes place within the Special Olympics. After looking at the Paralympics and Special Olympics through the lenses of Murderball and “Why Won’t You Let Me Play”, it has become clear that people with disabilities do not have equal opportunities in sports, but this issue is not only prevalent in sports. Special Olympic athletes seem to face far greater exclusion compared to Paralympic athletes in athletics, daily life, and American culture.

They have so many abilities and it make me sad that people just see them for the disability when there are so many parts to them just like us. One thing does not define a person. I told Sara when we went to watch the basketball tournament that I love people with disabilities and can spend all day with them and not get easily annoyed. I have had quite a bit previous experience with individuals with disabilities. I love to work with them, yes it can be hard, but the hard times are worth it when you see them get one step closer to their goal. All the hard times, frustration, and headache is worth it to see their reaction and joy once they overcome a step.

Can you believe that an injury at such a young age almost ended what is now considered my passion? That is the life of basketball a game I didn’t even image playing when I was younger. The game of basketball has helped to change my life for many reasons while allowing me to learn other life lessons. At the age of two I had an injury that change the way I walk but hasn’t affected the things I could do. When I first played the game of basketball I was treated in a bad way and made fun because of the way I walk. This criticism allowed me to prove to others that I can be good if not better than others. Ever since I started playing basketball it has become something that I’ve look forward to

“Rest with me for a moment or two I have a story to tell you.” I have played basketball for six years straight now i'm on the middle school team. This is an intense sport with lots of running and shooting and a lot of getting injured. This sport takes lots and lots of practice. Also lots of teamwork. This is important to me because I want to get a basketball scholarship to go to the University Of Florida and accomplish my dream and become a basketball player of the WNBA(Women's National Basketball Association.) Another reason, is that I wanna make my mom, dad, grandma,and grandpa proud of me . They wanted me to play basketball because I have been so good at it over the years .They want me to succeed and get a scholarship in this sport.Then

There have been several events that have affected my life. there's times that life will hit you hard that will make you fall over but you will need to get back up and continue what you started. This is how i viewed myself with my ambitious journey of basketball. I was around seven years old when I was bored at home and I turned on the TV and was skipping through the channels and I wanted to see what I was going to be able to watch. I stopped at the sports channel for whatever reason and I remember that it was a Spurs game in the NBA (National Basketball Association). I was in shock seeing people jump all around being able to run from the court coast to coast being chased down by others trying to get the ball through the basket. I saw this particular player at the time on the opposing team Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics. This man had such a dominant presence on the court just getting the ball and being able to shoot the ball in any given time in whatever position he was in either it was going to be contested or open he gets the ball its an automatic scoring machine. This got me very fascinated and i began to start watching basketball since that day. I also wanted to try basketball wanted to play the position Ray allen played a shooting guard, one that is a spot up shooter and is in charge to score from a convertible distance away.