Since the Super Bowl was last weekend, I decided this week I'm going to share with you some of the sports that are near and dear to the disabled community.
First up!
Wheelchair Basketball: This is probably the disabled sport most people are familiar with.
How it works: In wheelchair basketball the participants play in, you guessed it, wheelchairs. But not just any wheelchairs! These chairs are fashioned so that the wheels are angled into the player, giving them a faster turning radius. Also, it helps that the bottom rims of the wheels touch and the top of the rims don't. Wheelchair basketball is a high contact sport so, the players can't have their fingers getting crushed in their opponents' chair.
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| Photo Courtesy of didid.eu |
How does it differ from the able-bodied sport?
Wheelchair basketball and stand-up basketball have similar gameplay. Of course, there are minor differences.
1. The wheelchair is considered an extension of the player so it determines how all fouls are called. For example, in stand-up basketball, the foul charging is called when a player pushes or moves into a player's torso.
In wheelchair basketball, this same foul can be called. However, it is determined by the speed both players are moving in their chairs and the relation of the chairs to each other when a shot is attempted.
(Note: There are also stipulations on the chairs themselves i.e. height of chairs, height of seat cushions)
2. One of the perks about using a wheelchair, is being able to carry things on our laps. Of course, if you carried the ball on your lap during a wheelchair basketball game, the game would get pretty boring, pretty fast. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association states that:
Section 1. To execute a dribble, a player may:
Currently, there are over 200 wheelchair basketball teams in the United States at all skill levels.
Note: At the advanced levels of all of these sports there is eligibility for participating in the Paralympics against teams from all over the world.
For more information on the sport and to find a team near you visit: http://www.nwba.org.
Wheelchair Softball: In the spirit of adaptive sports that are not so different from their able-bodied counterparts, we have wheelchair softball.
How it Works: Once again the players are seated in your run-of-the-mill wheelchair. The only stipulation for the chairs is that they have footplates. As in wheelchair basketball, the wheelchair is the extension of the player and all penalties are called based on this idea.
Note: These rules are the same as they are for non-adaptive softball according to the International Federation of Softball.
How does it differ from the able-bodied sport? In non-adaptive softball a player is considered on base when one foot or both feet are touching it. In wheelchair softball, a player is considered on base when one or both of their wheels are touching the base. If they are knocked out of their chair while running the bases, they are allowed to crawl the rest of the way; as long as their body makes contact with home plate.
The rules also state that no player whether offensive or defensive is able to advance towards the ball, if their feet are touching the ground. This rule is probably in place to make sure all players' centers of gravity are the same. All players that are on the field must have one wheel behind the restraining line, the line that runs the width of the field and divides the bases, until the pitcher releases the ball.
Currently, there are over 30 teams worldwide. This is another sport that I have only ever watched. However, like wheelchair basketball, the swiftness with which the players move around the field makes it fun to watch and I'm sure even more fun to play.
Visit http://www.wheelchairsoftball.org/?page_id=27 to learn more and to find a team near you.
Wheelchair Rugby: It's kind of like our football although; we can play an adapted version of that too.
How it works: Once again, this is a sport played from the wheelchair. The object of the game is to take the ball from the defensive zone to the offensive zone by: dribbling, throwing, batting, rolling or carrying the ball.
Like wheelchair basketball, the wheelchairs are fashioned so that the player has a fast turning radius and won't get their fingers smashed upon contact. Unlike wheelchair basketball the wheelchair as an extension of the player can still be used to affect play.
Note: This is a high contact sport and there is no protective equipment.
How is it different from the able-bodied sport? Wheelchair rugby can be likened to four able-bodied sports: rugby, football, basketball and ice hockey. As I mentioned, the object of the game is to get the ball from one end of the court to the other, much like hockey. Like basketball and football, they are allowed to accomplish this task by passing the ball to a teammate.
Like all of the other sports I have mentioned this week, fouls are called based on the action of the player and the chair. This is not a sport that I have played or seen in person but I have heard from people within the disabled community that it is a high intensity sport and a fun one!
Sled Hockey: This sport goes in the category "Game That I've Actually Played".
How it Works: The players are sat in bucket shaped sleds, which themselves, sit upon two hockey skate blades. All other equipment is the same as regular ice hockey with the exception of there being two six-inch hockey sticks as opposed to one bigger stick.
The sticks have metal picks attached to the end of them, which help the players propel themselves as if they were skiing. All padding is the same and all games are played in hockey rinks.
How is it different from the able-bodied sport? If you hadn't guessed already, the sled is an extension of the player so it factors into how penalties are called. In sled hockey there are additional penalties that can be called on a player. In sled hockey there is an extra penalty called "T-boning".
This is when a player intentionally hits the side of an opponent's sled dead-on. This penalty was added so that the sled itself is unable to unfairly effect gameplay.
I've been playing sled hockey for about 5 years now and think it's great! It has the right amount of action and strategy that makes for a great physical and mental workout.
Check out this video from the U.S. Paralympic team:
That's all for this week! If you like what you've read make sure to leave a comment! Let's get a dialogue going.
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(a) Wheel the chair by two pushes on the wheels (one hand or two hands
in either direction) of the chair followed by one or more taps of the
ball to the floor, after which he/she may start pushing again.
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Currently, there are over 200 wheelchair basketball teams in the United States at all skill levels.
Note: At the advanced levels of all of these sports there is eligibility for participating in the Paralympics against teams from all over the world.
For more information on the sport and to find a team near you visit: http://www.nwba.org.
Wheelchair Softball: In the spirit of adaptive sports that are not so different from their able-bodied counterparts, we have wheelchair softball.
How it Works: Once again the players are seated in your run-of-the-mill wheelchair. The only stipulation for the chairs is that they have footplates. As in wheelchair basketball, the wheelchair is the extension of the player and all penalties are called based on this idea.
Note: These rules are the same as they are for non-adaptive softball according to the International Federation of Softball.
How does it differ from the able-bodied sport? In non-adaptive softball a player is considered on base when one foot or both feet are touching it. In wheelchair softball, a player is considered on base when one or both of their wheels are touching the base. If they are knocked out of their chair while running the bases, they are allowed to crawl the rest of the way; as long as their body makes contact with home plate.
The rules also state that no player whether offensive or defensive is able to advance towards the ball, if their feet are touching the ground. This rule is probably in place to make sure all players' centers of gravity are the same. All players that are on the field must have one wheel behind the restraining line, the line that runs the width of the field and divides the bases, until the pitcher releases the ball.
Currently, there are over 30 teams worldwide. This is another sport that I have only ever watched. However, like wheelchair basketball, the swiftness with which the players move around the field makes it fun to watch and I'm sure even more fun to play.
Visit http://www.wheelchairsoftball.org/?page_id=27 to learn more and to find a team near you.
Wheelchair Rugby: It's kind of like our football although; we can play an adapted version of that too.
How it works: Once again, this is a sport played from the wheelchair. The object of the game is to take the ball from the defensive zone to the offensive zone by: dribbling, throwing, batting, rolling or carrying the ball.
Like wheelchair basketball, the wheelchairs are fashioned so that the player has a fast turning radius and won't get their fingers smashed upon contact. Unlike wheelchair basketball the wheelchair as an extension of the player can still be used to affect play.
Note: This is a high contact sport and there is no protective equipment.
 |
| Photo Courtesy of Telegraph |
How is it different from the able-bodied sport? Wheelchair rugby can be likened to four able-bodied sports: rugby, football, basketball and ice hockey. As I mentioned, the object of the game is to get the ball from one end of the court to the other, much like hockey. Like basketball and football, they are allowed to accomplish this task by passing the ball to a teammate.
Like all of the other sports I have mentioned this week, fouls are called based on the action of the player and the chair. This is not a sport that I have played or seen in person but I have heard from people within the disabled community that it is a high intensity sport and a fun one!
Video Courtesy of kyebosh on YouTube
Visit:http://usqra.org/rugby.php/action/teams/sID/2/rgID/1/ayID/2015/USQRAsid/vbg6n9tfrq3u4vnov3i32uccd6 (To find a rugby team near you!)
Sled Hockey: This sport goes in the category "Game That I've Actually Played".
How it Works: The players are sat in bucket shaped sleds, which themselves, sit upon two hockey skate blades. All other equipment is the same as regular ice hockey with the exception of there being two six-inch hockey sticks as opposed to one bigger stick.
The sticks have metal picks attached to the end of them, which help the players propel themselves as if they were skiing. All padding is the same and all games are played in hockey rinks.
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| Photo Courtesy of Cincinnati Sled Hockey |
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| Photo Courtesy of Wheelchair Sports Federation New York Sled Rangers |
This is when a player intentionally hits the side of an opponent's sled dead-on. This penalty was added so that the sled itself is unable to unfairly effect gameplay.
I've been playing sled hockey for about 5 years now and think it's great! It has the right amount of action and strategy that makes for a great physical and mental workout.
Check out this video from the U.S. Paralympic team:
If you want to find a sled hockey team near you visit: http://www.usahockey.com/sledhockey?id=902491-team-contacts
That's all for this week! If you like what you've read make sure to leave a comment! Let's get a dialogue going.
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