Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies

Last week, our class had the privilege of watching the Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies team practice during their off season. I had not previously gotten to see anything like this, and let me just say - I was blown away! I was memorized watching the players navigate the court with ease. They used their chairs to their advantage, and each used their own individual strengths. One player made the fastest turns I have ever seen, and he constantly dodged the other players as they tried to get the ball from him. While watching, there were moments when I got nervous as he did a sharp turn; however, he did them without even batting an eye. Sometimes, the impact between the chairs was so great that it knocked players over, which made me worried that someone was going to get injured. Instead, the players kept going even after what seemed like a hard fall. After observing, it seems to me that wheelchair basketball can at times be rougher than traditional basketball, but the players have an amazing time while playing!

Getting to watch these people do something that they love was incredibly inspirational. The coach came up to us at one point and told us that there are wheelchair basketball teams being started up all around the country, and one of their players plays in one at the University of Texas. This is so exciting to me! I am so happy that there are opportunities like this where people get to participate in something they love and use their strengths while doing so. I am excited to see how wheelchair basketball teams advance in the coming years.