Lethbridge players in action (Photo courtesy of Mary Dyck)

By Justin Goulet

Free wheelchair basketball sessions available in Lethbridge

Sep 16, 2019 | 11:24 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – If you ever wanted to try out wheelchair basketball, here’s your chance.

The Lethbridge Wheelchair Basketball Association is a non-profit organization that offers anyone and everyone the opportunity to hit the court and play the sport.

“We have a competitive team called the Lethbridge Steamers. Lethbridge has had a competitive program for many, many years. We (also) have a rental at the Fritz Sick (gym) so that people can try it,” said Mary Dyck, Manager of the Lethbridge Wheelchair Basketball Association.

She noted the free drop-in sessions run at the gym on Thursdays and will start up September 19. Chairs will be available for players who may not already have one.

The chairs used are ‘sport chairs’ specifically designed to play a game like wheelchair basketball.

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“You might want to come just a bit early to see if we can get a chair that fits you – chairs are specific to the person, depending on ability and disability, but you certainly don’t have to have any mobility challenges to play,” Dyck said, adding the drop-in program has run before in the city.

“We used to run out of the old YMCA and of course [that’s] been moved to the west side, we were without a home for a year and a half, and now, we’ve negotiated with the City and we’re happy to be at the Fritz Sick gym – the Lethbridge Seniors’ Centre.”

INCLUSION

Dyck said wheelchair basketball isn’t solely for people who rely on a chair for everyday use but wants to spread the message that sports bring people together, no matter what one’s accessibility level is.

“I think we want to get across that everybody can enjoy sports and we can all work together to enjoy sports. Obviously, we may not have enough people in Lethbridge that are using wheelchairs or have mobility challenges to make a program (with multiple teams), so it allows people that don’t have challenges to play with people who do for just the sheer enjoyment of activity and sports,” she said.

The drop-in sessions do not have a specific age limit, according to Dyck.

“As long as you can understand the game of basketball, the understanding of offense and defence – we have small chairs and we have bigger chairs. As long as you can understand the concepts of the game, you’re more than welcome.”

The Lethbridge Steamers, the city’s organized team, competes in what Dyck referred to as a ‘sort of Prairie League’.

“We compete against Manitoba, we have a tournament in Saskatchewan and then we play Grande Prairie, Edmonton [and] Calgary. Medicine Hat’s just starting their program, so we’ve been doing some co-hosting with them for a tournament,” she said.

“We are hosting a tournament in February, the first weekend in February will be our tournament to host. There is usually a tournament each month during the competitive season.”