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The widening world of wheelchair sports
by Brad Hedrick The World of Wheelchair Sports From their inauspicious beginning in the mid-1940's in Veteran's Administration hospitals throughout the country, wheelchair sports have experienced phenominal growth and development regarding their popularity, diversity, sophistication and overall acceptance within the realm of amateur athletics. The increasing popularity of wheelchair sports is epitomized by the growth in the membership of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. In 1968 the National Wheelchair Basketball Association was comprised of only forty-seven teams, representing less than six hundred participants. However, presently one hundred and fifty-two teams are affiliated with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association representing approximately two thousand disabled wheelchair basketball enthusiasts. This growth has to some extent been fostered by the increasing awareness by the general public that an individual's eligibility for participation in wheelchair sports is functionally rather than categorically determined.
It has often been categorically assumed by potential wheelchair sport participants that individuals must be "confined" to a wheelchair to be eligible. This assumption, however, is totally inaccurate. Indeed, one need not even exhibit dramatically impaired ambulation to legitimately participate in wheelchair sports. Any individual who because of a permanent physical impairment of the lower extremities is rendered incapable of functional engagement within the "normal" sport context is eligible for participation in wheelchair sports. Thus, individuals who, for example, have orthopedic impairments of their lower extremities which only slightly impede their "normal" ambulation, may qualify for participation in wheelchair sports because their respective impairments are severe enough to preclude their active engagement in regular sport programs. This addition of greater numbers of lesser disabled participants has not however, diminished the popularity of the sport for the more severely physically disabled since in most sports the disabled only compete against individuals with comparable levels of physical disability. Additionally, in wheelchair basketball, a point system which controls team composition is maintained to insure the vitality of the roles of the most disabled participants. The popularity of the sport has also been broadened by the gradual eradication of the erroneous belief that wheelchair sport is a facet of Special Olympics, the international program of physical fitness, sports training and athletic competition for mentally retarded children and adults. Designed specifically for mentally retarded individuals eight years of age or older. Special Olympic participants generally have IQ scores of seventy-five or less. The belief that Special Olympics and wheelchair sport are one and the same, is not only erroneous but has been restrictive to many potential wheelchair sport participants. Wheelchair users are not unfamiliar with societal attitudes which assume that wheelchair use implies illness or that limitation in physical functioning also implies a corresponding limitation in mental capabilities. It is not surprising that many wheelchair users have avoided participation in wheelchair sports because they feel such involvement would falsely indict them as having an impaired intellectual capacity. Yet another area of growth pertains to the diversity of the organized wheelchair sports movement. Presently, there are numerous regional, national and international wheelchair organizations promoting competition at all three of the aforementioned levels within such sports as basketball, track and field, table tennis, bowling, archery, softball, football and tennis to name but a few. Furthermore, the prevalence of wheelchair sports programs for masters level competition, for elementary and secondary school age children as well as intercollegiate Illinois Parks and Recreationx 10 September/October 1981 wheelchair sport programs is increasing annually. In addressing the increased sophistication of wheelchair sport, two major areas of change are most notable. First, the sport training of the contemporary wheelchair athlete is much more specialized and more rigorous than that of their predecessors of less than a decade ago. The wheelchair athlete can no longer perform at a competitive level as a weekend athlete with only sporadic, seasonal training. Indeed, to be competitive in any wheelchair sport pursuit today requires that almost exclusive attention be given to that particular event and that training be engaged in on a year round basis. This is exemplified by the track competitor who often schedules year round training regimes which include conditioning with weights, and distance workouts which alternate with individual workouts five to seven days per week.
Secondly, the technology of wheelchair sport has become much more sophisticated to meet the increasingly more stringent demands of the better trained and more proficient athletes. For years wheel-chairs were designed, manufactured and marketed as medical appliances and looked it. Heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to maneuver, they afforded less than optimal opportunities for persons with disabilities to pursue independent, demanding life styles. However, just as the standard heavy steel framed, and balloon-tired Schwinn bicycle gave way to the advent of the lightweight 10-speed, so too has the revolution in wheelchairs brought with it lightweight frames built of aircraft aluminum which weigh sixty percent less than conventional wheelchairs as well as including new design concepts and modifications galore. Today, wheelchairs are lighter, brighter, pivot faster, and have left the medical appliance camp to join the ranks of fine tuned sophisticated sports equipment. Often looking very dissimilar to what wheelchairs are supposed to look like, they come in a variety of colors and feature an abundance of modifications. Among them are movable rear axle mountings to enhance maneuverability, cambered wheels to improve stability, sealed bearings, high pressure tires, and smaller diameter push rims to enhance performance. Last, but not least, wheelchair sports have also grown in the degree of acceptance and stature within the larger realm of amateur athletics. The acceptance of wheelchair athletes as a legitimate area of sport competition has traditionally been somewhat inhibited by the widespread perception of wheelchair sports as primarily a medium for rehabilitation. This philosophical focus tended to relegate the accomplishments of wheelchair sportsmen to positions of secondary importance as compared to such rehabilitation goals as enhancing their physiological and psychological condition. Consequently, wheelchair sport was seen principally as a means to an end in accomplishing certain rehabilitation goals. Its assimilation into the formal community of amateur athletics was hindered by the fact that it was not perceived a sport, per se. Additionally, many eligible participants refrained from participation because they did not perceive themselves as needing rehabilitation or because it wasn't "real" sport. Of course, there is increasing acceptance of the philosophical approach that all sports, wheelchair or otherwise, because of their physically and mentally challenging nature and their inherent capacity to enhance individuals' perceptions of their self-esteem and personal competence, possess the capacity to promote the attainment of rehabilitation goals as well. Thus, all sports are perceived as important for their own sake and the wheelchair variety is no exception. With the increasing adoption of this philosophical approach the perception of wheelchair sports as a rehabilitation device has diminished and their acceptance as sport, nothing more, nothing less, has increased substantially. The prestige and stature of wheelchair sports within the realm of amateur athletics has also been promoted by the increased awareness of the public at large regarding the astounding accomplishments of wheelchair athletes, such as: finishing the Boston Marathon in one hour and fifty-five minutes (the fastest able-bodied time is two hours and ten minutes), pushing the metric mile in four minutes and fourteen seconds, or averaging almost eighty points per game in basketball as the USA did in Holland during the 1980 Illinois Parks and Recreation 11 September/October 1981 Olympics for the Physically Disabled. With the noted philosophical reorientation as well as increased public awareness of the phenomenal performances of wheelchair athletes, wheelchair sport participants are really beginning to receive their justifiable recognition as "athletes". This is exemplified by the selection of a wheelchair athlete, Sharon R. Hedrick, as the University of Illinois' female athlete of the year in 1980. This is no small feat for the meritorious accomplishment of a wheelchair athlete at one of our nation's largest universities to be considered as having surpassed that of her able-bodied peers. The growing acceptance of wheelchair sports within the realm of amateur athletics is additionally exemplified by the assimilation of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association into the United States Amateur Basketball Association. With the accomplishment of this goal, wheelchair basketball will likely be played as an exhibition event in the regular 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Additionally, it is also a possibility that wheelchair basketball will become a regular component of the Olympics by 1988. Indeed, wheelchair sport constitutes a realm of human endeavor of which the potential is just beginning to be tapped. Discovering New Options Central to the notion of leisure is the element of choice. When information regarding the availability of options is lacking, choices become overly restrictive and narrowly defined. Involvement in wheelchair sport as in any activity is dependent upon access to information, knowledge of resources and acquisition of appropriate skills. Unless equitable opportunities and access to information are provided, it is only natural to assume that wheelchair users, particularly youth, will be faced with constricted leisure opportunities. For a variety of reasons, wheelchair users and parents of disabled youth have not considered wheelchair sport as a viable leisure alternative. Many have subscribed to the misconceptions discussed earlier of wheelchair sports as the exclusive domain of the severely physically disabled or as being for individuals with intellectual impairments. Many perceive wheelchair sport as too dangerous. Perhaps too, many are simply ignorant of the potential for involvement.
Education, exposure, and opportunities to acquire appropriate skills are critical prerequisites to active participation. On September 19th the First Annual Wheelchair Sports Festival will be held in Peoria's Glen Oak Park. It will be sponsored by the Heart of Illinois Hobbleknockers Athletic Club, the Easter Seal Leisure Resource Center, and the Peoria Park District in cooperation with the Rehabilitation-Education Center, at the University of Illinois. The festival will begin with a 5K run for both wheelchair and able-bodied participants and will include wheelchair tennis, archery, horseback riding, field events, equipment clinics, a concurrent film festival, and a wheelchair softball game. In addition, packets of information will be distributed regarding local, state, and national competition, as well as organizations concerned with every aspect of wheelchair sport from marathon racing to skiing. The purpose of the festival is to introduce wheelchair users and the general public to the exciting and growing world of wheelchair sports and to serve as an impetus for expanded involvement. For further information regarding the Wheelchair Sports Festival, contact Steven R. Thompson at the Easter Seal Leisure Resource Center, 320 E. Armstrong Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61603 - (309) 672-6330. Brad Hedrick is Director of Recreation-Athletics for the Rehabilitation-Education Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Steven Thompson is a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist with the Easter Seal Leisure Resource Center in Peoria. Illinois Parks and Recreation 12 September/October 1981 |
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