Rolling Grizzlies
A couple of weeks ago, as part of our neurological aspects class, we had the opportunity to go watch the Memphis Rolling Grizzlies practice. The Memphis Rolling Grizzlies are part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and are made up of players with various injuries that don't allow them to run or jump anymore. Injuries may range from hip replacements to amputations to spinal cord injuries. The Rolling Grizzlies play in division one of the NWBA, the highest division competing at the highest level.
I am very grateful that I was able to go watch them, it was a great learning experience for myself and classmates. I have always enjoyed playing basketball and like to think that I am somewhat decent at it. My friends might say otherwise but that is a conversation for another day. Just being around basketball for a lot of my life it was interesting how similar and different it was. I thought it was interesting that they use a functional classification scale assigning players a point number based on how severe their injury level is. What this scale does is allow them to put a maximum number of points on the floor at one time, to make competition more fair. For example it would not be quite fair to have five individuals with very good functional skills to be playing against individuals with poor functional skills. In terms of the game itself, it was interesting to see how rough it can get. Guys were flying around, playing great defense, causing turnovers and sometimes bringing the other players to the ground. Of course at any level of basketball, you are going to have players that can pass really well, shoot really well and you are always going to have that defensive mastermind and that was the case here. These guys were really good and it was exciting to see that just because they had an injury it did not stop them from doing something they love.
Now a couple things I learned that really surprised me. First it never set in that individuals with a spinal cord injury are not going to sweat below their level of their injury, which makes sense when I think about it. Second, in class I had been struggling to understand that at the C6 level someone would be able to play a wheelchair sport. After watching the Rolling Grizzlies I can see where it is possible to play a wheelchair sport with a C6 injury due to the tenodesis factor. Finally, I had a lot of fun trying out their wheelchairs at the end. You don't realize how hard it is until you get out there and try it. I was barely able to make a layup, making a shot behind the three point line was out of the question.
I think going to this really furthered my education and I really enjoyed it. I would like to go to a game at some point or get involved if their are any other opportunities. I wish I could have gotten to know some of the players a little better and learned their stories. In terms of OT I think wheelchair basketball presents a huge opportunity for intervention. It is nice to know their are opportunities for individuals who are unable to run and jump to play in an enjoyable competitive sport like wheelchair basketball.
If you would like to learn more about the Rolling Grizzlies and NWBA you can follow the link below:
https://www.nwba.org/
I am very grateful that I was able to go watch them, it was a great learning experience for myself and classmates. I have always enjoyed playing basketball and like to think that I am somewhat decent at it. My friends might say otherwise but that is a conversation for another day. Just being around basketball for a lot of my life it was interesting how similar and different it was. I thought it was interesting that they use a functional classification scale assigning players a point number based on how severe their injury level is. What this scale does is allow them to put a maximum number of points on the floor at one time, to make competition more fair. For example it would not be quite fair to have five individuals with very good functional skills to be playing against individuals with poor functional skills. In terms of the game itself, it was interesting to see how rough it can get. Guys were flying around, playing great defense, causing turnovers and sometimes bringing the other players to the ground. Of course at any level of basketball, you are going to have players that can pass really well, shoot really well and you are always going to have that defensive mastermind and that was the case here. These guys were really good and it was exciting to see that just because they had an injury it did not stop them from doing something they love.
Now a couple things I learned that really surprised me. First it never set in that individuals with a spinal cord injury are not going to sweat below their level of their injury, which makes sense when I think about it. Second, in class I had been struggling to understand that at the C6 level someone would be able to play a wheelchair sport. After watching the Rolling Grizzlies I can see where it is possible to play a wheelchair sport with a C6 injury due to the tenodesis factor. Finally, I had a lot of fun trying out their wheelchairs at the end. You don't realize how hard it is until you get out there and try it. I was barely able to make a layup, making a shot behind the three point line was out of the question.
I think going to this really furthered my education and I really enjoyed it. I would like to go to a game at some point or get involved if their are any other opportunities. I wish I could have gotten to know some of the players a little better and learned their stories. In terms of OT I think wheelchair basketball presents a huge opportunity for intervention. It is nice to know their are opportunities for individuals who are unable to run and jump to play in an enjoyable competitive sport like wheelchair basketball.
If you would like to learn more about the Rolling Grizzlies and NWBA you can follow the link below:
https://www.nwba.org/
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