Wheelchair Basketball Clinic

Wheelchair Basketball Clinic

On Saturday, June 5th, ExercisAbilities held its first of two wheelchair basketball clinics at Byron High School! Volunteers from Mayo Clinic, Anderson Wheelchair, Courage Kenny, and other community members helped ensure our clinic ran smoothly and that all the participants had fun learning this great game. Altogether, we had a turnout of 25 participants and volunteers! 

The day began with all volunteers and participants getting fitted into sports chairs brought by Courage Kenny and rolling through an obstacle course, playing a large group game of sharks and minnows to get comfortable moving in a chair. From there, everyone was broken into groups to learn and develop their basketball skills through a series of drills focused on shooting, passing, catching, and defense. Through these drills, everyone improved their abilities and better understand how to play wheelchair basketball, play as a team, and maneuver against an opponent.  

The day concluded with a fun scrimmage between teams made up of everyone involved throughout the day! It was clear from watching that the participants were excited about playing, and the volunteers loved being a part of the day. Several participants expressed interest in joining the next clinic and helping ExercisAbilities with their goal to form their wheelchair basketball team! 

Throughout the day, parents and visitors were able to see the adaptive sports equipment brought by Courage Kenny as a way for everyone to experience all the ways individuals with disabilities can participate in basketball, cycling, track and field, skiing, and much more!  

-Alex McKay, CPT, Exercise Specialist, ExercisAbilities