Stumbled upon this job posting on NCAA.org and TeamUSA.org and thought I would put it out there for anyone interested.
Finding this job posting was somewhat ironic since this past Monday we actually experienced sit volleyball. I will write more about that in a couple of days as well as talking about wheelchair tennis and some more insight Mr. Jim Dugan passed along to our class.
My week in the wheelchair in no way, shape, or form prepared me for last Monday's class. What I thought would be a fun evening of wheelchair sports turned into exactly that. Two days later is when the real fun began though. As I type this I am still feeling the effects of the intensity that comes with wheelchair basketball and softball.
Mr. Jim Dugan, from the Gateway Confluence Wheelchair Sports Foundation, came by to teach us about wheelchair basketball and softball. He is also kind enough to be coming back this next week for more fun. Mr. Dugan is a former Paralympian and co-founder of Confluence Sports who is passionate about wheelchair sports to say the least. First he made sure we all knew how to use the chairs before we began playing basketball. The rules are fairly similar to regular basketball so there was not much extra instruction. At first we played half court to give every one a chance to get the feel for moving around, passing the ball, and taking some shots. After a little while we were then ready for the real deal of full court basketball. This is where the pain began.
We have some pretty intense competitors in our class so there was never a dull moment during this game. Running up and down a court is one thing, but until you have to constantly push a chair around you have no idea how tough this game is. I thought after being in a chair for a week I would do fairly well. I feel like I maneuvered around just fine and was always one of the first getting down the court. That was probably the first mistake. If I could have seen two days in the future I would have toned it down a notch or two. All the while we were playing, Jim would give us pointers here and there. His many years of experience were invaluable in helping us out. It was like learning to play basketball all over again. Unfortunately my team lost a close battle but we would soon make up for it.
Next up was some indoor wheelchair softball. We made some make shift bases and Jim was the all time pitcher. Obviously we did not use real softballs and bats for safety reason, but instead some foam bats and nerf balls. Jim was nice enough to not throw any crazy pitches. He just tossed them in there like we were learning to play ball for the first time. It was very interesting trying to bat without any legs. Someone mentioned to me to use the wheels as your hips by holding the bat with one hand and rotating the chair as you swung with the other. This was great advice and made a big difference in how much power you could get into your swing. Fielding the ball was made easier by being in a basketball gym. There were only so many places the ball could go as opposed to being outside. Everyone seemed to catch on quite well and this time around my team pulled out the victory.
While we were playing basketball I could already feel my traps getting sore. Little did I know that Wednesday morning I would barely be able to move my upper body. I had to cancel the classes I usually teach and rushed to get a massage in hopes of working out the kinks. Most massages are relaxing and enjoyable...this one was neither of those things. I knew I needed to get it done though or the rest of the week would be just as painful. It is now Sunday evening and if I turn my head wrong my neck reminds me of my crazy effort last Monday. I am half scared for tomorrow evening's session with Mr. Dugan. I am sure it will be another eye opener, but if I learned anything from last week, I will be taking it a little easier. You can tell yourself you are in good shape, but if you try to do something out of the ordinary then your body will kindly remind you of your limitations. I never doubted how difficult it would be to take part in wheelchair sports. Like I have said before, you need to put yourself in someone else's shoes (or chair) before you can try to understand their needs and do what you can to address them.
I am not even going to go into details about this video. Just watch it and you will know why I took the time to post it. It is from an E:60 presentation on ESPN and is entitled "Walk On" so you know you are on the right video.
Just click HERE
Enjoy!! because I did.
In last Monday's class we took part in a cool (no pun intended) sport called sled hockey. As I have since found out it is referred to as "sledge" hockey outside of the United States. Of course we did not have access to an indoor hockey rink so we had to simulate the sport in a basketball gym. We sat Indian style on some round objects with rollers (sorry, do not know a technical name), had some sticks that look like mini fighting batons, and used a ball as a puck. Needless to say it was not very easy at first. Before we get into details about our experience I want to go over some of the specifics about sled hockey.
According to the USA Hockey website, sled hockey was started in Sweden in the late 1960s. Hockey being a popular sport in that county, a group of individuals with disabilities wanted a way to continue participating the sport. The actual sled sits atop two hockey blades with space for the athlete's legs to be strapped in in front of them. There is enough room between the blades and the front of the sled to allow the puck to pass underneath the sled. Most of the equipment was designed to be as similar to regular hockey equipment as possible. The players use shortened hockey sticks (one for each hand) that also double as propelling devices. The sticks have picks on the butt end to allow the players to move around. Other than that it is hockey as we know it.
After playing our version for just a few minutes I started to think that it may actually be easier on ice. Our make shift sticks did not provide much grip on the hardwood floor so most of us were using our hands to get around. I doubt the school would have looked to kindly on us using picks to dig into the wood for traction. Since none of us could move around very swiftly this made precise passes all the more difficult. When it got time to shoot for a goal you could see the extreme concentration on our faces as we tried to bat the ball past the goalie. I am surprised anyone made a goal as we only had about a foot (seemed like six inches though) on either side of the goalie. This did make things very interesting and after awhile we ended up changing the teams since one team was obviously adapting quicker than the other.
I would love the chance to try this sport out on ice. I have never played regular ice hockey before and can only skate good enough not to fall so I think sitting down would be more my style. Also, having the picks on the stick to help you move around would be a big plus. I imagine sled hockey players would have to have strong core muscles as I noticed this area was working very hard to keep me balanced the whole time. Just like any sport, disability or not, there is always a learning curve, but I am sure after giving sled hockey a shot anyone would want to do it again and again.
Tonight we will be starting some wheelchair sports. Someone (when I find out his name I will give him credit) who has actually competed in the Paralympics is coming in to share his experience and teach us a thing or two over the next couple of weeks. It should be very interesting and I look forward to sharing what we learn.
It's time to wrap up my experience in the wheelchair. This past Monday night I sadly returned my new friend, the Quickie GP. The week went by rather quick and I would like to think that I "adapted" to the chair fairly well. It was rough going the first couple of days, but after I worked out the kinks things got a lot smoother. Although I did not quite perfect the wheelie like I had hoped, it sure was fun trying.
After last Wednesday I had a pretty boring rest of the week. The weather did get pretty nice so we went outside around the neighborhood. You do not realize how bumpy a sidewalk is until you have to stroll around in one. That is one thing that held true the whole week...every time I left the apartment I did experience something new. The last day was another day at school with time spent in the gym. I had the students play volleyball and after class I stuck around to hit the ball around. I must admit that it is not very much fun playing volleyball by yourself in a wheelchair. I did find that I was better at hitting the ball over the net than I was shooting three pointers though. I look forward to taking part in some wheelchair sports this semester just to see how tough it really is.
All in all it was a great experience that I am glad I had the opportunity to take part in. This was something that you can not prepare yourself for if you have never been in a wheelchair. I tried to imagine what it would be like and as soon as I sat down in it for the first time all that went out the window. Every day was a new challenge and with it a greater appreciation for those who have to do this on a daily basis. The whole time I kept thinking that if I ever found myself permanently in a chair that at least I would have some sports to keep me occupied. Anyone that grew up playing sports, you realize that it is something you will take with you the rest of your life. You can not let anything get in the way of your passion and always keep finding ways to overcome obstacles.
In this past Monday's class we spent some time simulating both speech and hearing loss. Many people are afflicted with this type of disability and I will admit that I have an easier time getting around in the wheelchair than I did trying to communicate with my hands. I have always thought learning sign language would be a great thing to do. I am sure I am not alone in the fact that, although I have had the intentions of learning, I still have not made the actual effort.
We did not spend time learning sign language (other than the motion for "Simon says"), but instead tried several activities to show just how difficult the task was. We all now how important communication is in our everyday lives. When you are reliant on verbal communication you learn very quickly how hard it is when you have that taken away. In our first task we played a great game of "Simon says". The class was split into two groups of five with one group being able to hear, but not speak, and the other able to speak, but not hear. Initially we did not know the sign for "Simon says" which made for some interesting hand gestures to simulate that phrase. Everyone took turns going through different motions and after a short amount of time we all had a pretty good handle on things. Then the rules changed to wear everyone was neither able to hear or speak and one person was giving the directions while the rest of the class followed along. It made it very clear to us that proper signing would be imperative to effective communication.
Next was the most competitive classroom game of baseball you will probably ever find. Of course no actual baseballs or bats were used for safety reasons. Being adaptive athletics professionals we found the next best things, a leg from a table and a fuzzy yarn ball. Again we were put in two groups of five and each team had someone (me for my group) to explain the game to the rest of the team (we pretended no one had ever played baseball before). Even though we were able to speak the directions we were to use body/hand signals to enhance the instructions. I hate to admit that my team lost on a three run home run past our defenders and over the desks, but plenty of fun was had by all.
We finished off our time with a basic but fun game of tic tac toe. Again, we pretended our partner had never played before and explained the rules and object of the game. Most of the instructions were given by writing and going through several tic tac toe scenarios to cover all aspects of the game. You would not think something so simple as a game of X's and O's would present difficulties, but it did. Half of the battle is trying to pretend you do not know how to play the game in the first place. Each partner took turns explaining and playing a couple of games before we divided into two groups again for a game of big board tic tac toe. It turned into a game of who could point and grunt the best so the team leader knew where to make the mark. Technically the grunting should not have helped, but I think by that time we forgot that we were not suppose to be able to hear either.
Even though we spend a limited amount of time on these simulations, I still leave with a greater appreciation for what people have to go through with their disabilities. I try to never take for granted what I have, but you never realize how hard some things are to do until you try them for a bit. It is only then that you can think of ways to improve the experiences for someone with disabilities. This experience might just be the thing to finally get me around to learning sign language. You never know when that ability could come in handy and make a big difference in someone's experience.
In the next couple of days I will finish summing up my time in the wheelchair. The last few days have been pretty uneventful and tomorrow is the last day with my new friend. Then again later in the week I will have another post about whatever fun we end up doing in tomorrow night's class.
Ironically, I found myself more nervous today going somewhere I am familiar with versus the shopping areas yesterday. I think that the anxiety came from the fact that in the year I have been at this school I have not seen one disabled student in this building. The building I often refer to is where the kinesiology department, athletic offices, basketball gym, student fitness center, and campus recreation are housed. I found this observation very disheartening because I wondered how many students with any disabilities do not come here because there is not enough equipment or options for them to utilize. Granted this school is known as a "commuter school", but that is still no excuse for not accommodating all students.
It seems like every time I get in the chair, within several minutes, I am encountering some sort of issue. Not only was it around -3 degrees windchill this morning, but I also had to figure out how I would get my laptop bag and a cup of coffee on my lap and into the building without scalding myself. I seemed to find every crack and hole from the parking lot to the building, but was lucky enough to only almost tip over twice (once forward and once backward). I navigated my way to the graduate assistant's office upstairs without any major problems and faced the first of many (felt like hundreds) questions about why I was in a wheelchair. I did not mind answering any of them and all of the students seemed genuinely intrigued about this class I am in and why we had to do this. I definitely took the time to answer any questions and share my experience thus far. I found it odd that out of the nearly 70 students in the three classes I am in charge of, not one student said they had been in a wheelchair for any reason before.
I did get a chance to shoot around after I had my class play basketball this morning. I feel like I am an above average basketball player, but today felt like I was learning the sport all over again. All my life I have been taught to "use your legs Andrew". Never did I realize how much you do use your legs until I tried shooting a simple layup and missed the first three times. My three pointer attempts looked like those 3/4 prayer shots you see at the end of a game (which I obviously missed). I can't wait to go to a wheelchair basketball game sometime to see how the game is really played. Then in the afternoon I attempted to lift some weights and found I was very limited in what I could do there. Shoulder presses and dumb bell curls were the extent of what I had available to me. Maybe I was spoiled by the fact that I know there are some great cable machines that are designed for people in wheelchairs and was jealous that I did not have them to use. I did try though and that is half the battle.
By the time I returned home I think I was just as much mentally exhausted as physically (my lower back was ABSOLUTELY killing me). My hands were starting to bother me towards the end of the day as I found myself constantly moving around the rooms I was in. This did not really surprise me all that much since I normally pace around everywhere anyway. So I will be looking for some sort of gloves to wear next time I will be on campus all day (which will not be until next Monday). Even though this was just the second full day in the chair I secretly wanted it to be over already. Luckily I do not have as busy of a schedule the rest of the week, but I will try to find scenarios to get out and about as much as possible.
We just returned from my first venture out into the public with the wheelchair. Tuesday is an off day for me and with it being around a windchill of 0 here, it would have been easy to just stay inside all day. But...what fun would that have been. It was too tempting to head down the road to a mall and sporting goods store. I figured going during a slow time of the week was the best idea for my first day out in public. Also, just to note that we took Ashley's car today which has a bigger trunk...so lesson learned from last night's troubles with my trunk.
The mall was the first stop and the first thing I noticed myself doing was looking for ramps as we went to our normal parking area. Sure enough there were plenty to choose from. As we entered the mall I told Ashley (my girlfriend) to look at people's faces to see what type of reactions we got. I would have kept an eye out for this, but I was too busy making sure I didn't run into anything. We made our way to the food court only with the occasional stare. Ashley got her food then came over to where I was going to get food from and helped me with that. Little kids seemed to have the most perplexed looks on their faces most likely wondering why an adult was in a stroller like them. Eating was not a problem as I was easily able to stroll up to the tables. Once we finished eating it was time to go exploring.
Next stop was American Eagle. Ashley still has X-mas gift cards to use and I was curious to see if the wheelchair would even fit in between all the clothing displays. Much to my surprise I had no problem getting around and in between everything. I'm sure if this had been a weekend day with more people shopping I would not have had the same ease of time. After we were done there I wanted to go somewhere downstairs which meant we had to find an elevator. You never really concern yourself where they are otherwise. The only one I remembered seeing was near the food court so we headed back that way. Then we perused downstairs just for a bit before finding another elevator to leave the mall.
Before heading back home we stopped by Sports Authority. Obviously being a big sports person I was looking forward to going in here and seeing how the chair maneuvered around. I was disappointed that although the main aisles were big enough, if I ventured off I was not able to fit between all the clothing racks. This made for a frustrating time since I couldn't actually see everything (even though I wasn't actually in there to buy anything).
Tomorrow will be an interesting day as I am sure my students will wonder what is going on. In my leisure activities class I am having them play basketball so I may join in since I am rolling in a made for basketball wheelchair. The other two classes are weight training that I mostly just supervise, but I am going to attempt to try some lifts to see how hard it is. One other thing I forgot to mention last night was the different perspective you get when your eyes are not at standing level. Leaving the campus building I noticed that one of my students is an All-American on the track team. Her picture is towards the bottom of the wall (which I walk by a lot) and I do not think I would have noticed that had I not been in the chair. So thank you Quickie GP for opening my eyes.
Ok, so my previous post today was suppose to be done last week but you caught me slacking. In tonight's class we simulated not being able to speak as well as some hearing loss. I will write about that later in the week, but right now I want to touch on my first hour with a wheelchair. You might remember me mentioning in the Disability Sport Class post that I would have to use a wheelchair for a week. Well this happens to my week.
Needless to say that within the first five minutes of having the chair I realized how difficult this week will be. First off the model chair I was given is a Quickie GP (a link I found from SPORTAID that sells these chairs) and the backrest folds down and rear wheels have quick release mechanism, so you know what I am working with. As I exit the building I quickly find out my chair has an alignment issue and pulls to the left. To counter this I must put more force into the left wheel to keep the chair straight. This wouldn't be much of a problem if I was left handed or if I was a body builder. Those of you that do not know me I am a runner and have a runner's body (i.e. I DON'T HAVE BIG ARMS) so I plan to be plenty sore after these seven days are up.
Next issue arises a couple of minutes later when I get to my car. I wish I had a Transformer model wheelchair that folds up into a little box but unfortunately that was not an option. The car I drive does not have a big trunk and after numerous attempts to get it in I got frustrated and just threw it in my back seat (we are allowed to get out of the chairs to load and unload out of our vehicles since we don't have wheelchair accessible rides). Yes, I probably should have went that route in the first place, but I could not figure out why it would not just fit in the trunk. If it wasn't so cold outside I would probably still be in that parking lot trying to get that chair in the trunk (some may call me stubborn).
Fortunate for me I have wheelchair access to the main door of my apartment. I never realized how steep the ramp was until tonight though. For safety sake I did have my girlfriend stand behind me (no wheelie bars on this model). I will admit that was a good workout and my abs (yes I said abs, not arms) hurt more than when I did a medicine ball workout earlier today.
I will be writing a few posts throughout the week as I am sure I will encounter more obstacles along the way. I may even attempt a video blog so you all can see the fun I will be having. So make sure to keep tuning in all week long and look for my post later this week about the non-speaking simulation we did in class tonight. Like I have mentioned before, feel free to leave comments, preferrably with advice and encouragement =)
One cannot anticipate how difficult it would be without sight until you are blindfolded and told to walk around and/or shoot a basketball. Those that attempt this still have the luxury of taking the blindfold off, whereas someone that is blind does not have that choice. Visual impairments were the focus of this class and it was interesting to say the least. Being blindfolded was not the only task, but also mimicking other visual disorders by drawing objects by viewing them thru a mirror.
My group started off with the blindfolds and in a way it felt like cheating. The building we were in is one on campus that I am in on a daily basis. Having some familiarity gave me an advantage, but I still noticed that I picked my feet up more than usual. We also had a guide person (classmate) that would give verbal queues which stressed the importance of communication. There were obstacles such as tables, chairs, trash cans, and stairs, but having someone with vision by your side made it comforting.
Then we made our way down to the basketball court. Having played basketball since I was a little kid, I felt comfortable in this arena. The challenge was to shoot a free throw and hope you came close. Again, we had a helper to line us up and give verbal directions as to our aim. I was fortunate enough to make one on the second try (two guys made it on their first, damn them), but others provided more entertainment with their not near misses. This activity portrayed the importance of muscle memory for those that have a basketball background. It definitely gives you a greater appreciation for those that can succeed in an environment like this without their sight.
Would you think that drawing a circle, square, triangle, straight lines, or even writing your own name while looking through a mirror could present you with any problems? I can tell you firsthand that it is not easy! You would think that since you look in a mirror to get dressed, comb your hair, or brush your teeth, that writing/drawing would not be any more difficult. Drawing a circle gave me the most trouble. I believe it took about five attempts to get a figure that was somewhat circle/oval shaped. On a daily basis there are people with visual impairment that struggle with these so called simple tasks.
Unfortunately our night was cut short due to a wonderful snow storm coming through the
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