Over the years, you’ve seen us partake in a couple rousing games of wheelchair basketball. In total, we combined for six points (four of them by Jon), and we weren’t that upset about it.
Being in a wheelchair is hard enough, but trying to dribble a basketball, navigate defenders and shoot at a basket that is a lot taller than you remember is a much more daunting challenge.
And on Saturday, you can catch a day filled with missed shots, passes to nobody and all the wheelchair basketball action your heart desires at Granite State Independent Living’s seventh annual Hoops on Wheels at Rundlett Middle School.
It’s the biggest fundraiser of the year for the organization, but it’s also free to go. The teams, which there are 22 of, each raise a minimum of $1,000. The concessions stand – which will have things like hot dogs and popcorn, nachos and pizza (and Krispy Kreme donuts) — is also part of the fundraising effort. So in other words, eat while you’re there.
The Rundlett gym will be split into two courts, to accommodate the large number of games. There are two brackets: recreational and competitive. The recreational grouping will play a round robin format in the morning, each team playing two games.
The competitive bracket will be a win and advance style, as two teams will end the day in the championship game, while every other team will play a second game for consolation purposes.
The first games of the day begin at 8 a.m., going all the way to the championship game, which in the past has been over around 5 p.m. Just to give you a rough idea. Games are 35 minutes with 10 minutes inbetween.
Outside of the action on the court – and the actual building – will be a demo of the Wheel Pad L3C. It will be a 200-square-foot prototype with an accessible bedroom and bathroom for a person living with a disability. The demo will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There will also be a special guest playing in the tournament. Organizers were pretty tight lipped about their identity, but they did say it was someone who lives or lived in New Hampshire. So that kind of narrows it down.
But the overall goal is to bring awareness to what those in wheelchairs have to face on a daily basis. While also watching able-body people struggle to score a basket.
For more, visit gsil.org/ hoops-on-wheels-2018.
Insider staff
