Wheelchair basketball might not seem as cutthroat as other sports, but Auburn alum and current member of the wheelchair basketball team Woody Thornton thinks otherwise.
"The biggest surprise to me is how competitive it is," Thornton said. "You think wheelchair and you kind of think a little slower pace, but it's really not. It's full speed, and it's a tough sport."
The team will participate in its first home tournament Sunday in the Auburn Wheelchair Invitational at the Auburn Arena.
The team will face the Lakeshore Foundation team at 12 p.m. and the Shepherd Center team at 4 p.m.
Lakeshore and Shepherd play at 2 p.m. in the second game of the tournament.
"Our office has been working with the department of kinesiology to come up with ideas," said Jerry Waters, disability specialist with the Office of Accessibility, "and one of the ideas we came up with is hosting an event on our campus to get more exposure to students, faculty, staff and community to let them know what we're trying to do and build more support."
The Lakeshore Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Birmingham that promotes independence for persons with physically disabling conditions and opportunities to pursue active, healthy lifestyles.
The Shepherd Center is a nonprofit specializing in medical treatment for people with spinal cord and brain injuries.
Auburn's team was created by students in the adaptive sports program nearly two years ago and has been expanding since.
"When we first started we had a couple of students who wanted to get this started, and now we've got seven or eight guys who come every Tuesday and Thursday to practice," Waters said.
"We're hoping we can get some people on campus, such as administrators we've invited and President Gogue and the provost, and get more support from the University. We're trying to bring more exposure to the community and actually trying to find more players in the community."
President of adaptive recreation and athletics, an on-campus program dedicated to providing recreational activities to those with a disability, and coach of the team Jared Rehm said the league makes a few minor adjustments to standard NCAA rules.
"There's no double dribble, and then for traveling, for every two times you take a push you have to dribble, pass or shoot. A third push would be traveling," Rehm said.
He also said the games are played on a regulation-sized court.
Rehm said he hopes to expand the program by recruiting, and he has traveled to different tournaments to recruit athletes to Auburn.
"Right now we're made up of mostly community players, so guys from the local area who aren't in school," Rehm said. "We do have a few student players, but one of things I'm doing right now is going to the junior division wheelchair basketball games around the country, and I'm going to their tournaments and trying to recruit student athletes to come here."
Phillip Crain, sophomore in history, said he joined the team after high school.
"I joined because I wanted to continue playing as long as I could and I wasn't recruited out of high school, so when the guys asked me to come play I said sure," Crain said.
"The most demanding part would be getting in shape for your push-and-pull game, especially your shoulders."
With standard rules in play, Woody said shooting takes some getting used to.
"You kind of get used to shooting standing up, and when you go to a chair, shooting a free throw from a wheelchair is like shooting a three-pointer standing up; you have to get your arms adjusted into that range," Woody said.
The Office of Accessibility has 10 sports wheelchairs available for individuals with a physical disability to check out in the Student Activities Center.
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