Disabled athletes break the ice

07/07/2003

St. Cloud Times
Frank Rajkowski
frajkowski@stcloudtimes.com

St. Joseph- Athletes attending the weeklong girls basketball camps at the College of St. Benedict this summer are learning more than game fundamentals.

Deeper lessons are being imparted thanks to weekly presentations by a group of wheelchair athletes.

"The athletes who have spoken have been very good at articulating the challenges they face and at speaking about pursuing the things they love," said Blazers head coach Mike Durbin, who during the summer oversees campers ranging from grades six through 12. "It's been a nice way to educate people about something they're not normally exposed to on a daily basis."

The presentations were set up by former St. Benedict player Heidi Schwichtenberg, a Kimball High School graduate who volunteers as a referee fro wheelchair sports. She also is on the advisory committee of the Twin Cities-based Courage Center, a facility devoted to working with people with disabilities.

"I think at the end of the week everyone who's been here is going to have learned something about people with disabilities," said Schwichtenberg. "Then they can take what they've learned back to their schools and spread the word there."

Schwichtenberg also has organized a wheelchair basketball exhibition featuring high school, college and wheelchair players Aug. 9 at Kimball High School.

The camp presentations start with the players talking about their lives and the challenges they face living with their disabilities. Then campers and counselors get into wheelchairs to take on the presenters, allowing them to experience wheelchair basketball first-hand.

After that, campers can ask the presenters questions. Many of them get personal.

"I was really surprised at the variety of sports that handicapped people can play and how open they are about talking about things," said Julie Flynn, a 15-year-old camper from Minnetonka.

That's what the presenters hope to accomplish, said Jennifer Clarke, 31, of Shakopee. Clarke was disabled in a car accident involving a drunken driver when she was 18. She's played wheelchair basketball for the past six years and now plays for the Minnesota Women's Rolling Timberwolves, a Twin Cities-based team.

"I think the more questions people are able to ask and the more personal in nature those questions are, the greater the level of awareness that gets raised," Clarke said. "Usually, people are shy about asking questions at first. But once they get rolling, they want to know about everything.

"That's why it's great to get out and do this. It's the one sure way to help educate people about living with disabilities and about these sports as well."

Clarke's teammate, 25-year-old Jennifer Flanagan of Coon Rapids, echoed those sentiments.

"I love doing events like this because it's an opportunity to meet people who don't experience a lot of diversity or have much exposure to people with disabilities on a daily basis," said Flanagan, who has been disabled since falling off a tractor when she was 2. She has been involved in wheelchair basketball the past five years.

"It gives them a chance to get over the fear some of them may have about people with disabilities, and hopefully pass along what they've learned when they get back home," she said.

Clarke said getting the campers into wheelchairs allows them to see just how much athletic ability wheelchair basketball requires.

"It looks so easy, but once you actually get into the chair it's a lot more difficult," Clarke said. "It takes a lot of upper-body strength. I think once they get a chance to experience that, they really do appreciate the whole competitive nature it takes to do this."

Kyla Eato, a 15-year-old camper from Minnetonka, said she was impressed.

"These people are so spirited and have so much guts to go out and do their thing. They must have really strong arms," Eato said.

Annie Isler, a 16-year-old camper from Minneapolis, said she was struck by how similar Clarke and Flanagan's reasons for playing basketball are to her own.

"Obviously, the rules and equipment are different for them. But, at its base, they have a love for the game. That's why they're playing," Isler said.

Those are exactly the impressions Clarke and her fellow presenters want.

"I hope when all these girls leave here and go home, they'll have a new appreciation about things," Clarke said. "So that when they see someone with a disability, or someone who is different from what they'd call normal, they'll take them in and be their friend. That's a positive thing."

Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098