Jacquelyn Brazzale is a junior journalism major and writes ‘Let Me Try’ for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Jacquelyn at jrbrazzale@bsu.edu.
I have never been that good at basketball, I can’t make a three-point shot, do not ask me to dribble with my left hand — I ruled out a career in the WNBA long ago.
My sole contribution when playing a pick-up game was that I was fast. I could easily run past players and move on the floor to find the open space.
That advantage was sidelined when I decided to strap myself in for a game with Ball State’s Wheelchair Basketball League.
Wheelchair basketball is open to any student on campus who is interested in testing their ability to play a game that was built to be played on your feet in a chair. The league is in its second year at Ball State and is growing in numbers. You might be surprised to see who walks into the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center each Tuesday night.
“Well most of our participants are actually able-bodied students,” league president Sarah Sims said. “I think there is just pure curiosity to see what it is like. They are so familiar with able-bodied basketball they want to try something more challenging.”
Try patting your hand and rubbing your stomach at the same time. Well pushing a wheelchair while dribbling a basketball creates a similar frustration. Nine other players skated around the court with ease, as I tried to avoid them like a traffic cone in the middle of a busy intersection.
My only contribution in this game was that I was good at getting in people’s way. Running into them as they passed me by, like a glorified game of bumper cars.
After an hour, my arms felt like deflated balloon animals. My palms carried a layer of black dust and traces of grease from letting the wheels roll through my hands. My thumb was jammed, one fingernail bent, and I am pretty sure I had never sweated so much from sitting in a chair.
