Wheelchair Basketball: Team Success

Video Transcript

"What makes a wheelchair basketball team successful? Well, first of all you've got to have good athletes, you've got good players, dedicated players and we do, here in Utah. There's a lot of great players around the country and around the world but we made it to the final four so we're one of the top four teams in the country this year, in wheelchair basketball. What makes us great? We're a team. We work together, we've got great athletes, we've got fast guys, we've got tall guys, we've got guys with a lot of balance and strength that are really fast and good shooters. Part of what I think, makes our team successful is just the dedication of the player. We have a good coach, having good coaching, of course, is an important part of wheelchair basketball. We have experienced players that have been playing for ten, and fifteen, and twenty, and, in my case, thirty years. All of these things add up to making a good and successful team and, of course, you need a little bit of luck as well. I personally will do push-ups a couple of times a week. I find time to get snowmobiling and four wheeling and that, in general, keeps you in shape and keeps you active. Transferring in and out of my van keeps my shoulders and things strong. To get the cardio, I've either got to get in the gym and do what I'm doing right now or, occasionally, I'll take my everyday chair and I'll go out ramp, in our garage, and I'll push up and down that ramp about fifteen or twenty times a day. I have a little hand cycle that I jump in and I cruise around the neighborhood. I'll go down to the store and back and maybe push five miles a week or something like that. There's a variety of things but if I'm in the middle of a Paralympics competition, I would be in this basketball chair, in the gym, a couple of times a week to stay in shape."