Wheelchair basketball: One woman's story

Playing by the rules
Wheelchair basketball is one of Canada's most successful sports. Both the men's and women's national teams won the 2006 Gold Cup World Championships in Amsterdam, and both remain the top-ranked teams heading to the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

The most notable difference between wheelchair basketball and traditional basketball is just that: the wheelchair. The basics of traditional basketball are adapted to fit the dynamics of playing in a chair.

Basics of the game:
• Five players from each team are on the court at a time.
• The game consists of four quarters, with a break between the second and third quarters.
• As with the stand-up game, players must dribble the ball when moving; wheelchair players who take more than two pushes of the wheel without dribbling get a foul.
• Players can't be in the key (the area closest to the basket) for longer than three seconds.
• A team has 24 seconds to take a shot before the other team is given possession of the ball.
• A basket scores one to three points depending on where the ball is shot from.
• Players can't touch the surface of the court with their feet at all during play.

In Canada able-bodied players are allowed to play in wheelchair basketball leagues, but only disabled athletes can play at the Paralympic and world competition level. At this level, players are given a ranking that represents their level of mobility on the court. Each team uses a combination of rankings that can't exceed a certain number.

Wheelchair basketball is gaining a following at the international level. The CBC covered the Visa Paralympic Cup during its Saturday afternoon sports broadcasts in 2005 and 2006, and media coverage and awareness of wheelchair basketball is sure to grow.

-- Lyndsie Bourgon

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