CW Celtics offering wheelchair basketball for adults
Paralympian Patrick Anderson part of initiative to make wheelchair basketball part of mainstream
CENTRE WELLINGTON – The Centre Wellington Celtics Basketball League is inviting adults to take a seat – a seat in a sports wheelchair that is.
After a successful year of offering wheelchair basketball to youth, the league is now opening the program to adults.
And you don’t have to have a physical disability to participate.
“We want to eliminate that myth,” said Andy Speers, an Upper Grand District School Board teacher and volunteer with the Celtics.
“Wheelchair basketball is just another sport. You will get a major workout and have a lot of fun. And along the way, you might learn about empathy.”
Fergus native and Paralympic wheelchair basketball star Patrick Anderson has been working with the Celtics and the Upper Grand school board to make the sport locally available.
In 2019 the school board purchased 16 sports chairs and Speers worked with Anderson to create lesson plans for teachers.
Schools in the board can have them for a one-week period and they are very popular, Speers said, especially for student-teacher matches.
Meanwhile, Anderson and Celtics board member Andy Alba were successful in getting a grant from Canadian Tire’s Jump Start program and purchased 12 sports wheelchairs for the league.
The Celtics began offering wheelchair basketball to youth in Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9 last year and had eight to 10 kids out each week to give it a try.
“We want to give all kids the opportunity to try this sport,” Speers said, noting the players tend to fumble with the chairs in the beginning but really improve over a few weeks’ time.
“It’s cool to see the growth in the students.”
And now it’s open to adults.
The Celtics are offering six-week sessions for adults over age 18. The first session begins Sept. 10 and runs Thursdays from 6 to 7:30pm at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex. Cost is $90.
There will be six-week sessions over winter and in the spring.
“The commitment is not overly long, beginners are welcome and there’s no pressure to sink baskets,” Speers said. “If you like basketball, you might like it in this different form.
“Pat (Anderson) had a huge say in starting this program. He’s excited to see it expand in his hometown.”
For more information or to register, visit cwceltics.ca.
