Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies

            For this clinical applications lab, our class attended a practice session of the Memphis Rollin’ Grizzles, a team that I had not heard of before taking this class. They are a wheelchair basketball team, and they might be more intense than the Grizzlies themselves! I was so impressed and surprised by them all. They take their sport very seriously and are all extremely competitive, but they are clearly all good friends as well. They were able to move and change directions much more quickly than I thought they would be. They also made much more contact than I had expected- the marks on their wheelchairs were evidence of this. Within the first few minutes, one of the players flipped his wheelchair- I was afraid this might happen at some point during the practice, but I was not anticipating it to happen so early on. He was able to flip himself back up in just a moment, and they continued to compete as if nothing had happened. 

           I loved seeing the diversity of the players on this team. Some were amputees, others had varying degrees of spinal cord injuries, and one player walked in like he had no injury at all. I didn’t realize that he was a part of the team until he sat in a wheelchair and strapped himself in. Obviously, we were curious about this particular player’s diagnosis. We brainstormed that maybe he had cauda equina syndrome, which affects only the lowest part of the spinal cord (numbness, low back pain, bowel and bladder issues). However, the team captain came over to talk to us and answer questions and he explained that that individual had an incomplete spinal cord injury that prevents him from playing non-wheelchair basketball because he cannot jump properly. I wish I had more information on his diagnosis, but it was still interesting to watch him play. 

           Everyone was so welcoming and willing to talk to us about their sport, and even let us use their chairs after practice! The team captain answered our many questions, ranging from the rules of wheelchair basketball to being fitted for a wheelchair to how they recruit players. He was so kind and gave us thorough explanations. He told us that he had a hard time even finding out about the team when he first moved to the area, and that he found out about them because they played at half time for a Memphis Grizzlies game. I think that this team needs have a bigger social media presence; more people should know about them! 

           I learned so much through this experience, and I am thankful my class was given this opportunity. This allowed me to actually see some of the aspects of spinal cord injury instead of reading notes about them from class. It also gave me a new perspective for interacting with people with disabilities; I appreciated how open they were to talk to us. And they were all way better at basketball than I am- that’s for sure! I loved seeing how passionate they were about their sport and the community that was created through their disabilities. I highly recommend sitting in on a practice or game if you ever get the chance!