Vernon Wheelchair Basketball Club hosted a Community Challenge game at Hillview Elementary school last Thursday evening (Feb 5), with students playing parents. Over 40 people enjoyed trying wheelchair basketball.
Prior to the event, about 245 students from grade 1 to 7 at Hillview Elementary in Vernon got to use the sport wheelchairs in the phys ed classes for 4 days. Tristan Smyth, BCWBS Interior Regional Coordinator, spoke to the whole school at their weekly assembly about the importance of staying active and playing sports for fun.
Monday and Tuesday the primary kids played tag, played with Nerf balls, made a train (with Tristan as the engine more than once), and just enjoyed moving about in a new way, with wheels. The intermediate classes were shown the basics of wheelchair basketball and got to scrimmage with their classes and teacher. The school really enjoyed having access to the chairs (11 from Let’s Play and 15 from Art Kelz) for the week and they were used at recess, lunch, after school as well as during class time.
Thanks to Emma McGinty of Pacific Sport North Okanagan, Tristan Smyth of BC Wheelchair Sports and BC Wheelchair Basketball Society, and Art Kelz and Kathy Van der Star of the Vernon Wheelchair Basketball Club for spending their time to give these kids the opportunity to try wheelchair sport.
The Vernon club has drop in sessions Thursday nights at Hillview Elementary from 7-9 pm, until spring break. For more information please cotact Kathy - her contact info can be found here.
