SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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Mile-High Madness

Although the action on the court sometimes appeared like organized chaos, athletic skill was evident as men's, women's, and junior players met for four days of basketball frenzy.

High Stakes
by Arley McNeney

At first glance it seems as if every wheelchair basketball athlete in the world is here. It's April 8 at the Gold Crown Center in Denver, and six games are taking place simultaneously: six sets of referee whistles, 12 teams of screaming players, and six buzzers going off at once. Fans dressed in team colors crowd the stands, while the athletes who aren't playing wander through dozens of sponsor booths to try their luck at video games or check out the latest model of basketball wheelchair. It's loud, it's intense, and if you're a basketball fan, there's no better place in the world to be.

On April 7-10, more than 1,000 athletes competing in six different National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) championships traveled to the Mile High City to fight for the title of the nation's best. Joining them were scores of fans, sponsors, and volunteers, all of whom came to experience the world's biggest wheelchair-basketball tournament.

"It's a huge celebration of wheelchair basketball," says NWBA executive director Todd Hatfield. "The combined tournament brings more of a championship atmosphere."

Hatfield came up with the idea to combine all these championships into one after he spent a year traveling around the country to eight different nationals in seven cities and saw many of the same coaches, players, referees, and classifiers performing the same duties.

"I felt combining the tournaments would cut down on the duplication of services being provided week after week," he says. "Basically, [we decided to] make one trip but service more teams."

For many reasons, combining the championships makes sense for the NWBA. An event this large attracts media attention and sponsorship dollars. In fact, it pays for itself, since large sponsors like Best Buy are attracted by the event's scale. The NWBA also has greater control over the way the tournament is run. Instead of many committees of volunteers across the country struggling to organize an event, the NWBA can put all its time, energy, and resources into making the Denver tournament the best it can be.

"This past year, all eyes, all attention has been on Denver," Hatfield says.

But what do the athletes think? Overall, the reaction was mixed. Many in the Junior divisions loved the celebratory atmosphere and the opportunity to compete in the same event as their mentors in the adult leagues. Many Women's Division participants, however, were less than impressed.

"I don't really like it," said University of Illinois Fighting Illini women's team captain Shelley Chaplin. "I think you miss seeing so many of the games because they're all spread out. When it's just the women's nationals, it feels much more focused."

Bridie Kean, also from the University of Illinois, was on the fence. "I think the positive aspect is that it does draw a lot of attention and awareness to the event, which raises the profile of wheelchair basketball," she said. "However, as a player, the logistics involved with having so many teams play, using different gyms, and having pods as storage can really add to the stress of the event."

Those logistical details, said Kean, can often make a big difference in the championship game. "Another negative aspect was definitely the use of smaller courts. We practice all year on a full-length court, and it was disappointing not to be able to play on one when it counts."

Hatfield admits the format does provide some challenges. "Every division has its own culture, and sometimes it can be difficult to meld all those cultures into a single event," he says. "And there are, of course, scheduling conflicts for athletes who are competing in more than one division."

But though there were mixed feelings about the format, no one could deny the excitement of the games. The championship matchup in the Junior Invitational featured a showdown between the RHI Racers and the Dallas Junior Mavericks. These two teams came in as eighth and sixth seeds, respectively, and pulled off some incredible upsets to get into the final game. It remained close until Dallas hit 3 three-pointers in just three minutes to go on a 13-0 run and clinch the victory.

Check out Arley's complete article in the July 2010 S'NS. Coverage also includes Division III and Championship Division action, reported by Tip Thiboutot in Get it ON!, and Juniors by Doug Garner.

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