Wheelchair tourney on basketball court to raise awareness

Community members will see the basketball court from a different perspective in March - from a wheelchair.

The Center for Independent Living will host the third annual wheelchair basketball tournament from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 3 in the Lycoming College recreation hall.

"It's wheelchair basketball for people who don't use wheelchairs," said Marc Garside, independent living program manager. "Our goal is to help people with disabilities to be as independent as possible. It's a fun way to raise some sensitivity awareness."

This year, eight teams from agencies and clubs around the area will take to the court for a double-elimination tournament. Each quarter will be five minutes long.

Trophies will be awarded to the winning team and the team that raises the most money. Proceeds will pay for the cost of future tournaments.

This year, the wheelchairs all were borrowed, from places as far as Altoona. With agencies receiving budget cuts, it is more difficult to obtain wheelchairs for the day, so the money partly will be used for wheelchairs, since they need at least 20.

Last year, the money raised was donated to Lycoming College to help make the facilities more accessible.

The biggest differences in wheelchair basketball is that it requires a lot more upper body strength, it is slower paced and there sometimes are collisions, Garside said.