NL_021320

4 | February 13, 2020 | the new lenox patriot news
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com
Wheelchair basketball gives athletes level playing field
2
LWSRA’s teams
provide opportunity
Sean Hastings, Editor
For many of the athletes
in wheelchair basketball,
the family that is built on
and off the court is what
has made the sport special
for so many.
The sport allows everyone
who may not have the
same opportunities in ablebodied
sports, a chance to
play sports they still love.
The Junior Midwest
Conference Championships
brought all those
athletes together to Lincoln-Way
North on Saturday,
Feb. 8-9 for a tournament.
New Lenox resident
Austin Spalla, 14, does not
use a wheelchair everyday,
but has found it difficult
to play able bodied sports
and the wheelchair has
helped him play.
“He’s always loved
sports,” Austin’s father,
Jim, said. “When he’s
with able bodied, he was
always one of the lower
end kids, getting picked
last or sitting on the bench.
But here, he can be the star
here and he loves that.”
His mother, Joyce, added
that it’s great to see him
be able to play on this level
playing field and succeed
on it.
Spalla plays in the prep
division, but also has
played on the varsity level.
He will officially move
up to varsity next season.
When he’s in prep, he is
one of the tallest ones on
the floor.
“It helps a lot. You can
block shots really well,”
he said with a smile. “You
can also get layups easier.”
Austin plays at different
camps all over, including
ones at the University of
Illinois, Wisconsin-Whitewater
and an upcoming
camp in Arizona.
Austin said he loves going
to the different camps
and tournaments because
he gets to see the same
people each time.
One of Austin’s LWSRA
teammates on the prep
team, 9-year-old Cameron
Davis (Matteson), who
has just one leg, also loves
playing with his friends.
Cameron also loves to
shoot, he said.
His parents, Tasia
Haynes and Michael Davis,
were all smiles after
the game seeing the
fun and the joy the game
brings to Cameron.
“I think it is a good opportunity
that they get to be
around people like themselves
and get to be in an
environment where it’s just
focused on them,” Haynes
said. “They get to showcase
all their skills and it’s
not just about their disabilities
or what they have going
on. They’re just here to
play basketball.”
Cameron has been playing
wheelchair basketball
for six seasons and his parents
had little idea what it
was or what was offered
back then. But it has allowed
Cameron to grow
up in a massive family and
in a judge-free zone.
“It’s like a family here,”
his father, Michael said.
“He’s been growing up with
these same kids and built a
couple good relationships
past basketball. It’s family
oriented and that’s another
good thing about it.”
For many, the sport has
been a life changer. That’s
Austin Spalla, 14, of New Lenox looks to make a play during the LWSRA Prep team’s opening game on Saturday,
Feb. 8, at Lincoln-Way North. Photos by Sean Hastings/22nd Century Media
Cameron Davis, 9, of Matteson comes away with a
loose ball during the LWSRA Prep team’s opening game
on Saturday, Feb. 8.
exactly what it has been for
Frankfort resident, Cory
Klene. Cory has Cerebral
Palsy and the idea of being
in the wheelchair was not
something he and his family
always planned on.
Cory does not use a
wheelchair on a daily basis.
“It took us a while because
he’s not in a wheelchair
everyday,” his mother,
Peggy, said. “It was a
change of thought, because
we’ve always told him to
keep going to [physical
therapy] and keep doing
your exercises, you won’t
end up in a wheelchair, but
now the wheelchair is providing
opportunities for
him. It took us a while to
get over that hump to say
Rance Surratt, of Matteson, puts up a shot during
the LWSRA Varsity team's opening round game on
Saturday, Feb. 8.
it’s OK and that it’s just
making it a level playing
field for everybody.”
Cory, 19, has been playing
on the varsity team for
four years.
“This gave him an opportunity
to level the playing
field and go as fast as
he can in the chair and really
compete,” Peggy said.
“He loves it. It’s been fun
to see him grow up with it.
“It’s really cool to see
the opportunities for them
as they get older. Doors
open for them and it’s just
fun to see them improve.”