Due to medical conditions, I was never able to be sportive from childhood.<\/p>\n
I was stopped in the street by Stuart asking me if I wanted to go to Wheelchair Basketball, at the time I had a left leg amputation, and my right leg was fused straight at the knee, so therefore sticking out straight. In my opinion there was no way I could play Wheelchair Basketball. So I thought…..<\/p>\n
A while later, in 2015 I had my second leg amputated, and a couple of months later, my wife told me she had heard about a wheelchair basketball team at the local university.<\/p>\n
I went along and within minutes, I was hooked. Finally I was as competitive as everyone else, playing on an equal platform. I was not the best player \u00a0(probably never will be) and it doesn\u2019t matter. But I enjoyed playing every minute of it and for the first time felt so competitive.<\/p>\n
In 2017, I first became a level 1 assistant Wheelchair Basketball Coach, then with further training (as it happens, from a Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball player and coach), I trained and qualified to be a level 2 coach. I can now legitimately provide coaching to the rest of the team. This has been a phenomenal achievement for me, with which I am very proud.<\/p>\n
Along with the other coaches at Northants Phoenix, we can provide an exciting experience for both \u2018Able Bodied\u2019 people and others that are less able, regardless of age.<\/p>\n
I am also proud to be featured in the book by Wendy Smith (Paralympian and Author) January 2019<\/b> Although I am not planning on becoming a regular referee, it has provided me a fantastic knowledge boost into the rules and regulations of the game, and also a big insight into understanding the signs and signals a referee gives.<\/p>\n It has given me a bigger, better and more rounded knowledge of the game and rules.<\/p>\n
\nThe Quickfix guide to Wheelchair Basketball<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI have now become a Level 1 basketball referee. This was done for the \u201crunning game\u201d, but is transferable to the \u201cwheelchair game\u201d.<\/p>\n