May 2003 Table of Contents

Major Hoop-la

Once again it's that time of year, when basketball comes to the forefront�and it's everywhere. So if you like roundball, you've come to the right place!

High Altitude

This mountain vacation spot welcomes winter or summer visitors. And, no matter the season, people with disabilities will always find easily accessible activities.

Show Time!

The mere mention of Las Vegas invariably conjures up sights and sounds of a bustling Strip with neon-lit casinos, lively blackjack tables, shapely show girls, ringing slot machines, and now—extreme wheelchair football.

Fishing Rules!

The 2nd Annual PVA Grand National Championship generated high expectations, and all anglers knew it was time to produce.

Accepting the Torch

NWBA Hall of Famers Kiley and Phillips have led the league for more than two decades. Now there's a new kid in town, and the veterans are ready to step aside.

In My Opinion:

From February to April, Arizona served as "Wheelchair Sports Central," hosting top competitors in fishing, trapshooting, basketball, and quad rugby. Editor Cliff Crase (who also happens to be a resident Zonie) offers his take on the varied—and vigorous—events.

Fitness:

If you use a wheelchair for mobility, your arms do all the work in place of your legs. This issue's Fitness column will help you develop an exercise program that can keep your arms healthy and strong and maximize your level of independence.

Juniors:

Thanks to support from the Illinois High School Association, wheelchair basketball is becoming more common in the state's schools. In this issue, you'll read about high-school programs spearheaded by U of I's Mike Frogley. There's also a story about an EPVA New Jersey Nets wheelchair basketball player who is teaching his high-school art students the fundamentals of the game, a report on the latest varsity and junior-varsity winners at Georgia's 7th Annual State Wheelchair Basketball Championships, and an announcement for a junior wheelchair tennis camp scheduled for July 28-August 2 in Austin, Tex. (For more information about the camp, contact Wendy Gumbert, (512) 847-0445 / wgumbert@blazesports.com.)

Playbook:

Who are the latest inductees into the Wheelchair Sports, U.S.A., Hall of Fame? Find out in the May 2003 SPORTS 'N SPOKES, along with news about who the U.S. Tennis Association has selected for the teams competing for the 2003 Invacare Team Cup; when and where you can attend a summer clinic to learn the basics of golfing with a disability; a new bobsled program for people with disabilities; handcycle donations to youth from the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program; a portable basketball goal assembly that mounts to the bed of pickup truck; free bow and rifle hunting in Wisconsin; increased opportunities for people with disabilities to hunt, fish, and enjoy outdoor recreational activities on the 540 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System; and Rick Hansen's Wheels in Motion program, set to roll out across Canada on June 14. Whew!

Sailing:

A winter storm system didn't dampen spirits at San Diego's NOOD Regatta. Learn how the Martin 16 fleet of sailors fared, along with a report on the YachtAware Smart Yacht system—a software and hardware package that integrates all of a sailing vessel's onboard systems into a single interactive assistant.

Scorecard:

In a runaway victory, Saul Mendoza breaks the course record to win his sixth LA Marathon. There's also a report on upcoming events in the America Series—developed in collaboration with various Olympic-member national governing bodies and disabled sports organization partners to provide maximum exposure to Paralympic participants—and an update on the monumental moments marking the development of wheelchair curling.

Shooting:

Whether aiming at "birds" or targets, these shooters scored big. In this month's issue, read the highlights of Arizona's stop on the 2003 PVA National Trap Circuit, and a recap of the fifth annual Cleveland Disabled Shooting Championships (part of the 12-city NRA-Beeman Grand Prix Championship for marksmen and -women with disabilities).

Training:

Often overlooked but always available, the everyday wheelchair is a tremendous training tool. In this issue, the University of Illinois's Marty Morse and Adam Bleakney outline a workout you can perform in your everyday chair that is applicable as a cross-training exercise for most wheelchair sports.

Timeout:

University of Illinois student Joshua George shares his firsthand account of his first-time encounter with the "big dogs" of wheelchair basketball.

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