Wheel Chair Mountaineering?
When you developed fibromyalgia or were injured in that motocross spill or car crash, you thought you should say goodbye to summiting K2. Not so. You might want to stay away from extreme cold, but you can still rappel with the best of them.
Wheelchair-bound adventure athlete/filmmaker/motivational speaker Mark Wellman has climbed El Capitan and Half Dome. He designed adaptive climbing gear, which you¡¯ll need along with good sports wheelchairs. This isn't a huge step from wheel chair racing and wheel chair basketball. Okay...the huge vertical drop may be a step you can't surmount with a portable wheelchair ramp. But observe the regular rules of mountain climbing (and don't offend the Sherpas), and you can follow Mark Wellman's example.
Some thoughts on climbing every mountain in a wheelchair:
? Buy adaptive pull-up bars to aid in your rappelling.
? Avoid chafing and abrasions with leg chaps.
? As before, chest harnesses and even leg harnesses will increase safety.
? Use fold-up lightweight sports wheel chairs for base camps and that glorious moment at the summit.
? Visit your doctor before your attempt, and bring a medic or nurse to base camp if possible.
? Never summit alone. This is good advice for all mountain climbers.
Above all, remember that the best equipment you can have is perseverance, cheerfulness and determination.
Your First Wheel Chair Racing Vehicle
Your first racing wheelchair...ah...actually, you haven't started selecting sport wheel chairs for racing yet. While your niece whips along in her Quickie T-Tube Racer, you're still shopping and comparing online.
Actually, take a cue from your NASCAR niece. The Quickie T-Tube Racer, from one of the oldest and most respected wheelchair lines, is regularly used in wheel chair racing. It's designed for use by kids and adults. You can even get a used one if you're just starting out.
With all racing sport wheel chairs, the important thing is to remember those soapbox derby racers you crashed as a kid. The large front wheel gives you power, speed, and maneuverability.
Should you choose power sport wheel chairs for wheel chair racing? Power wheel chair racing is an extreme sport, as in X-Treme, and if you're a beginner, that may be like jumping right into Dale Earnhardt Jr's car. Sites such as ExtremeChairing.com can give you more information about this new high-octane sport.
Avid mountain biker? You might want to work up to mountain bike racing on four wheels. But for now, ask your niece to take a spin in her chair.
Sport Wheel Chairs and Medicare
Sad to say, Medicare still doesn't see the benefit of having another wheelchair just for wheel chair racing or wheel chair basketball, never mind that participating in sports can improve overall health and mood.
Sport wheel chairs are designed to suit the track for wheelchair racing, the court for wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball, and oh yes, sport wheelchairs are designed to fit you. When selecting sport wheel chairs remember that manufacturers of sport wheel chairs customize sport wheelchairs to your needs. Naturally, all this specialization comes at a price¡ª$2,000 to $8,000. Medicare and insurers usually don't reimburse.
If you're a casual weekend warrior not looking to become the next wheel chair basketball Shaq, a rigid lightweight chair for everyday and wheel chair basketball is a good choice. They're fast and maneuverable. Many athletes use them in competition, and they're perfect for everyday use because they're made of near-indestructible aluminum.
Kids especially like lightweight sport wheel chairs because they keep up with the constant running around kids seem to do. The important thing with a sport wheel chair is to stay active, and you don't necessarily need the specialized high-impact sport wheelchairs you see in films like "Murderball" or in the Special Olympics.
The whole point of playing sports is so you won't feel excluded from life...so don't let fretting about money keep you from shooting hoops.
Shooting Hoops in Sport Wheelchairs
You're ready to get it on and shoot some hoops with wheel chair basketball. What do you need to know to shoot all your free throws?
First, basketball sport wheel chairs can only help you make those free throws by letting you practice, practice, practice.
Second, select one that can also be used in everyday life. If you¡¯re in the process of selecting sport wheel chairs, Colours ZEPHYR Everyday Sports Chair is a smart investment in your game on and off the court.
Choose chairs with adjustable height seats¡ªand they're out there, designed by players for players. You're not going to look like Rick Fox or Allen Iverson, but you should be able to dribble, throw and carry the ball with the same comfort.
If you're a serious pro player, heat treated wheels for all that offensive and defensive action will keep you from getting benched if your wheelchair needs repair.
Above all, conduct yourself with more grace and class than the NBA players (this should be easy), and you'll be a champion.
Wheel Chair Racing and Safety
When your mom admonishes, "I don't want you wheel chair racing, you could get hurt," you respond smartly, "I'm already in a wheelchair!" As usual, Mom is protective¡ªand right. If you've been in ill-fitting wheelchairs or if you've been sedentary, you may be at greater risk for fracture or muscle tears when you take up wheel chair racing.
If you still want to race, do so safely by following these tips:
? Adhere to the safety standards set by the officials. They'll rule on whether or not your sport wheel chairs are safe.
? Don't forget to wear a helmet, racing gloves, and elbow and knee pads.
? Go to a sports camp or borrow a friend's wheelchair and burn rubber. You need to know if the chair will fit you, because if it doesn't, or if you can't maneuver fast or brake quickly, you'll find out on the track.
? Contrary to wisdom, some coaches recommend used sport wheel chairs first. They're cheaper and easier for training, and you can trade them in for a newer chair.
? Always loosen up your muscles with gentle stretching. Get out of the chair if you can and move around. Warm up with a few slow laps around the track.
? Make sure that your lower limbs are securely inside the wheelchair or they could fall out during the heat.
? A fixed position foot tray will prevent foot injuries.
? Make sure you have back support accessories or adequate back support in your racing sport wheel chairs.
Now when you win your first wheel chair racing heat, you can roll up to the camera and say, "I love you, Mom, this one's for you!"
Handcycles and Wheel Chair Racing
When you developed fibromyalgia or were injured in that motocross spill or car crash, you thought you should say goodbye to summiting K2. Not so. You might want to stay away from extreme cold, but you can still rappel with the best of them.
Wheelchair-bound adventure athlete/filmmaker/motivational speaker Mark Wellman has climbed El Capitan and Half Dome. He designed adaptive climbing gear, which you¡¯ll need along with good sports wheelchairs. This isn't a huge step from wheel chair racing and wheel chair basketball. Okay...the huge vertical drop may be a step you can't surmount with a portable wheelchair ramp. But observe the regular rules of mountain climbing (and don't offend the Sherpas), and you can follow Mark Wellman's example.
Some thoughts on climbing a mountain in a wheelchair:
? Buy adaptive pull-up bars to aid in your rappelling.
? Avoid chafing and abrasions with leg chaps.
? As before, chest harnesses and even leg harnesses will increase safety.
? Use fold-up lightweight sports wheel chairs for base camps and that glorious moment at the summit.
? Visit your doctor before your attempt, and bring a medic or nurse to base camp if possible.
? Never summit alone. This is good advice for all mountain climbers.
Above all, remember that the best equipment you can have is perseverance, cheerfulness and determination.
Sport Wheelchairs and "Murderball"
They've been on "Larry King," they've been on Fox News, they've been everywhere. It's the cast and crew of the movie "Murderball," giving hope to quadriplegics and amputees who want to play wheel chair baskteball and do wheel chair racing but need to find another athletic alternative. It's not impossible. As star Andy Cohn says, "Your mind becomes a bigger disability than the physical stuff."
If you can't play regular wheel chair sports, wheelchair rugby and especially quad wheelchair rugby may light your fire after you see the true story of four guys who became disabled and kicked butt everywhere from middle America to Athens, Greece and called their sport "Murderball." Specially designed wheelchairs allowed Mark Zupan and his cohorts to smash each other and go full throttle just like, well, like guys obsessed with sports. And yes, sometimes sport wheelchairs get smashed.
While you may not be able to afford destroying sport wheel chairs in full-contact WWE Smackdown! style, you can still play, participate and get out there. If you're playing quad wheelchair rugby or wheelchair rugby as an amputee, you still need to wear elbows and knee pads. Choose a durable wheelchair such as the Lasher Sport BT-G Tribal or the Hammer by Colours in Motion. Many high-impact sport wheel chairs can also be used for everyday life--hey, anything to get around insurance loopholes.
So let "Murderball" inspire you to play sports and get a new sport wheelchair that will help you reach for your dreams.