Wheelchair basketball has arrived in Logan, and it’s not just for people with disabilities.
Everyone is welcome to have a go.
Wendy Passfield, a professional national wheelchair basketball player and Logan resident, will coach the sessions running every Tuesday from 10:30 am to 12 pm at Mount Warren Sports and Fitness Centre.
Ms Passfield set up the weekly sessions in Logan because there were no wheelchair sporting games in the area; the closest wheelchair basketball games were in Milton or the Gold Coast.
Although Ms Passfield did commute to games in Milton and the Gold Coast, it came with challenges, most notably the cost.
“You’ve got to pay support to do it, and then you’re paying $1 a kilometer for transport on top of the worker,” she said.
“One game of basketball can cost you hundreds and hundreds of dollars out of your plan.
“I knew then that something needed to change, and I’ve been working probably for the last 14 months or so in trying to make this happen so that I could make it easier for other people.
“They don’t have to do it the hard way that I had to do it.”
Eighteen years ago, while delivering her son via cesarean section, Ms Passfield was dropped from the operating table, which broke her leg. When hospital staff pinned and plated the break, she contracted an infection.
Ms Passfield had both legs amputated over 102 surgeries, as a result of the infection.
“I got into some pretty dark and ugly places during all that, and I needed to find something to get myself out of that spot,” she said.
“I had to try and figure out what it was before my disability that I loved, and it was sport.”
Although Ms Passfield coaches teams in Milton, coaching the sessions in Logan presents different conditions.
“This will be different because I’ll build it from the bottom up. Whereas the one at Milton, there’s me and another coach that do that one.”
“It’s rather exciting that we can get these young beginning groups together.”
The best part of any wheelchair basketball session Ms Passfield participates in is seeing someone achieve something they didn’t think they could.
“That makes everything worthwhile,” she said.
The rules of wheelchair basketball are “incredibly similar to able-bodied basketball,” Ms Passfield said. Wheelchair basketball is played on the same court, with the same net height as able-bodied basketball.
The only “glaring difference” is, when players touch their wheels, they must also dribble the ball at the same time, otherwise it’s considered a travel.
Wheelchair basketball is an inclusive sport and not exclusively for disabled people. Anyone at any skill level can participate.
“Once you’re sitting in a wheelchair, we’re all equal. None of our legs work, so we have a lot of able-bodied people that play,” Ms Passfield said.
“A lot of elderly people or people with bad knees and ankles who want to still participate in sport, but just can’t physically.
“People can bring their support workers or a family member, if that makes them feel more comfortable to get out there and give it a go.”
The biggest barrier to setting up weekly sessions is court availability. Ms Passfield says the current court time, 10:30 am to 12 pm, is not ideal, as full-time workers and kids may not be able to participate.
“I want everybody to be able to come. But to try and get court availability on a weekly basis is very, very hard.”
The upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympics provide hope and an opportunity for more sporting resources to be built in Logan.
Ms Passfield hopes participants in Sporting Wheelies’ programs will have the chance to compete at the 2032 games.
“If we don’t have a program out here, they don’t stand a chance.”
If the sessions continue to have a big attendance turnout, Ms Passfield would like to see the program expand to different sports, like wheelchair cricket.
Playing sport has opened up the whole world, said Ms Passfield. Her passion for sport has landed her a job and a fulfilling career.
In her role, Ms Passfield travels to schools all over South East Queensland with 20 wheelchairs in tow and plays wheelchair basketball with children.
“We’ve got kids that play in Milton, and a lot of them aren’t full-time wheelchair users, but they love the game.
“They fit in, they enjoy it. It would be great to be able to eventually get Logan to a point where we have a couple of sessions.”
The social aspect and health benefits of sport have also been a driving factor for Ms Passfield.
“We find that that’s what the participants enjoy the most is coming and socializing and having a good time with people of similar interests or similar barriers,” she said.
“The ultimate goal is to give everybody who’s disabled a chance to get out in the community, meet people, and do some exercise.”
