Wheelchairs are not just for getting around anymore. A growing army of wheelchair users—old and young, the newly injured and those with congenital defects—are engaging in a wide variety of sports.

Though the old standby, wheelchair basketball, continues to be the most popular of the adaptive sports, it has been joined by a long list of new activities from table tennis to golf to rugby.

As adaptive sports become more popular with wheelchair users, they will present HME dealers with new revenue source opportunities. However, those with dreams of making a killing in the adaptive sports market should be forewarned—there are few dealer networks and many of the athletes work directly with the wheelchair manufacturers to acquire their equipment, says Ann Greer, co-owner of Rehab Dimensions, St Marys, WVa, and a sponsor of Challenged Athletes of West Virginia.

Being involved in the adaptive sports market by, for example, cosponsoring a team is a way to indirectly market one’s business. And though these athletes might not buy a racing chair from a dealer, there may be other products and services they may need. It is a relationship that can be started at an early age.

“For the rest of their lives, those kids are going to be consumers,” says Ron Lykins, director of training for the American Association of Adapted Sports, Atlanta, an adaptive sports program for children and young adults. “Being involved with the program is a great way to get to know the parents and the kids. [If dealers] continue to provide quality service and quality products for these children when they are young, when the kids are grown up, they will continue to use them. Even if they do not compete in sports [as adults], they will still need everyday equipment.”

The business benefits of following the course of sponsorship are not just financial. Goodwill is also generated. “It certainly does get your name out there, and people see that you are giving back,” Greer says.

There are many sports to become involved with. Consider the following six options:

Basketball: The Original
History: Basketball is the granddaddy of wheelchair sports. Its first participants were World War II veterans who were given basketballs to aid in rehabilitation. After being discharged, many of these veterans continued playing, forming the nucleus of the first teams and leagues.

Cool Facts: Wheelchair basketball is the most popular of adaptive sports worldwide. There are teams for both men and women, and it is the keystone event of the Paralympics, which are held in conjunction with the Olympic games. The wheelchair is considered part of the player’s body and fouls are called for contact between players’ chairs. As in the able-bodied version of the game, height is a factor. Some players raise their seat to the maximum 21-inch setting to have a height advantage, though this can affect their center of gravity. Other players opt for lower chairs and the accompanying speed advantage.

Nuts and Bolts: Wheelchair basketball is governed under the same rules as the able-bodied version of the game, and is regulated by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. There are several divisions, which have different rules. Division I teams follow National Basketball Association (NBA) rules, and Division II, III, and women’s teams follow National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, though certain rules have been adapted to take the wheelchair into account. For example, players are allowed only two pushes of their chair without dribbling the ball. A player must have a permanent lower extremity disability in order to play. All chairs must be manual chairs, which resemble everyday chairs except they have a rigid frame, do not have brakes, can have a fifth wheel, and the back wheels are cambered out.

Track and Field: Rolling to Victory
Cool Facts: All track and field events, except those involving jumping, are open to wheelchair athletes. Many of the events can be performed in a standard wheelchair. Several of the field events, such as the discus, which is made of lightweight foam material, use adapted equipment in addition to wheelchairs.

Nuts and Bolts: Racing events such as the 100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter follow the same rules as running events, requiring racers to stay in their lanes for most of the race. The wheelchairs for these events have little resemblance to standard wheelchairs, having only three wheels and looking more like a stripped down dragster than a wheelchair. The back wheels are cambered, and the chair is custom fitted to the athlete, giving it an aerodynamic performance not found in other sports. Lykins says that racers do not need a racing chair, but this will put them at a serious disadvantage when competing against the stripped down racing platforms.

Soccer: Passing Skills
Cool Facts: At the American Association of Adapted Sports, soccer is the first sport introduced to the kids in its program, because, explains Lykins, if a kid gets hit with a ball, it does not hurt, and because soccer has a skill-building function. In soccer, players are allowed to move the ball with their feet, head, or hands. Unlike basketball, some chair contact is allowed, but, Lykins says, the emphasis of the game is to develop chair-handling skills and finesse. Teams can comprise players in both manual and power chairs, but players must be able to move independently.

Nuts and Bolts: Wheelchair soccer is played on a smooth surface, usually a gym floor, and follows essentially the same rules as able-bodied soccer with the exception that players can use their hands to pass the ball—usually a lighter volleyball instead of the heavier regulation soccer ball. The soccer goals are the same size as the able-bodied version of the game. The manual chair for soccer is the same as the one used in basketball.

Skiing: Mountain High
Cool Facts: Equipment choice is based entirely on ability and personality instead of rules. Instead of ski poles, outriggers are used. These are adapted forearm crutches with ski tips mounted to the bottom. They help to give the skiers stability and aid in turning.

Nuts and Bolts: Skiers have at least four options of equipment. The three-track option is used by skiers who have one sound leg and two sound arms—usually single leg amputees. The three-track skier uses one ski and two outriggers. The four-track option most resembles nonadaptive skiing. It is ideal for individuals who walk with canes or crutches. The four-track skier wears regular skis and uses outriggers for stability and turning. The bi-ski is for those who must ski in the seated position. The skier sits on a specially molded shell above two skis placed far apart, making it fairly stable. The mono-ski is also for those who must ski in a seated position, but have good upper body control. Like the bi-ski, the skier sits in a specially molded shell mounted above a single ski. Outriggers are used in both cases for steering and stability.

Softball: Hitting a Home Run
History: Wheelchair softball was started in 1975 in the Midwest. The National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA) was founded in 1976 and acts as the sport’s governing body.

Cool Facts: Several major league baseball (MLB) teams including the New York Mets, the Minnesota Twins, and the Colorado Rockies sponsor softball teams. These MLB-sponsored teams wear official league uniforms and play under their professional sponsor’s logo. The NWSA hosts a national tournament annually.

Nuts and Bolts: Softball is played on paved surfaces such as parking lots. Teams follow the official rules of the 16-inch slow pitch softball game as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with 15 exceptions geared to players in wheelchairs. Like basketball, the wheelchair—which is usually low to the ground and highly mobile—is considered a part of the player’s body. “Sliding” is achieved by stretching out from the chair and reaching for bases. Players typically wield the softball bat in one hand. The ball is a 16-inch softball, which allows players to catch one-handed without a glove, and keep their other hand on their wheelchair.

Rugby: Full Contact Mayhem
History: Quad rugby originated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1980, and was brought to the United States in 1981 by Brad Mikkelson. The first US team was organized at the University of North Dakota by its Disabled Students Services. The several dozen teams in existence now all compete for the US national trophy—the Mikkelson Cup. The sport is also played internationally and was added to the Paralympics in 1996.

Cool Facts: Only quadriplegics can take part in organized rugby. “They’re crazy—how do you think they ended up with broken necks and became quadriplegics?” says Mike Guilbault, sports and recreation director for the New England Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America, and a former quad rugby player. “If you were into hockey or physical activity before you got hurt, [even though] you got hurt, you’re still into the same things.”

Because of the game’s player classification system, men and women can compete with each other. Quad rugby is also nicknamed “murder ball,” because it allows full contact as in able-bodied rugby with players occasionally being tipped over or separated from their chairs. If that occurs, play is stopped while the player is righted. The only part of the body that is allowed to touch the floor is the four wheels of the player’s chair.

Nuts and Bolts: Teams consist of four players who are classified as to their abilities on a scale ranging from 0.5—the most impairment—to 3.5—the least impairment. The sum of the impairments of the four players cannot exceed 8.0. Manual wheelchairs are used, which can be no higher than 53 cm, and are equipped with antitipping and bumper devices that allow players to crash into each other without getting hurt. The ball used is a solid white volleyball, and the object is to cross the goal line with it. The game is typically played on a basketball court.

Donated photography credits by sport:
Basketball: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association
Track and Field: The American Association of Adapted Sports™ Programs Inc
Skiing: Robert Gailey
Soccer: The American Association of Adapted Sports™ Programs Inc
Softball and Rugby: Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association