‘Everyone’s invited’: Why inclusive sport can benefit everyone
If you think wheelchair basketball is exclusively for people with disabilities, you’re wrong. Find out why Townsville’s SunCity Wheelers founder Byron Holman wants everyone to try it out.
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Just one year since the inception of SunCity Wheelers Townsville, founder Byron Holman is on a mission to bring the sport to the fore as the club prepares to host its first major tournament.
SunCity Wheelers will host its first tournament, Hoops in the Tropics, on April 6 with plans to make it a recurring annual event.
Holman wants to spread the word that there are sports designed for people with disabilities that are also welcome to all ages and abilities.
“Basically what we’re trying to do is to have everyone enjoy something different, it’s a little bit of a twist on normal basketball because everyone can put their bum in a chair and roll around,” Holman said.
“Instead of running around a basketball court, everyone can get involved whether it’s a disabled participant or not. We’re just trying to show the community that it is an option.
“Everyone’s invited, everyone’s included and reverse-inclusion is our mantra to try and move forward.
“No matter who you are, what you believe in, where you come from, it doesn’t matter. We’re all people and we all deserve to come enjoy basketball.”
Hoops in the Tropics is set to welcome teams from the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast and Queensland state teams, with players from Cairns also planning a trip down the Bruce Highway to attend.
Holman said wheelchair basketball was a great sport for both physical and mental health outcomes.
“This sport can help with your physical health but also your mental health and that’s really important,” Holman said.
“One of our main goals is we want people, whether they’re having a great life at the moment or not, we want them to be able to look forward to something.
“Whether they take it as a competitive session or a social session, it’s about improving those different kinds of health, whether it’s your social, emotional or physical health.
“We’re obviously a non-for-profit so we’re trying to get a bit more sponsorship to help better our sessions and grow our community.”
People interested in getting involved with wheelchair basketball can contact SunCity Wheelers on Facebook.
Originally published as ‘Everyone’s invited’: Why inclusive sport can benefit everyone
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