GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — March Madness recently wrapped up, but it wasn’t just the NCAA who was competing. Mary Free Bed had two teams qualify for the Junior Wheelchair Basketball National Championship this weekend.
“It was incredible,” said Molly McKinney, Mary Free Bed sports coordinator, describing what it was like for their teams to compete in the national championship. “It just felt bigger than what they had experienced in the past.”
Mary Free Bed had two teams qualify for this year’s tournament, which was held in Richmond, Virginia. The Junior Pacers Varsity team and the Junior Pacers Prep team is made up of 16 athletes ages 7–18 with various physical disabilities.
“Actually, my little brother came and was watching some of the games and he was really surprised at how much hitting that was happening and asking all sorts of different rules that were related to basketball. So, it was ... it just fast and fierce and very exciting to watch,” said McKinney.
Unfortunately, the teams did not win their divisions. The Junior Pacers Prep team finished sixth and the Junior Pacers Varsity Team finished fourth. McKinney says the competition was fierce among the 48 teams that qualified. She is proud of all their hard work and determination, saying the teams left everything on the court.
“The thing that I love the most about our program is giving the opportunity for people to have sports movements and that camaraderie that you get from sports," McKinney says. "I just absolutely love that we can bring sport and movement to people who might not necessarily think that they would have that opportunity.”
The Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports Program is one of the largest of its kind in the United States, offering recreational opportunities to hundreds of people with disabilities of all ages.
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