Samona Combs
Today's fascination with hip-hop culture has rims spinning everywhere, including basketball courts.
However, the rims in the Main Sports Arena at the Michigan State University Intramural West Building on April 21st weren't spinning to keep up with the joneses; instead they were moving to raise money for a good cause.
The Wheelchair Sports Challenge is an athletic event that allowed wheelchair hockey and basketball teams Michigan Mustangs and the Michigan Thunderbirds to face off against MSU varsity athletes. Proceeds from concession and ticket sales were divided between the Mustangs and Adapted Sports Festival.
Although the event benefited these two groups, Virginia Walker, Specialist for the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) and Student-Athletic Support Services (SASS), said the sports challenge benefited the community and RCPD as well.
"It uplifts the community and the students that RCPD serves by providing an inclusive environment and sports and recreational experiences that promote awareness, education, sportsmanship, friendly competition, networking opportunities, and extends to all abilities and age groups, " said Walker.
Walker said she hoped these things would come across to those that attended the sports challenge, allowing them to come away from the event excited, amazed, and interested in adapted sports.
The event had several sponsors, including the student-run Brain Injury Group (BIG), RCPD, SASS, ASMSU, the Council for Students with Disabilities, and Wright & Filippis to name a few.
John Pedraza, Resource Coordinator for Employees for RCPD, explained the event was so successful that the center hopes to sponsor similar events in the future.
"This was the first year we had something like this, and we thought it went well. We are thinking about making this an annual event," said Pedraza.
Wheelchair rims on the MSU campus will be waiting anxiously with anticipation to find out when their next match will be.