Terry Williams may not have made every bucket, but he’s still having a whole lot of fun playing basketball.
Things weren’t so great two years ago following a bad motorcycle accident that placed him in an induced coma.
“I can’t really play stand-up sports, I can’t run anymore. So, it’s a really good option to be able to play another sport,” says Williams.
Williams was able to wake up from his coma and recover and is now one of many success stories on the team, which also includes Ron Van Elswyk, who was in a car wreck when he was 16 years old.
He has played with the Steamers for about seven years now and previously competed in the Men’s Marathon 3 at the 1984 Summer Paralympics.
“Before I was hurt, sports was always my thing. So, it was great to be able to transition into sports in a wheelchair. You get to meet other people with similar disabilities and it’s very helpful in that way,” says Van Elswyk.
The club was founded in the early 1980s and currently has around 25 players on the team coming in from Lethbridge, Taber, Cardston and Raymond.
A community drop-in program is held on Thursday nights in the Fritz Sick Gym at the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. for members to shoot some hoops and help people recognize the sport.
“What’s really important is that we bring awareness in the community for people who maybe don’t know that they could still participate in sport, and they could meet other people who may have similar challenges and differences. And just come out and see what sport is about in a chair,” says Mary Dyck, the manager of the team.
The Steamers will also be competing in the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball B Tournament on Saturday and Sunday with games starting at 9:30 a.m. each day.
For members of the team, the camaraderie is palpable as they gear up for yet another basketball showdown this weekend.
“It’s really good, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” added Williams.
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