For people with disabilities, adaptive sports serve as a source of fitness, friendship, and fun.
Jeni Rummelt, a lifelong athlete, enjoys immersing herself in West Michigan's adaptive sports community. With her decade of experience owning and operating a fitness center, Rummelt believes in staying active and building relationships in a supportive environment.
Basketball played a big part in Rummelt's childhood. Returning to the sport as an adult wheelchair user, playing on a highly competitive all-women's team, has represented both a return to an old love and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in life for Rummelt.
"I focus on what we get to do, not what we can't do," she says. "It's a blessing to play this game."
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The Mary Free Bed women's wheelchair basketball team
Rummelt's journey
In 2001, Rummelt was involved in a severe car accident, which resulted in a permanent spinal cord injury.
After the crash, Rummelt spent 10 days recovering at a hospital in Iowa, followed by seven weeks at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since her initial hospitalization, she has continued physical therapy to strengthen her upper body and prevent further injuries.
Although Rummelt's life changed in an instant, she felt determined to make the most of her situation. "I asked myself, 'What can you get back that you didn't have before?’" she says. "How can I make this a positive?"
One answer turned out to be wheelchair basketball.
In 2016, two male wheelchair basketball players were looking for athletes to join a coed league. It was only a short time before they found an enthusiastic recruit.
"Wheelchair basketball looked so intense, so I was not sure about it at first," says Rummelt. "The guys said, ‘Come out and play with us at least three times. If you don't like it, you don't have to keep coming back.’ Of course, I fell in love with it."
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In December 2022, the Mary Free Bed women’s wheelchair basketball team joined its first tournament, playing against coed teams before advancing to women-only tournaments.
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The wheelchair basketball league is part of Mary Free Bed's adaptive sports program. Wheelchair users can participate in softball, soccer, fencing, hand cycling, swimming, tennis, and rugby.
Playing for Mary Free Bed
Today, Rummelt plays on the Mary Free Bed women's wheelchair basketball team. Female athletes from a wide range of wheelchair sports joined Rummelt to form the group. Twelve women ranging in age from 15 to 60 play for Mary Free Bed. Some players were born with a disability, while others experienced a physical injury or disease.
In December 2022, the Mary Free Bed women’s team joined its first tournament, playing against coed teams before advancing to women-only tournaments.
The players’ most recent competition, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Tournament (NWBA), occurred from April 21–23, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama. Thirteen women's teams participated in NWBA.
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The Mary Free Bed women's wheelchair basketball team competed most recently in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Tournament (NWBA), April 21–23 in Birmingham, Alabama. Thirteen women's teams participated in NWBA.
Wheelchair basketball is a highly physical sport, with players often bumping into one another and sometimes flipping their chairs. Yet the players love the thrill of getting a shot at the basket and scoring points.
"Some players have experience, but for others, it's their first time coming out, and there is a lot to learn," says Rummelt. "The tournaments are a great opportunity to stay involved, and younger girls have a chance to become Paralympians. It would be great if we could produce some here."
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Both junior and adult leagues participate in the adaptive sports program. Youth with diagnoses ranging from spina bifida to multiple sclerosis can take classes, learn new skills, and connect with peers and mentors.
Junior and adult leagues
The wheelchair basketball league is part of Mary Free Bed's adaptive sports program.
Wheelchair users can participate in softball, soccer, fencing, hand cycling, swimming, tennis, and rugby. Teams enjoy using Mary Free Bed's space for practice, and clinics teach specialized athletic activities, such as scuba diving and kayaking.
Both junior and adult leagues participate in the adaptive sports program. Youth with diagnoses ranging from spina bifida to multiple sclerosis can take classes, learn new skills, and connect with peers and mentors.
Engaging young people in athletic activity from a young age matters to Rummelt. As a single mother, Rummelt worked to keep her kids moving, and she coached Mary Free Bed's coed prep wheelchair basketball team for three years.
"If I don't focus on my health, life becomes much harder," says Rummelt. "It's important to share this idea with young kids and focus on pouring into them. It's great to see kids take their first shot and say, 'I want to get a medal. You told me I could do it.'"
This article is a part of the year-long series Disability Inclusion, exploring the state of West Michigan’s growing disability community. The series is made possible through a partnership with Centers for Independent Living organizations across West Michigan.