A Community Collaboration Between IU Health and St. Vincent Health
Wheelchair tennis is played on a standard tennis court and has all the same rules of able-bodied tennis with the exception that the wheelchair tennis athletes are allowed two bounces instead of one. Also, since the wheelchair is considered part of the athlete’s body, rules applying to the body are applied to the chair as well.
For additional information about wheelchair tennis, please check out these websites:
For additional information about Wheelchair Tennis United States Tennis Association
Wheelchair basketball is a sport that is played by athletes with spinal cord injuries and/or a variety of other disabilities ranging from amputees to cerebral palsy. RHI Sports currently has three wheelchair basketball teams for different age groups.
Many of the same rules and scoring of able-bodied basketball apply. The sports maintain a 10-foot basketball hoop for players 13 and up and standard basketball court. The exceptions to these rules have been adapted and modified with the consideration of the wheelchair.
All teams which compete above a recreational level use a classification system to evaluate the functional abilities of players on the court at one time. For more information about the sport of wheelchair basketball please check out the following websites:
For additional information about Wheelchair Basketball National Wheelchair Basketball Association
Track events included distance, relay and marathon races. Field events include shot-put, discus, javelin and pentathlon.
There are certain adaptations to different events to accommodate certain disabilities. For example, guide runners are usually attached to the visually impaired runner’s wrist, and for participants with spinal cord injuries and other lower extremity impairments, specialized racing chairs are used, along with throwing chairs for the field events. All athletes are classified according to level of injury. For additional information about track and field please take a look at the following websites:
For additional information about Track and Field Wheelchair Track and Field
Wheelchair racing is one of the oldest most distinguished wheelchair sports. Wheelchair racing can be anything from your typical track events, 5K/10K road races, mini marathons, marathons and triathlons. Marathon Racing is a competitive sport facilitated by RHI that is excellent for enhancing physical fitness, increasing social networks, and decreasing feelings of isolation.
Racing chairs are designed to be lightweight with precise dimensions for the most absolute aerodynamic design. Positioning of the body in the chair heavily depends on the level of injury and type of disability. Kneeling positions are optimal but generally only suited for those who have greater core strength and flexibility. However, leaving your feet forward resting them on a strap can work for almost anyone on the track.
The RHI Indy Brawlers Quad Rugby team, is made up of competitive and intense physically active athletes. Rubgy was first developed in Canada for quadriplegic athletes and was commonly known as ‘murderball’ because of its extreme physical nature.
Quad rugby is played indoors on a full length basketball court with 4 eight minute quarters. The object of the game is to score points by carrying the ball across the opponent’s goal line. One goal equals one point. A volleyball is used and it must be bounced or passed from teammate to teammate at least one time every 10 seconds during a play.
A classification system is used, just as in wheelchair basketball, to manage the functional abilities of the four players on the court at a time.
For additional information about quad rugby check out the following websites:
For additional information about Quad Rugby U.S. Paralympics