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Youth wheelchair basketball provides opportunities, builds new team in Lancaster

The ultimate goal? To make more adaptive youth sports available in Central Pa.

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A new program in Lancaster County is giving kids the opportunity to play sports. 

The program gives kids the ability to play adaptive sports in Central Pa. It's a new youth program at Spooky Nook to bring exposure to wheelchair basketball and other adaptive sports to kids that may not otherwise have the chance to play. 

This is the first season for the Pa. Lions Youth Wheelchair Basketball team, bringing much-needed exposure to the sport and bringing players out for the first time. 

"I was pretty excited for it because it was a new opportunity for me to get out and do something. It was the first opportunity that I had to do in a wheelchair," said Sara Echogoyen, a Manheim Central junior. 

It's a program that Central Pa. has been lacking, but it's a vision head coach Keith McMinn has always dreamed of starting. 

His daughter, Samantha, was diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy, which limited her from playing sports until the McMinn's found out about wheelchair basketball.  

Now, adaptive sports have opened doors for Samantha. She's currently a college athlete at the University of Arizona. 

"It's amazing to see the kids, once they sit in a chair for the first time that it designed to [be] fast [and is] much more maneuverable. There's this sense of freedom," said McMinn. 

"What adaptive sports teach is independence, teamwork, social skills, friendships that last a lifetime and these are all things we experienced as my daughter grew up," he continued. 

"A lot of kids with disabilities don't have the opportunity to compete with their peers and I think this is a wonderful opportunity for kids to meet other kids with disabilities, to make friends and to support each other," said Janetta Green with the Center for Independent Living of Central Pa. 

It's just like any other winter sport, from November through March the kids compete and just recently played their first game. 

"It was really fun. At first, I was really nervous for it because it was my first game but once I got into the game, I was okay," said Echegoyen. 

Seeing the smiles can brighten anybody's day. 

"Giving them an activity that can motivate them means a lot to me," said assistant coach Tom McNaughton. 

Wheelchair basketball is a first of its kind at Spooky Nook but they aren't stopping there. They want to grow this sport while also having the chance to offer more adaptive sports to kids and teens. 

"Somebody gave me a path and I want to give these kids a path to give them a better outlet for themselves," said McNaughton. "Not just on the court but off the court." 

Next year, the Pa. Lions are looking to enroll two youth basketball teams in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association League with the hopes of competing with other teams on the East Coast. 

Currently, there is an adult rugby team that also plays at the Nook. The Pa. Lions hopes to expand to more sports including; tennis, lacrosse and rugby.

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