DuBois Courier-Express/Tri-County Sunday, March 29, 1998
By ERIN L. NAPPE
Tri-County Sunday writer
ST. MARYS - You might say they’re on a roll.
The Allegheny Mountain Rollin’ Thunder wheelchair basketball team proved itself to be a contender by placing second in the Harmarville Hoops Classic 3-on-3 Tournament on June 5.
Team founder and Executive Director of Life and Independence for Today (LIFT) Bob Mecca said the team was very happy with their performance in the tournament.
“It was the first trophy we ever got!” he said.
Mecca discovered wheelchair basketball while attending college in Johnstown. When he returned to St. Marys in 1990, he couldn’t find a similar outlet available for people with disabilities. He founded the team, and joined the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) a year later.
The NWBA is a competitive league that spans the country. The Rollin’ Thunder belongs to the Keystone Conference
Mecca said the team will play 20 regular season games this year, plus two tournaments. The team will be competing against teams from Erie, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Buffalo, Rochester, and Edinboro.
There are four “official” members on the team, including LIFT Executive Secretary Cathy Lenze. Lenze, who does not have a disability, has to be specially voted in by the league to be permitted to play.
Mecca said there are six people who come to practice regularly, but two of those players are not yet classified by the NWBA.
Players in the NWBA are broken into three classes. Class 1 players are those with quadriplegia or high level paraplegia. Class 2 players are those with low level paraplegia, and Class 3 players include amputees and low level paraplegics with use of their stomach muscles.
Mecca said the reason for the classifications is so that a team can’t “load up” with Class 3 players and gain an unfair advantage.
Right now, no classification exists for able-bodied players like Lenze, but Mecca said there has been talk of creating one. She is considered a Class 3 player.
“I would like to see it implemented, because we’re so rural,” Mecca said. The location of St. Marys makes it difficult for the team to find participants.
The team doesn’t have any tryouts specifically planned, but they are always looking for new players.
“If we had two more players, we’d be set,” Mecca said.
The Rollin’ Thunder recently held two fundraising events, at the Laurel Festival in Brookville and the Groundhog Festival in Punxsutawney. The team played games against teams of able-bodied people using wheelchairs.
Mecca said the events also served as awareness programs.
“The guys from Punxsy were really good,” he said. “We taught them too well!”
Mecca said games are played by regular college basketball rules, except for four main differences.
The traveling rule is different than in regular basketball. Players are allowed to push twice with their wheels, dribble once, then pass or shoot the ball.
When shooting a three-point or foul shot, the front wheels of the chair can be over the line. The back wheels must be behind the line.
There is an “unfair advantage rule.” The front wheels of the chair cannot leave the ground, players’ feet may not touch the ground, and players may not lift their bottom out of the seat.
Players are also allowed four seconds in the key instead of three.
He said the chair is also considered a part of the player’s body. Illegal contact calls are left to the discretion of the referee.
Mecca said the fundraising events were good experiences for everyone involved.
The group sold 50-50 tickets to raise some money, and also received some donations. The cost of running the program varies, but it requires a minimum of $5,000 per year for travel expenses. The cost is higher if the team has to buy additional wheelchairs.
Mecca said the team’s biggest problem is getting people to come to practice.
“Once you practice with the team one time, you’re hooked,” he said.
Next week, Mecca will be attending the Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball Academy. He said attending the academy is an honor, since there are only 25 participants accepted each year. The academy is put on by the coaches of the United States Wheelchair Basketball Team.
“I had to go through six weeks of training just to go.” he said.
Mecca said the trip will cost him around $1,000, but he has collected $750 from sponsors.
Mecca and Lenze said they would like to see some more people out at their home games this fall. The season begins Sept. 25. All the home games are played at South St. Marys Street Elementary School, and admission is free.
Through the summer, the team practices at Memorial Park.
Practices are held every Friday night from 5-8, and Mecca said anyone is welcome. He encourages anyone with a lower limb disability such as spina bifida, amputation, spinal cord injury, hip or knee replacement, or any other disability preventing them from participating in regular basketball to join the team.
“It’s addicting,” he said. “If you don’t try it, you’re depriving yourself of a great opportunity.”