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TULSA, Okla. (AP) — As a young child, Kirstie VanBecelaere would sit outside and dribble a basketball for hours.
Her older brother played football and her older sister was in pom, and she would go and watch her siblings compete.
"I've always loved sports and wanted to find one I loved as much as they loved theirs," she said.
VanBecelaere was born with spina bifida and has feeling only above her knees; she relies mostly on forearm crutches to help her get around.
When she was 10, her mother enrolled her in the wheelchair athletics program at the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. Over the past seven years she has excelled in sports, which have become a big part of her life.
"It's definitely made me stronger, both in confidence and physical strength," she said. "I think that without it, I'd be sitting at home watching TV and not be as active as I am today."
The junior wheelchair athletics program at the center features basketball, track and field and other Paralympic sports such as archery, bocce ball and tennis.
Participants play in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Last season, the team finished 10th in the national competition, said Bradley Forbes, junior wheelchair sports coordinator.
The center is looking for new members for its junior sports program.
"One big thing people don't realize is that you don't have to be wheelchair bound. You just have to have a lower extremity disability that's permanent," Forbes said.
That includes irreversible lower extremity disabilities such as paralysis, amputation, or radiological evidence of limb shortening; partial to full ankyloses, or joint replacement, which consistently interferes with mobility.
"Don't say 'I can't do it' without trying," Forbes said. "Kids can grow in these sports if they really want to."
Participants also have to be able to follow directions, push their chair around and be able to play competitively.
The center provides sports wheelchairs, uniforms and entry fees. The largest cost to participants is travel expenses, Forbes said.
"This is a way for anyone who wants to get involved to have fun," Forbes said.
Participants must be age 6 through senior year of high school.
Improved health is one of the biggest benefits from participating in wheelchair sports, Forbes said.
"If you sit and are sedentary, you can end up with pressure sores. If you want your kids to have good health, get them moving," he said, adding that participants form strong friendships and learn life skills.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
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