Bethel High School senior Travis Rimestad wanted to show his classmates how wheelchair basketball is done.
So the Seattle Jr. Wheelchair Sonics Team made a stop at Bethel High School on Wednesday for a hands-on demonstration. Travis is a member of the team.
The assembly included quick speeches to raise awareness of people with disabilities, but the main event was the basketball. In a pair of mini games, the co-ed Jr. Sonics took on Bethel faculty and then players from the varsity boys and girls basketball teams, who also rode in wheelchairs. The Jr. Sonics trounced the teachers 7-4 and the Braves 14-11 – even though the Braves were spotted a 4-point lead.
“I didn’t expect this much support from everybody,” Travis said after the show. “I’m really happy all my friends and peers got to see what I do on a daily basis.”
The 17-year-old from Spanaway came up with the idea for the assembly last year, and enlisted the help of his school’s associated student body.
Travis was born with arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder marked by contracted joints and muscle weakness. “Basically, I have no muscles in my legs,” he explained.
At age 8, he joined the prep league of the Jr. Sonics and played until he was 13. After a brief hiatus, he returned to the team his junior year.
The Jr. Sonics’ various basketball leagues comprise 40 players of all ages from Western Washington, said Tami English, executive director of Seattle Adaptive Sports, which sponsors the teams.
Since there are few wheelchair basketball teams in the state, the Jr. Sonics travel nationally to compete. This weekend, Travis heads to Salt Lake City, where he’ll play against teams from Los Angeles and Denver.
The game isn’t cheap: The lightweight sports wheelchairs with slanted wheels for speed and better turning can run several thousand dollars. Travis’ travel expenses come out of his family’s pocket. He’s spending $400 on the Salt Lake City tournament alone. “You have to sacrifice a lot,” he said. “Every day, you always try to figure out what you can cut back on.”
His dedication seems to have paid off: Auburn University in Alabama recently gave him an offer to play wheelchair basketball for them on a half-tuition scholarship.
Travis credits his family for their support. His mother, Teena, coaches his team, and his 14-year-old sister, Madison, accompanies him to Saturday practices in Seattle.
Far from a one-sport guy, Travis also does track and field for Bethel High and another team in Seattle. For the last two years, he’s made it to the state championships for Bethel in shotput.
But basketball places first in his heart.
“I just like the camaraderie, the team aspect,” he said. “I have a lot of able-bodied friends in high school, but it’s a cool feeling to be around people who are like you, who know what you’re going through.”
Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426
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