I know that’s what I was thinking, until forum user KiwiJenn introduced me to Electric Wheelchair Sports! Jenn, who runs the Invacare boards, is part of the national electric wheelchair sports team, the NZ Powerblacks, who compete in Australia once each year in the National Electric Wheelchair Sports tournament.

Electric wheelchair sports comprise three different games, all modified for power chair users.

• Rugby League: Where players call each others numbers while passing a ‘virtual ball’, and conversions are done by throwing or rolling a tennis ball into a small goal.
• Soccer: Played with a big balloon instead of a hard ball, where players will use anything from their heads to their wheelchair’s armrests to shoot the balloon into the goal!
• Hockey: Played with a lightweight plastic stick and plastic ball, with the stick able to be attached to the player’s footplate if they’re unable to grip the stick securely.

This is such a breath of fresh air to me – I didn’t know this sort of thing even existed! If you’re keen to get involved or get some more info, you can email Jenn or check out her website.

… Or even go chat to her on our forums! ;D