PT Senior Makes Her Mark in Wheelchair Basketball By Cathy Yingling Chapelle ’87

BY CATHY YINGLING CHAPELLE ’87

Like her fellow members of the PT class of 2022, senior Amelia Stotts is currently navigating the college admissions process, weighing her options and comparing schools – large vs. small; instate vs. farther away. Like some of her classmates, Amelia is also a top student-athlete pursuing potential scholarships and the opportunity to continue competing at the college level. Her sport? Wheelchair basketball.

Amelia first took up wheelchair basketball as a nine-year-old, when she attended a basketball clinic for kids with disabilities at Butler University. “The varsity coach of my current team was at the camp, and introduced me to the program,” said Amelia. “I started out playing in the Prep division, for kids aged 6-13, and then moved up to the varsity division for 13-18 year-olds.”

Amelia had always been active, and like any true Hoosier had a life-long love of basketball. “I liked to shoot baskets with my dad,” she said. “Wheelchair basketball was the first sport that I could play like everybody else.” Amelia was also drawn to the fact that wheelchair basketball is co-ed. “I’m very competitive, so the fact that I can compete on an even playing field with boys is appealing to me.”

She currently plays for the Racers, a team affiliated with the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI). Her team is among the top junior teams in the nation, part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA); last year, they finished seventh out of 16 teams who were invited to compete in the national wheelchair basketball tournament in Kansas, which follows a similar format to the March Madness college basketball tournament.

Amelia’s fellow PT students were introduced to wheelchair basketball when she was in Middle School. During disability Awareness Week, the adult RHI team visited Park Tudor to put on a wheelchair basketball exhibition. Some of Amelia’s teachers took on the visiting team. “I think it gave them a new appreciation of how difficult and demanding wheelchair basketball can be. I think they were surprised by the speed and physicality.” Since wheelchair basketball athletes can’t use their legs, all the effort comes from their upper body. Amelia regularly does strength training and pushing exercises in her ball chair to stay in shape; during tournaments, she sometimes has to push her chair through 3-4 games in a single day.

There are currently five universities in the nation that have women’s wheelchair basketball programs (compared to nine men’s programs), and they are all large state schools – the University of Arizona, University of Illinois, University of Alabama, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and the University of Texas at Arlington. Amelia recently embarked on recruiting trips to the University of Alabama and the University of Illinois. She’s also looking at other universities that don’t have wheelchair basketball programs. “I could still play on an adult team that’s not affiliated with a university, although it would be challenging due to the travel and distance involved. My dream is to play in college and live in a community with many others who have disabilities.”

Another dream Amelia hasn’t ruled out is to potentially play on the U.S. national wheelchair basketball team, which competes in the Paralympic Games. For now, though, she is focused on her ultimate career goals. “I would like to eventually become a Child Life Specialist – the person who guides children and families through surgeries and hospital stays. I’ve had nine surgeries during my lifetime, and the Child Life Specialists have had a huge impact on me and my parents throughout the process.”

Amelia adds that one of the challenges most wheelchair basketball programs face is funding. “It gets expensive to cover travel and there are other costs,” she said. “It’s not surprising that it’s mostly large universities that have the money to fund a wheelchair basketball program; still, the amount of funding pales in comparison to standup basketball.” The more adaptive programs there are, the more opportunities for people with disabilities to compete in sports like their able-bodied peers.

If you would like to see Amelia and her team in action, the Racers are hosting the Midwest Conference Tournament March 5-6 at Best Choice Fieldhouse in Fishers, IN. To learn more about the adaptive sports programs affiliated with the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, visit rhirehab.com. Through their foundation, you can specifically support Amelia’s wheelchair basketball team by indicating “Varsity Racers” on your donation.