There are many familiar sounds of a basketball practice going on in the gym.
The ball bouncing, teammates calling for a pass, shots hitting the rim, shots swishing through nothing but net.
But in this practice, the background to that soundtrack is different. Instead of sneakers squeaking, there are wheels humming. And instead of the occasional body hitting the floor, there's the clanging of metal frames against each other.
That's because this is a Penn State Ability Athletics wheelchair basketball practice, one of the best-kept secrets on this vast campus. It's not quite open run at the IM Building, but the 90-minute sessions each Wednesday evening at the White Building are a mix of students and community members, both wheelchair-bound and fully able, with a sprinkle of Paralympic athletes thrown in for good measure.
Teri Jordan oversees the practices and coaches the Penn State Ability Athletics program, which provides additional opportunities for disabled athletes in track and field, swimming, and weightlifting. Jordan coached women's track and field for 23 years, including 15 at Penn State, and has continued her involvement in the sport as disabilities recreation coordinator.
She started the wheelchair program in 1999 after transitioning into her current role. And while it hasn't morphed into the traveling, competitive team it was originally intended to be, it has become something else: a place where anyone can strap into a chair and shoot some hoops.
And there's plenty of variety to the cast rolling up and down the court in Jordan's wheelchairs.
There's Jake Schrom (junior-landscape contracting), who lost his right leg in the summer of 2008 when the brakes in the dump truck he was driving failed. Since arriving at University Park in January, Schrom, 21, has embraced the Ability Athletics program and competes in powerlifting and discus. He is aiming to qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games.
But for Schrom, the basketball program is a chance for the members of the wheelchair community to get together in a stress-free environment.
"It's just more of a thing to do for fun, to sort of reach out to other people with disabilities," he said. "You kind of get a little bit of freedom to move around quickly. You're playing with other people that have disabilities, too, so you kind of forget about your own circumstances."
There's Royal Mitchell, a 26-year-old two-time gold medalist in the 400 meters at the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games. Mitchell, who is legally blind because of severe nearsightedness, has the easy confidence and smooth gait of a top athlete. He's posted times of 49.55 seconds in the 400-meter race and 10.98 in the 100-meter dash. Despite the full use of his legs, Mitchell is happy to grab a chair and hit the court once a week.
There's Maggie Redden, Class of 2007, who won a silver medal at the 2007 Parapan American Games in 100- and 200-meter wheelchair racing and joined Mitchell on the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team. Redden came down with polio when she was just 1 year old and subsequently lost the use of both legs. She now works in Penn State Athletic Communications and continues to train for competition.
But the Paralympic athletes aren't the only regulars here. Jordan routinely encourages participation in the program to the able-bodied students taking Recreation, Park and Tourism Management 236 (Leadership and Group Dynamics in Recreation Services). The class includes an out-of-classroom service requirement that can be fulfilled by helping Jordan at the Wednesday night sessions.
And while there are plenty of students who leave after completing the service hours, there are a healthy number who keep coming back for more.
"It's just fun. Playing basketball -- it's a good group of guys we have out here," Adam Fisher (junior-recreation, park and tourism management) said. "I'm good friends with some of them. It's not that big of a time commitment, either. We only play for an hour and a half, once a week, and they enjoy it too, to have more people come out."
Fisher, who has been playing wheelchair ball for more than a year since being introduced to the program through the leadership class, was cited by Jordan as one of the able-bodied students who's been a "blessing" to the Ability Athletics program.
Jordan, who is constantly striving to improve the funding and visibility of disabled sports, said she was initially surprised by the amount of able-bodied students who kept coming back to help her out. But not anymore.
"Penn State's a special place," she said. "It brings people together. I'm very blessed to have all these people come together and want to help others."
