Dare to Have a Voice. Your Voice Matters to Plant the Seeds of Hope in this World!
Politics and sports.
These two words have always represented two separate and divergent worlds to me.
That is no longer the case anymore.
June 2-3 was the 15th Annual Dave Kiley DK3 Tournament. An event where players enter as individuals and are sorted into teams of three based on classification, skill level, and experience. It was by far the largest turn out in the history of the event with 54 athletes in attendance. The tournament was organized by NWBA Hall of Famer and U.S. Paralympian Dave “DK” Kiley. It was proudly hosted at the University of Texas at Arlington by head coach of the Movin’ Mavs men’s wheelchair basketball team Doug Garner.
The 15th Annual Dallas DK 3-on-3 is right around the corner. On June 2-3rd, 2018 over 50 athletes are traveling to Dallas, Texas for 2 days of high-level basketball. I thought it might be time to explain the event and how it came to be as DK 3-on-3 and the brand 'DK3.'
15 years ago, my great friend Michael 'Shorty' Powers and his organization Turning Point, asked me to run a basketball event "to be held within the structure of their flagship event, Turning Points, Texas ‘Extravaganza’ (a multi-activity sport participation event)." Some big names we know today were part of the first event: Paul Schulte, Pat Anderson, and Willie Hernandez to name a few. This was the birth place of this annual 3-on-3 event. Thanks Shorty for your vision!
"Shorty" Michael Lewis Powers passed away on June 19th, 2016. You can read Dave Kiley's tribute to "Shorty" here.
There are a few benchmarks that occur in our lives that are significant or monumental. They can sometimes break our hearts or bring us to our knees. There are always those times though that one will remember for a lifetime for the good it has done, not just for the individual, but more importantly for the masses it effects. In this blog, I will attempt to capture such an occurrence.
Congratulations to Lindsey McGlinch, who won the
Spinergy Wheels prize in the Build Your Dream Raffle! We met up with Lindsey to learn more about her and her dreams. Check out her story below:
Lindsey McGlinch is from Greenville, OH. She was injured in a car accident 20 years ago. She is currently working as a school nurse at a public high school.
Just like most PER4MAXers out there, she's an adaptive sports enthusiast and has tried many different sports, but found her passion in wheelchair basketball. She got involved six years ago, when she saw her current team Miami Valley Raptors doing an exhibition game at an expo. "
As soon as their game was over, I went up to them and asked what I had to do to try out for the team.
After my spinal cord injury in 1973 my biggest fear and concern was not getting my legs back. Sounds weird? I was told early on by a hospital acute care aid that I probably would neither be able to have kids nor walk again. He spoke out of turn and my father later had that guy pinned up against the wall for telling me that. Well, I was certainly crushed by the news, like my spinal cord. My foxhole prayer to my God was that if he was going to take my legs, please ‘Lord let me have children!" I prayed this over and over as I laid in my hospital bed at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Southern California. Why I felt that way back then, I’m still not sure. I had a constant vision of being a father, having a beautiful wife and become a parent and yes, even a grandparent at the age of 19. So, after my 4 month stay in prison, aka rehab lol I was turned loose on the world with a new life in front of me. A life I was petrified and uncertain about. In the prison rehab, I was safe and protected. I didn’t want to leave as I had no confidence at all and especially with girls or women.
The University of Alabama played two games on Saturday, December 3rd at the Top End Invitational at Shelton State Community College. The women played the first game at noon against the ABC Medical Crimson Stars. It was an aggressive battle, but the Crimson Stars came out victorious with a 67 to 53 win. At 6, the Alabama men played the Lakeshore Storm in a game that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. After trading baskets for most of the game, the Alabama men ended the game with just a three point lead over the Storm. The final score of the men’s game was 55 to 52.
With this tournament, the University of Alabama is excited to start what will be a new annual tradition from now on.
