- Maybe 10 years ago, it was a little difficult, but it's been a lot easier, I think, for quite a lot of people, in at least around Grand Rapids, to find sports teams, like adaptive sports teams.

- Yeah, so we have kind of a wide variety, something for everybody.

We have right around 14 competitive sports teams that run all year round.

So right now we're in wheelchair rugby, power soccer, wheelchair basketball.

- I encourage anybody, I mean there's, you know, lots of different disabilities, and different functional levels of what people are able to do, and there's generally a sport that will allow them to do that.

Quad rugby is for quads.

You know, there's other sports that are more functional for somebody with, you know, a single amputation, or somebody that's a para, or different levels of different sports of things that people can do.

- I was originally looking for a sport to, you know, play, kind of do something to participate in my free time.

We found this while we were looking, and it was something that piqued my interest.

I would say when we like do a team goal, where we kind of keep passing the ball around to finally get one in, it's always fun, 'cause it's a bunch of teamwork, and kinda shows our dedication, and how much time we put in.

- We have offerings for youth all the way up through adulthood.

So I know patients that have, I saw them when they were six, and now they're, you know, an adult, and they're still part of our sports program.

So it's really fun to be a part of people's lives like that.

But just to see how much sport gives them, how much they get out of it, the comradery, the, you know, learning how to travel, just all kind of the secondary things to being part of a team and a family.

- You know, the team dynamics has an impact across the board, and there's no reason that me, with a disability, shouldn't be able to do that, just like somebody else, you know, wanting to get out and play basketball or whatever.

- Being a team, working as a team, working with other people who also have disabilities, like inclusive, yeah, we all feel included.

- I always tell people that, you know, I think our team needs players, but I think more importantly rugby can make a difference in people's lives more than they can have an impact on that team.

(gentle music) - The world of adaptive sports has seen an incredible rise over the past few decades, with more opportunities now than ever before for people of all abilities to get involved.

And West Michigan holds an important space in this greater movement.

Today on "Mutually Inclusive," we take a look at some of the athletes and programs that make Grand Rapids one of the top adaptive sports communities here in the Midwest.

(gentle music) Michigan has seen a rise in its inclusive sports scene over the years, with Move United ranking the Mitten as one of the top 10 states for adaptive sports nationwide.

And Grand Rapids, in particular, has become a hotspot for athletic opportunities, playing host to a myriad of national events, most recently being tapped to hold the Hartford Nationals in 2025 and 2026, the longest running and largest national sports championship event for athletes with disabilities.

And much of the area's growth and success is built upon local organizations who are working within their communities to elevate a platform where athletes of all backgrounds can gather, compete, and thrive.

- Yeah, so we have kind of a wide variety, something for everybody.

We have right around 14 competitive sports teams that run all year round.

So right now we're in wheelchair rugby, power soccer, wheelchair basketball.

In the summer, we do wheelchair lacrosse, wheelchair softball, hand cycling, of course, and all the races that they do.

And then we also do classes and clinics.

- [Kylie] Christy VanHaver is a recreational therapist in Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital's Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports department.

The West Michigan organization was named one of the top-10 rehab hospitals in the nation.

And over the past decade, it's helped bring a myriad of sporting opportunities to the community.

- It's been about 12 years now we've been under Mary Free Bed.

Before then, it was Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association, and they really needed a vehicle to get referrals to be able to have the, you know, the fundraising to be able to grow and offer more of what the community was asking for.

And so that just worked well to come under Mary Free Bed, as a non-profit hospital, be able to have the continuum of patients that go inpatient, outpatient, and then they get involved in our sports, or classes and clinics, and they're with us for a lifetime.

So it was just kind of a natural thing.

And we've grown exponentially, you know, from three or four sports to 14.

Where competitive sports teams are mostly geared to people with only physical disabilities, our classes and clinics are for anybody.

So we see people with autism, people with cerebral palsy, people who have cognitive disabilities, as well as physical disabilities.

And we really meet them where they are when they come to a clinic.

So they might come to an adaptive sailing clinic, a water ski clinic.

We have a scuba clinic happening this fall that's already full.

We have rock climbing, you know, you name it.

And so, you know, wherever they are, whether it's like rock climbing, and they can climb on their own, or we need to dependently lift them up the wall for them to have that up high experience, so just kind of adapt as they come.

We also have clinics that have turned into class series.

So we had a yoga, adaptive yoga clinic.

It was really popular.

Now we do an adaptive yoga class, like would be normal in able-bodied leisure.

We have a functional fitness class, so kind of like CrossFit, you can't use the branded CrossFit name, but we do functional fitness.

And we've even paired it down more, and we have functional fitness for people who are blind and visually impaired.

So our instructor specifically explains things in a way, if I didn't have my vision to watch the instructor, I would be able to follow the verbal commands and do the exercises.

We really respond pretty well to, you know, this is what the community is asking for.

- [Kylie] And along with increasing numbers of sports offerings comes a rapidly-growing network of athletes, each bringing their own experiences, skills, and teamwork to the table.

- We have offerings for youth, all the way up through adulthood, you know, so I've been at Mary Free Bed about 30 years, so I know patients that I saw them when they were six, and now they're, you know, an adult, and they're still part of our sports program.

You know, they were eight, and now they're very successful business people.

They're husbands, they're parents, you know, and they're still part of our basketball program.

So it's really fun to be a part of people's lives like that.

But to just see how much sport gives them, how much they get out of it, the comradery, the, you know, learning how to travel, just all kind of the secondary things to being part of a team and a family.

We have players that just like to come to practice, just to belong, and be part of, you know, the Mary Free Bed family, all the way up to being a part of the Paralympics.

I'll highlight Kate Brim, Kate Brim is from Lowell, so small town, small farming community.

She went all the way through the system, from being referred to Mary Free Bed as an inpatient, outpatient, got into actually rugby.

She's a wicked good rugby player.

Then got into hand cycling, won the Amway River Bank Run in the female division, and went out to Colorado Springs.

She's still out there training in the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.

Went to her first Olympics in Paris, won gold in the time trial, and gold in the team relay, and then two weeks later went to Worlds.

So she's just wicked fast.

She really kind of, you know, cruised up the ladder really quickly to success.

And those are kind of like our bright and shiny, you know, stories that we have, but we have so many amazing stories even in between.

- And one of those stories starts with Nick Long, a coach and player on Mary Free Bed's wheelchair rugby team, The Thunder.

So let's start with just a bit about your background.

How did you get connected with Mary Free Bed and the rugby team?

- Well, it's a long story, 'cause I was injured 22 years ago.

I was in a diving accident, so I'm a cervical level injury, I'm a quad.

I came to my inpatient at Mary Free Bed, you know, spent a couple months at Mary Free Bed, you know.

Then my home is near Essexville, or Bay City, the other side of the state.

But right away when I first got injured, a friend of mine, you know, said, "Oh, you should be trying some different things."

We tried, one of the things I tried was wheelchair rugby.

And so that's how I started playing this sport.

(athletes chattering) I tried a lot of things.

When I first got injured, I tried wheelchair tennis, I tried hand cycling, I tried rugby, I tried basketball, and I tried a bunch of different activities, and found the one that I really enjoy.

- [Kylie] What about it made rugby click for you?

- The biggest thing is that as a quadriplegic, I have less function than some wheelchair users.

So I don't have any hand dexterity.

So wheelchair rugby is designed for somebody with some limitation in all four limbs.

So for me, like if I were to try basketball, I can't shoot a basket higher than six feet tall.

So rugby is played with a smaller ball, different set of rules.

It's more designed for somebody like myself, with limitations in their upper body as well.

So it's really geared towards somebody with my level of function.

- [Kylie] He says the level of competition also grabbed his interest, as this game isn't one for the weak of heart.

(wheelchairs thudding) - Wheelchair rugby is a full-contact sport, a wheelchair sport.

It's really the only sport that's full contact.

So we're allowed to hit, run into each other, and hit each other.

You're going back and forth on a basketball court, and you have to dribble the ball every 10 seconds, which is a longer time period than with basketball.

So, you know, a lot less ball handling.

But it is a full contact, highly intense, you know, full-contact sport, where we're running into other players.

So if somebody's coming with a ball, I can just run my chair right into them to stop them.

You know, you start with a tip, like a lot of sports, you're going back and forth.

You score one point on one side, one point on the other.

But it's a intense, you know, very active sport on the court, on the basketball court.

I might tip over in my chair.

I don't really fall out of my chair, 'cause I'm kind of strapped into the chair, you become one with your chair.

But yeah, I mean the high point or the offensive players all the time, they'll hit, full contact.

They may tip over, and it's kinda funny, one of the rules is like if I'm trying to stop a player, and they have the ball, and I get tipped up and fall over onto their lap from my chair, that's a penalty on me because I don't have control over it.

I mean, a lot of times you'd think, "Well, that guy got knocked over and knocked on the floor," and it's the other way.

Any contact to the chair, chair to chair contact is okay, but chair to person contact is not okay.

So I can't touch them, or touch anything like that.

- [Kylie] The Thunder is one of just two wheelchair rugby teams in Michigan.

So athletes make the commitment to travel, often across state lines, just to play and compete.

- We practice here at the Mary Free Bed YMCA, and we practice once a week as a team.

We travel all over.

A couple weeks ago we were in Chicago, that was our first tournament.

We have our upcoming, this weekend, we have our home tournament.

You know, after that we'll go to Pittsburgh, kind of our further distance.

But it's kinda close states like, you know, Ohio, Indiana, we travel to, and they travel, but generally it's out of state every tournament.

Occasionally we'll get to Florida, or Las Vegas or something like that, depends on how we're doing.

- [Kylie] For Nick, someone who previously leaned more towards individual sports, like biking, the team-centered atmosphere offers a new dynamic, and opportunity to connect with others.

- That's why I play the sport.

It's not, I mean, I'm competitive, I wanna win, but I feel like just any adaptive sports really allows somebody to get back out there.

When I first started playing, I got a lot of benefit from just meeting other people that were similar injuries, find out not only how they play the sport, but how they do things, like drive a vehicle, and get to the store, and interact with people.

And you know, I think there's a lot to it.

There's a lot of benefit to somebody with a disability getting out and playing a sport.

You know, it's athletic, it's good exercise, but the comradery and the learning from other people.

And I think it's great to see people living their lives, doing things, you know.

And I think the things you learn in sport allow you to, you know, it's effective in the rest of your life, and things like that, of learning how to interact in a job, and interact with your family, and just live life.

Meeting my team and you know, really becoming a team with them, but also the people from the rest of the world I've met, and rest of the country.

You know, I played against some of the people, some of the people on the Chicago team I've competed against for 15 years.

So it's fun to continue to compete against them and see them, and you know, it's my rugby family, you know, very similar to my, you know, regular family and things like that.

So, but I think, you know, it's really a big part of my life.

I, you know, I enjoy it, it's really my biggest recreational activity.

I work a lot, and this is my one, you know, avenue, where I get out and go and have fun, and go do something more recreationally.

- [Kylie] Now, as both a seasoned player and coach, he's able to pass that experience on.

- I always tell people, "Show up, view it.

If you can, get into a chair, that's a big difference, just getting a feel for how the chair manipulates, and then just get active."

I mean it sometimes it can look intimidating.

I think the first intimidation is getting to the gym, and you know, making that commitment to show up to a practice.

And then the next one is getting into a chair, and then pushing around.

But I think once people do that, a lot of people are hooked at that point.

They realize it's really not that hard, it is fun.

You know, a lot of times they don't know what they're doing, and they don't understand the rules, but just getting out and playing I think is huge, and it can really have a huge impact on people's lives.

So, you know, the team dynamics has an impact across the board.

And there's no reason that me with a disability shouldn't be able to do that, just like somebody else, you know, wanted to get out and play basketball or whatever.

- [Kylie] While Nick sampled out many sports before finding his passion for rugby, for others, some of the first games they try just click.

- I was originally looking for a sport to, you know, play, kind of do something to participate in my free time.

I originally looked at it was the downhill skiing that I think Canonsburg has done.

But we found this while we were looking, and it was something that piqued my interest.

- Alec Lundy is a member of The Overdrive, Mary Free Bed's power soccer team.

I saw you in the goalie spot, is that your primary position, or do you guys kinda switch up?

- We kinda switch up, but I don't mind goal.

Goal's fun, I can kinda block a little bit more, kinda keep your team down the court.

- [Kylie] What's your favorite position to play then?

- I'd have to say maybe like one of the left or rights, to kinda score goals, or like, set up my other teammates for goals.

I would say when we, like, do a team goal, where we kind of keep passing the ball around to finally get one in, it's always fun, 'cause it's a bunch of teamwork, and kinda shows our dedication, and how much time we put in.

- [Kylie] He and his team made history last year competing in Michigan's first ever power soccer tournament, which was hosted by Mary Free Bed.

He says he's headed into the start of this season with high hopes.

- So typically I think go to one tournament per month, usually, and then in June, end of June, end of June or late May is the champions.

So we went to that last year and got sixth, which was pretty good, but we hope to do better in our league, the chase for trying to win in the champions.

- [Kylie] Like many sports teams, The Overdrive brings people with shared interests together, but it's in their differences they also find a sense of unity.

With an array of ages from 10 to 20 somethings, it offers a unique chance for these teammates to connect on the court.

- Especially going through, like, school, you're with a bunch of people your age, everyone just has a little different experience, and maybe learning.

But I think it adds to the teamwork, where you all feel like a team age might not play into part.

Being a team, working as team, working with other people who also have disabilities, it's like inclusive, yeah, we all feel included.

(gentle music) - [Kylie] While Alec uses a power wheelchair in his everyday life, other athletes may need equipment like this to partake in their sport of choice, something that can be expensive.

But Mary Free Bed says it does its best to help eliminate that burden of cost for participants.

- We don't want cost to be a barrier for our athletes to be able to be part of the team.

So our basketball chairs, our rugby chairs might be anywhere, five to six, $7,000.

You know, our hand cycles, that our racers use for hand cycle divisions, in running races and bike races, those might be, you know, 18 to $20,000.

So, you know, obviously that's kind of, it's not like I just go and buy a pair of shoes, and I can join a basketball team, I need this piece of equipment.

So we've had a lot of very generous donors that have help us build a loaner closet.

So if someone says, "Hey, I'm interested in coming out and checking out rugby, or I'm interested in checking out basketball," they meet us at practice, we bring a chair that we think will fit them well, they can use that while they get started, and then we help them learn some grants that are in the area.

To be part of a competitive sports team, you register for the team, and that's $125.

With that you get your coaching fees, your court time for practices here at Mary Free Bed Y.

You get the uniform, the tournament costs.

And we, you know, so for example, wheelchair basketball, our season goes from September to April, and we travel out of state once a month throughout that season, with one home tournament.

So, you know, that's, you know, that's a lot to cover all of your travel.

If you get your own hotel room, you pay half, but other than that, your travel is covered.

- [Kylie] Athletes say accessibility is part of what makes this program unique, not only in its approach to welcoming athletes at all levels, but the sheer fact that these options exist in West Michigan.

- Maybe 10 years ago it was a little difficult, but it's been a lot easier, I think, for quite a lot of people in at least around Grand Rapids to find sports teams, like adaptive sports teams.

- You know, this is what the community's asking for.

So when pickleball is really big right now, we're doing pickleball clinics.

Power soccer, you know, that's a good one to highlight, 'cause you've been talking with power soccer players.

You know, we have power soccer players.

This is the first time they've ever been able to do a sport by themselves, with nobody pushing them, nobody doing it for them physically.

They can be independent athletes out there in the power soccer field.

(gentle music) So we talk about our rugby team, you know, our coach, which you talked to, Nick Long, he drives 2 1/2 hours to come here.

One of our other athletes, also 2 1/2 hours.

We had an athlete who takes the cake, he drove five hours one way from Ohio, until he finally moved here and said, you know, "I really need to be a part of this program."

- I mean, that's one of the reasons I come from Bay City is 'cause we have some activities in Bay City, but not nearly the level of teams that they have here.

And it comes from, you know, some of its population, but a lot of it's just having support of a local organization that's willing to support us, from organizations to financial and things like that, so that's huge.

- Classes and clinics have been known to draw people from the U.P.

You know, they don't have, you know, things like this.

So they'll come down for a one-day Bikes for the Rest of Us event, or a one-day class or clinic, and learn how to do it on their own, maybe how to get the adaptations needed to be able to do it in their own community.

- You know, I've been involved with adaptive sports, and trying to get, you know, different activities, you know, going throughout the state, and throughout the world really.

And it's huge to have, you know, a supportive organization to make that happen.

It really does take a lot of behind the scenes things happening, so we can get in our chairs and play sport.

- As they look towards the future, and with it, the rapid incline of adaptive sports programs and resources, like those at Mary Free Bed, across the nation, they offer words of encouragement to athletes starting their journey.

If somebody was watching this who might say like, "Oh, you know, I've been thinking about trying rugby, or even like power soccer or something," what would you say to them?

- I encourage anybody.

I mean there's, you know, lots of different disabilities, and different functional levels of what people are able to do, and there's generally a sport that will allow them to do that.

Quad rugby is for quads.

You know, there's other sports that are more functional for somebody with, you know, a single amputation, or somebody that's a para, or different levels of different sports of things that people can do.

- If you kind of wonder, "Gosh, I wonder if I could do this or not," give our office a call and say, you know, "This is my disability, these are my questions that I have.

Would I be appropriate for this clinic?

Or how would I do this clinic, or class or team?"

You know, and we can get you pointed in the right direction.

(gentle music) - It's always a good time to start, 'cause you gotta try things to experience them.

You wouldn't really know how fun it is unless you gave it a try.

- I really think if somebody has a disability, or somebody knows somebody with a disability, they should encourage them, and then strongly encourage them to get out and try it.

You know, whatever it takes to get somebody to the gym and push, just like you would another family member, you know, get 'em out, get 'em and try different things.

Like I said before, I tried probably 15 different sports before I found the one I really liked, and the one that was a good match for me.

I always tell people that, you know, I think our team needs players, but I think more importantly, our people, rugby can make a difference in people's lives more than they can have an impact on that team.

So I think it's huge.

Get out, try something, see what you like, and you know, get active.

(ball thumping) - [Athlete] Set.

- [Spectator] Nice form.

(audience cheering) (buzzer buzzing) - We at "Mutually Inclusive" are so grateful to all of the people that we've been able to talk to this season, who really give a unique snapshot of the individuals that make up our West Michigan community.

Today we'd like to give a special thanks to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as Alec, Christy, and Nick, who all shared their own personal stories and experiences in the world of adaptive sports.

Now we know that programs like this aren't necessarily limited to West Michigan, but it was definitely an honor to be able to talk with some of the key players who are really moving this industry forward, in our own community.

We will have a list of resources, as always, at the end of this episode, and we hope to see you again next week for another "Mutually Inclusive."

- [Announcer] Thanks for watching.

You can find this episode and others online at wgvu.org/mutuallyinclusive, or by visiting our YouTube page.

But don't forget to follow WGVU on Facebook to keep up with everything happening here in West Michigan.

Thank you for helping us be "Mutually Inclusive."

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues)