Life on Wheels (107 page)

In the late 1990s, a downhill wheelchair appeared. The front casters are very large. You lean forward and grip handles attached to the front wheels, which rotate to steer the chair. Hand brakes are mounted on these handles, using cable brakes similar to those on bicycles. You sit low to the ground. It is a bouncy ride, with speeds as high as 30 miles per hour down a mountain hillside.

The basic rule of wheelchair tennis is that you get two bounces of the ball on your side of the net before you have to hit it back, as compared to one bounce in the ablebodied version. Since the advent of high-level wheelchair designs for tennis that are remarkably fast and nimble, world-class players rarely require the second bounce, and there is talk of removing the two-bounce rule in upper-level competition.

The art of tennis is to get into the right position, relative to the ball, so that, as you swing the racket, you get the most power and control. It is quite a surprise to discover you can push the chair in just the right direction and speed to be in position to hit the tennis ball, which is moving quite fast. You typically are in motion while you hit the ball, in contrast to a standing player, who tries to plant his feet when taking a shot.

You will need to do a tremendous amount of upper-body movement and have sufficient balance in the chair. Although increased seat dump (the downward angle toward the rear) increases your stability, it also sets you lower down. Being lower is a disadvantage in being able to hit the ball accurately into the opposing side of the court. Many players use seat belts for increased stability.

Chair riders must take care to play in a way to avoid tennis elbow, a form of tendinitis. When you hit a tennis ball, there is a considerable shock sent through the arm to the tendons that attach at the elbow. Proper technique and swing—using the body as much as possible rather than using the arm alone—help minimize the impact. New tennis racquet designs reduce vibration sent through the racquet into your arm when you hit the ball. A firm grip is important and reduces the risk of forming blisters on the hands. Some people with low quadriplegia with sufficient arm strength play tennis by using bandages or cuffs to help grip the racquet. Wheelchair tennis has found great support in the general tennis community, thanks to the International Tennis Federation (www.itftennis.com).

This is by no means a complete description of athletic options for chair riders. Other options include:

Boxing

Climbing

Dancing

Fencing

Fishing

Flying

Golf

Hand cycling

Hang gliding

Hiking

Hockey