RAW DEAL FOR PARAPLEGIC PLAYERS WHEELCHAIR ATHLETES TAKE BACK SEAT AT SPORTS CENTER.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
It was 8:15 p.m. when the Northridge Knights rolled onto their home court Thursday at the Chatsworth Park basketball gym. They were supposed to begin practice at 8 p.m., but a youth basketball team was late finishing its own practice, so the Knights waited. Larry Foster, Tim Ambler, Brian Robertson For other uses, see Brian Robertson (disambiguation). Brian Robertson was born on February 12 1956 in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire. He learned cello[1] and classical piano for eight years before switching to the guitar and drums. , Josh Munoz, Jerry Newman and a half-dozen other guys -- all paraplegics -- just sitting there in their sports wheelchairs bouncing a basketball and showing a lot of class. ``Let the kids finish. We can wait a little longer,'' said Greg Edwards Greg Edwards is a New York City based lyricist and programmer. His first musical, called Nero, was based on the ill-fated emperor of Rome. Also a talented writer of code, Edwards started a gaming company called *greGAMES! in 2004. , who's been playing for 15 years on this team sponsored by the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine rehabilitation medicine Physiatry, physiotherapy A field of therapeutics that bridges the gap between conventional and nonconventional medicine; rehabilitation physicians may adminsiter or prescribe mechanical–eg, massage, manipulation, exercise, movement, at Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a hospital in the Northridge town of Los Angeles, California, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West. History The hospital was founded in 1955 by Dr. . All the Knights have lost the use of their legs because of terrible accidents, but they never lost their class and desire to play sports. A couple of nights a week, some of them drive as long as two hours to use this gym dedicated in 1990 by then-Mayor Tom Bradley Noun 1. Tom Bradley - United States politician who was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles (1917-1998) Bradley, Thomas Bradley and the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. to increase recreation programs and sports opportunities for the physically challenged physically challengedadj. Having a physical disability or impairment, especially one that limits mobility. See Usage Note at challenged. n. (used with a pl. . Back then, it was called the Valley Region Challenge Center -- the crown jewel Crown jewel A particularly profitable or otherwise particularly valuable corporate unit or asset of a firm. Often used in risk arbitrage. The most desirable entities within a diversified corporation as measured by asset value, earning power, and business prospects; in takeover of the city's new Adaptive Sports Program launched in 1988 with a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the Amateur Athletic Federation with 1984 Olympics money. It's all on a plaque in the gym, not far from where the Northridge Knights sat in their wheelchairs Thursday night waiting for the kids to finish. But as demand for gym time has increased for public adult and youth leagues -- and shrinking budgets force public parks to raise more money through usage fees -- promises made in this gym 17 years ago are starting to fade. ``We always knew we'd be sharing the gym with public leagues, but we thought at least we'd have some kind of priority,'' said Mike Doom, who coaches the Knights basketball, rugby and volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. teams. ``I guess not.'' When the Knights started playing here 17 years ago, the team had the gym from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, with two storage spaces to keep their sports wheelchairs. They've lost three of those eight weeknight week·night n. A night of the week exclusive of Saturday and Sunday. week  nights hours, and their storage space for wheelchairs is gone. The Knights didn't complain when an hour -- from 6 to 7 p.m. -- was taken from them on both Wednesday and Thursday nights because it often took their members extra time to get off work, load up their wheelchairs and drive to the gym in time. They could live with starting their practices at 7 p.m. But a few months ago, they got word they were losing another hour on Thursday nights, being moved back to 8 p.m. They're afraid more cuts may be on the way. The team was thrown a bone, though. It could add the lost hour to its time on Sundays, when the gym has little usage. ``Our guys have families they want to be with on Sundays, just like everyone else,'' Doom says. ``It isn't fair. They've been eating away at our time, and last month five of our wheelchairs stored in the gym were thrown away.'' Park officials said only old wheelchair parts were thrown away because they were in an electrical storage room, and the team had been warned to move the chairs out. Doom and his players dispute this, saying the chairs were perfectly usable. The only things missing were the wheels, which players take with them after their gym time so no one else can use the chairs. ``Sports wheelchairs are expensive and different from our regular wheelchairs. Some of the guys don't have room to travel with both of them, so they kept their sports chairs in storage spaces the park provided us,'' said Mike DeYoung, captain of the Knights wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby The sport's original name was murderball; in the United States, it is referred to as quad rugby. All wheelchair rugby players are quadriplegic, with a disability affecting both upper and lower limbs. team. ``When we lost that space, we were told we could keep them in the storage room, but then that room was cleaned out, and five chairs got thrown away.'' New sports wheelchairs can easily run $2,000 apiece, and the cost -- which is not covered not covered Health care adjective Referring to a procedure, test or other health service to which a policy holder or insurance beneficiary is not entitled under the terms of the policy or payment system–eg, Medicare. Cf Covered. by most insurance companies -- is what keeps a lot of physically challenged people from joining sports teams, the players say. Another reason park officials gave for the Knights losing time was that not enough players were showing up every week to use the gym. ``The only days we don't use our time is when we're out of town playing in a wheelchair tournament somewhere, and then we always warn them (park officials) so they can fill the time with someone else,'' Doom says. ``Other than that, we're always there with 12 or 15 guys. We need more time, not less. We understand the park needs to make money, but it shouldn't be at our expense. ``Things may have changed over the years, but we haven't,'' the coach said. To his credit, Ron Berkowitz, recreation and parks superintendent for the Valley region, instructed his staff late last week to give the Knights back the hour taken from them. He has also scheduled a meeting soon to try to resolve the dispute. In an e-mail Berkowitz sent to Mitchell Englander, chief of staff for Councilman Grieg Smith, who supports the Knights, Berkowitz admitted it was ``not a wise decision'' to cut the hour. ``They have special needs, and need a little bit more consideration before we take away anything from them,'' he wrote. It's more than a little consideration the Knights should get. It's an apology. This city gladly took the AAU AAU abbr. Amateur Athletic Union money in 1988 to build that center and dedicate ded·i·cate tr.v. ded·i·cat·ed, ded·i·cat·ing, ded·i·cates 1. To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. 2. it to the physically challenged. But when the AAU grant money ran out three years later, the park was changed from an adaptive center to multiuse -- meaning the priority the Knights thought they had was just a plaque on a wall. As Doom says, things changed, but the Knights didn't. They're still in wheelchairs, still working hard to keep their sports skills sharp and alive inside that Chatsworth Park gym every week. They should be applauded -- not squeezed for time. dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3749 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Paraplegic paraplegic /para·ple·gic/ (-ple´jik) 1. pertaining to or of the nature of paraplegia. 2. an individual with paraplegia. basketball player Larry Foster runs through a play during practice at the Chatsworth Park basketball gym. (2) Handicapped basketball players practice at the Chatsworth Park basketball gym, where city workers have thrown out five of their wheelchairs, which can cost $2,000 or more. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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