Raising awareness of sports adapted to Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – When you hear the word disability, many may think of someone who is limited or disabled.

But for a group of disabled athletes from Corpus Christi, it’s all about overcoming, succeeding, and competing.

Most of all, for members of the Corpus Christi RIMZ basketball team, it’s about feeling whole again. Players refuse to let their disabilities prevent them from playing the sports they love.

Every Corpus Christi RIMZ player has some form of disability – either a disability they were born with or a disability that occurred later in life. But regardless of their disability, that hasn’t stopped them from participating in sports.

“Some people have a leg and some don’t,” said Eric Shandy, one of the three co-founders of CC RIMZ. “I have spina bifida, some have cerebral palsy and other forms of disabilities. But we all have a common goal of playing basketball, playing sports and being active, which makes it right. much easier. “

Chris Evans agrees with Shandy’s premise about the importance of CC RMIZ.

“Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you’re done,” said Evans, another of the organization’s co-founders. “You could still be in the spotlight and still be in the news and you could still go out and do great things and have fun doing it.”

The team is part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and pays its own travel expenses, tournament fees, uniforms and equipment. They recently applied to become a nonprofit, which will allow them to accept donations that they can claim as tax deductions, among other benefits. Most fixed income players only get a disability check, so donations help them a lot.

“We need all the support we can try to prove to the able-bodied community, but just because you are in a wheelchair you can still be active and continue to play a lot of sports and support that goes a long way. “Shandy said. .

Dressing and bonding means something different to each of them. But one thing they can all agree on, even though they can’t control their legs in the real world, when they’re in that field, they are in control.

And for these moments, they are whole again. Just a bunch of guys coming and going on the court playing basketball.

“Just because you’re in a chair or just because you have a disability doesn’t mean your life is over,” Evans said. “Our motto is to raise awareness of adapted sports in the coastal turn and that is what we are here for.”

CC RIMZ’s record for the 2019-2020 season was 9-11.

And after a year off due to the pandemic, they hope that with the support of communities, they can do even better this year.

To find out how to donate, visit the team’s Facebook here.