Wheely fast: Wheelchair racers Sam McIntosh, Ben Fawcett and Dan Remenyi train at Landy Field.
JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG is home to the only group of dedicated quadriplegic wheelchair racers in Australia.
The small group, members of Geelong and District Wheelchair Sports, train together regularly as they vie for selection to the Australian Paralympics team.
Secretary Kaye Colman said the club also ran a four-team wheelchair basketball competition.
“We’re hoping to add a couple of teams to the competition next season,” Kaye said.
“The good news is that actually being confined to a wheelchair isn’t a requirement – anyone can have a go.”
The wheelchair basketball competition starts in February, with games at East Geelong’s Try Boys stadium on Tuesday nights.
Kaye said wheelchair basketball was regarded as the fastest and most spectacular sport on wheels.
“The speed and athleticism of the athletes is coupled with the fitness and skill of the game of basketball,” she explained.
“It’s similar to the able bodied game, using the same court and rings with five players on court.
“The rules are similar as well, with some minor changes to take into account the wheelchairs.”
The wheelchair racers welcomed a new addition to their squad during a training session at Landy Field recently.
Established racers Richard Colman, Dan Remenyi and Sam McIntosh helped Ben Fawcett learn the intricacies of the three-wheeled version.
Richard, the world-class wheelchair racer and world championship gold medal winner, said the Geelong squad was unique.
“We can learn from each other and push each other along. It’s much easier training in a squad.”
Dan recently completed his first long distance wheelchair race as part of a 14-kilometre city-to-sea fun run.
“At the moment I’m training five days a week and I’m aiming to do a half marathon in Japan as part of my build up to the Paralympics.
“Training has benefits for my daily life – it gets me stronger and fitter and it’s easier to do some things like getting in and out of the car.”
Dan said he had already posted Paralympics qualifying times and was working to improve his times to gain selection in the Australian team.
Sam said the squad gave him a support base and provided social interaction as he trained two times a day six days a week.
“We have a supply of equipment we can draw on. It means that being in a wheelchair is not necessarily an impediment to what I want to do.”
Ben said he had played wheelchair rugby and decided to try wheelchair racing because “Dan has been at me”.
