gilroy—It’s often said that to truly understand something, you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. On Saturday, Gilroyans from all walks of life put those words into action—except they put themselves in someone else’s chair.
Around 60 people, including Gilroy police officers, fire fighters, teachers and high school hoopers, strapped themselves into wheelchairs for the inaugural Roll N’ Shoot 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball fundraiser for the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program at Christopher High School. BORP has the only competitive wheelchair program—the Jr. Road Warriors—in Northern California.
As the athletes tried to find their stride, Jr. Road Warriors coached them from the sidelines.
Ella Rodriguez, an 11-year-old amputee, was among them and shouted words of encouragement and cheered when her team scored. She was born with fibular hemimelia, which left her right leg severely clubbed and shorter than her left and had that leg amputated at 9 months old.
The day meant much more than the numbers on the scoreboard for Rodriguez. As she looked at the gym packed with athletes, she was beaming from ear to ear.
“It’s amazing and I can’t thank everyone enough for all they’ve done for us,” she said. “(Having the community’s support) really makes a difference in our lives.”
Sue Rodriguez, Ella’s mom, organized the event after BORP held a similar one in Piedmont with much success.
Sue and her husband Mike enrolled Ella in the program, hoping she’d find friends who she could relate with. Instead, they watched their daughter mature and transform and Sue said they have BORP to thank for it.
“It was the first time she’s ever spent a good amount of time around non-able bodied kids and there was a big change in her,” she said. “I think she’s more accepting of her difference and her disability. I think she’s got more self-confidence when it comes to her leg.”
And that inspired the Rodriguez family to spread the word about the organization to Gilroy. Being the only competitive wheelchair basketball program in Northern California, it requires copious amounts of funding. Athletes often need to travel to places like Seattle and Phoenix to compete. The Jr. Road Warriors will next head to Louisville, KY for the national tournament.
“What we want people to understand is just because a person has a disability doesn’t mean that they’re sidelined,” Jr. Road Warriors coach Trooper Johnson said. “…I think it’s important for other people within the community to understand their world a little bit and have insight into what they do.”
Christopher coach Danny Rodriguez and varsity basketball players Xander Bowers, Gianfranco Filice and Alex Pacheco gave up their height advantage and tried their hand at wheelchair ball. While the Cougars are used to tough competition, they said they experienced some surprising challenges, such as trying to dribble from the chair.
“It kills your legs; it actually hurts,” Bowers said with a laugh. “It kind of sounded fun and it’s for community service—you can’t go wrong with that.”
Pacheco added: “It’s really fun, but it’s harder than it looks. The (kids) are great and they’re all really funny. They get on you.”
BORP and the Jr. Road Warriors reached their goal to raise $5,000 from the Roll N’ Shoot event. Since the event was such a hit, Sue said she’s hoping it becomes an annual event that grows year after year:
“My dream would be for next year to fill the stands.”
