Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Tourney Set
Eight women’s wheelchair basketball teams from the United States and Mexico will meet at Irvine Valley College to compete Wednesday in the 22nd national tournament.
It is the first time the Women’s Wheelchair National Tournament will be hosted by Irvine Valley College, whose 4-year-old team, the Lasers, is competing in the five-day event.
“It can be pretty brutal,” said Kathy Kroesch, 41, a Costa Mesa resident who plays guard on the Lasers’ nine-member team. She was born with spina bifida, a spinal cord defect. “It’s really competitive; people fall out of their chairs.”
More than 100 players will stay at the Irvine Holiday Inn during the tournament, with transportation and volunteer services provided by the city, which is co-hosting the event with corporate and community organizations.
Irvine and teams from Pomona, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Minnesota and Mexico will compete in the round-robin tournament. The top players will be chosen to compete in the 1996 Paralympics Tournament in Atlanta in July.
Los Angeles will play Minnesota in the first game, which begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Hart Gymnasium on campus. Irvine Valley will compete against Mexico at 8 a.m. Thursday, and later against Pomona at 2 p.m.
The 40-year-old sport is governed by the same rules as regular basketball, with minor exceptions to accommodate wheelchairs. But basic strategy is still the same, said Irvine Valley College spokesman George McCrory.
“It’s just as exciting as regular basketball,” McCrory said. “It’s just as competitive.”
Admission is free. For information on teams and game times, call (714) 559-3243 or (714) 559-3277.