|
Feb. 19, 2004
CONTACT:
Gordon Ovenshine (724) 738-4854; e-mail: gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu
For a complete
game schedule:
CLICK HERE
ATHENS ’04 PARALYMPIC TRIALS FOR
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL
TO BE HELD AT SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY MARCH
7
WOMEN PLAYERS
FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL ALSO COMPETE
IN NATIONAL
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT; PUBLIC INVITED
SLIPPERY
ROCK, Pa. – The best women wheelchair basketball players in
the United States come to Slippery Rock University March 4-6 to
compete in a national tournament and try out for the Athens 2004
Paralympics. Pittsburgh’s Steel City Starz will
participate.
The
Olympic Games for those with disabilities is known as the
Paralympics, held in the same host city (Athens) and using the same
athletic venues as able-bodied Olympians.
The
USA National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team will be
assembled from among the 125 athletes competing March 4-6 in the
30th National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball
Tournament at SRU’s Robert N. Aebersold Student Recreation
Center. On March 7, players will try out for the
Paralympics.
All
games and tryouts are free and open to the public. Games will be
played 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. March 4-5, with the championship game at 1
p.m. March 6. Tryouts will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. March
7.
Two
local players, Norah Schneider of Slippery Rock, and Leah Gray of
Mt. Pleasant, will participate in the Paralympic tryouts. They play
for the Steel City Starz, based in Pittsburgh.
“The
opportunity to host the USA Paralympic Team trials is quite an
honor,” said John Sikora, coach of the Steel City Starz and
director of Pittsburgh’s HOPE Network, which provides sports,
fitness and recreation opportunities to people with
disabilities. “We get to see first hand the players who
will have the honor to represent our country, carry our flag and
colors into competition against the best in the
world.”
The
Steel City Starz includes Theresa Crytzer of Natrona Heights,
Tiffany Frey of Erie, Darcy McKiney of Meadville, Marci Galore of
Allison Park, Diana Helt of North Hills, Kelly Timms of Pittsburgh,
Norah Schneider of Slippery Rock, Mary Fletcher of Pittsburgh and
Leah Gray of Mount Pleasant.
Pennsylvania
has never hosted the National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball
Tournament before, Sikora said. Warm Springs, Ga., hosted last
year’s tournament.
Sikora
petitioned the National Wheelchair Basketball Association to bring
the tournament to SRU because the university offers a number of
academic programs for people with disabilities, including adapted
physical activity and equine facilitated therapy. The Christopher
Reeve Paralysis Foundation affirmed the university’s
reputation for adapted programs by award grants to fund
scholarships for students spinal cord injury.
Editor’s note: Electronic headshots of each Steel City Starz
player are available at University Public Relations. Call Gordon
Ovenshine 724-738-4854, or e-mail
gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu
|
