no cover proof of 2012 - 2013 chicago wheelchair bulls program

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Introducing

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www.wheelchairbulls.com Chicago Wheelchair Bulls Program 2012-2013 3

CONTENTS

Chicago Wheelchair Bulls Official Program

Rules of Wheelchair BasketballThe regulations of Wheelchair Basketball, including dribbling, fouls, and player classifications

6

26W171 Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187

INPATIENT OUTPATIENT SUBACUTE PHYSICIAN CLINICSWheaton

www.Marianjoy.org

Program TeamEditor: Joe GerardiArt Direction: Denise LeasePhotography:Gary Gribble and others

Wheelchair Sports of Chicago, Inc.The Chicago Wheelchair Bulls is An Entity Of Wheelchair Sports Of Chicago, Inc., A Not-For-Profit Organization.President: Ted BeckVice President: Joe GerardiSecretary: Dan FerreiraTreasurer: Dave RadbelFundraising / Outreach:Seth Goldberg

Chicago Wheel-chair Bulls

Team Representative:Joe Gerardi

Head Coach:Ted Beck

Assistant Coach:Joe Gerardi

Address all inquiries to:Chicago Wheelchair Bulls1251 W. Lake Street #101Addison, IL 60101Phone 630 878 2073Fax 630 933 0801

Email:[email protected]

Website:www.wheelchairbulls.com

Facebook: Search for Chi-cago Wheelchair Bulls

For New Players:If you’re interested in joining the bulls or know someone who might be, please Contact Joe Gerardi at [email protected]

Running With the BullsHigh school student Matt Molenkamp shares the benefits of practicing with the Chicago Wheelchair bulls

72012-2013 Season ScheduleWhere you can find the Chicago Wheelchair bulls in action this season

9A New Start in an Old CityWheelchair Bulls Coach Daniel Ferreira shares his experiences with Prep teams in the city of Chicago

10-11Bulls Kids’ Day Game 2011The Bulls took on the Thunder in an exciting game from the Wheelchair Bulls Kids’ Day Game in 2011

13A Great Night in Arlington Heights A yearly fundraiser & exhibition match with the Arlington Heights Fire Department at Miner School

19Junior All-Star Game Winter 2011Local Prep Wheelchair Basketball teams sent their best for a regional All-Star Game during Kids’ Day Winter 2011

21A Special Shout-OutTeam Rep Joe Gerardi gives kudos to those who give their time to make the Wheelchair Bulls successful

23Team RosterIntroducing the 2012 - 2013 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls25

Team PhotosSee your favorite Chicago Wheelchair Bulls players in action!26-29

A Frenchman in AmericaMeet the Bulls’ latest addition, Benjamin Chevillon30

The Parquet PageA page dedicated to those who have been an important part of the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls

34

2011-2012 Season in ReviewDan Ferreira reviews the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls’ 2011-2012 Season

32

4 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls

As an organization that survives on the loyalty and support of its community, the Chicago Bulls believe it is not only our duty to reach out to those in need around us,

it is our strongest passion. Whatever challenges we face as a basketball team, no mission is greater than that of building a community.

Aside from winning games and entertaining our fans, we have a responsibility and a desire to actively contribute to the growth of our society. To do so, we aim each day to assist with the education and development of our youth, contribute to organizations

that provide services to needy families and improve our city’s struggling neighborhoods.

It is through these efforts that we are determined to leave a lifelong impression on the city of Chicago.

Making an impression.

CharitabullsAd_Layout 1 8/30/11 1:11 PM Page 1

52011- 2012 – Official Program

6 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls Program 2012-2013 www.wheelchairbulls.com

Rules of the GameWheelchair basketball is played in accordance with most NCAA rules with some changes to accommodate the wheelchair. Baskets are the regulation height but players are allowed 4 seconds in the lane instead of the 3 in ablebodied ball. The 3-point line is 21 feet and five fouls or two technical fouls will send you to the showers. Like able-bodied basketball, hitting a player when he shoots is a hack. Running into a player when he’s stationary is an offensive foul. Here are a few other rules specificto wheelchair basketball:

Dribble: A player may dribble and push the wheelchair at the same time. A player may take two pushes on the wheels after which he must either dribble, shoot or pass. There is no double dribble in wheelchair basketball. Three pushes constitutes a traveling violation. A player with the ball may coast down the floor without touching the handrims as long as he wishes.

3-Second Lane Time Limit: An offensive player cannot remain in the free throw lane more than three seconds

while his/her team has the ball in the front court.

Physical Advantage Fouls: A player must remain seated in his/her chair at all times. players may not use a functional leg for a physical advantage over an opponent. Violations of this rule constitute a physical-advantage technical foul. Three such fouls result in ejection from the game.

Wheelchair Height: The seat of a player’s wheelchair may not exceed 21 inches from the floor. Additionally, a Class III player may not have a cushion that is more than two inches thick. A Class II and Class I player may have cushions up to four inches thick.

Player Eligibility: Eligibility to play wheelchair basketball is not governed by a person’s need to be in a wheelchair to move about. Rather,

to be eligible for wheelchair basketball, an individual must have a permanent disability or injury below the waist that prevents the athlete from participating in able-bodied basketball. Player Classifications: In an effort to make the game fair and open to varying degrees of impairments, players are classified by their injury and resulting mobility as follows: Class I - Complete spinal injury or comparable disability resulting in total impairment of muscular function originating at T-8 or above. Class II - Complete spinal injury or comparable disability resulting in significant impairment of muscular function of hips and thighs. Class III - All Other Disabilities At no time may a team have more than twelve classification points on the floor. For example, the usual line-up is three class-threes, one class-two, and one class-one (3+3+3+2+1=12). Another common line-up is two class-threes and three class-twos (3+3+2+2+2=12).


to practice with them on Tuesday nights, because it shows that they want me to succeed and reach my full potential.

I hope when I get out of college, I can still play with the Bulls

because they’re such a great team. When I first started practicing with the Wheelchair Bulls, I did not know what I was doing. Now, I feel like I understand the game much better, and it’s all because of them.

Running with the

Bulls

“It means a lot to me

that the Bulls afford me the

opportunity to practice

with them... it shows that

they want me to succeed and

reach my full potential.”

By youth Player

Matt Molenkamp

Hello, my name is Matt Molenkamp. I am 17 years old and I have

been playing wheelchair basketball for about 5 years. I currently play for the junior division of the Windy City Warriors as well as practicing with the adult Wheelchair Bulls. While I really enjoy being a member of the Warriors team, I feel truly honored to practice with the adult Bulls.

I really appreciate the Bulls letting me practice with them on Tuesday

nights. Over the past 3 years practicing with the Bulls, I have learned so much. Team

members have always tried to help in any way that they can. Whether helping me to understand the game of wheelchair basketball better or just being there for me when I need help.

I believe my practice time with the team has elevated my game,

because playing at adult level forces me to put in more effort than 100%. Team members never take me off the court when I screw up, rather they make me fix what I was doing wrong and try until I get it right. It means a lot to me that the Bulls afford me the opportunity

8 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls Program 2012-2013 www.wheelchairbulls.com152011- 2012 – Official Program

For Directions, call 1-866-TOUR-JBC (868-7522)

Visit us online: JellyBelly.com

1-800-JB-Beans (522-3267)


Wheelchair Bulls2012-2013 Schedule

November 3-4 @ University of IllinoisChampaign, IL

November 10 @ Miner SchoolArlington Heights, IL

November 10 @ Curie High SchoolChicago, IL

November 17-18 @ Harlem High SchoolRockford, IL

December 15 @ NEDSRAAddison, IL

March 1-17 @ NEDSRAAddison, IL

March 23-24 @ Monon CenterCarmel, IN

April 18 - 21 @ Seaton CenterLouisville, KY

Future dates to be added when confirmedCheck www.wheelchairbulls.com for

updated schedule information


A new start in an old city

LLike the rest of the Wheelchair Bulls, I have a day job. Well maybe not a day job, as I work a number of evenings and plenty of weekends. I work for the Chicago Park District as the

Adaptive Sport Program & Event Facilitator, and five years ago when I moved to Chicago to take this job, there was not really a “how to” manual, but what there was, was the dedication to build a program that would offer the opportunity for the youth of Chicago to dream and to create a path to reach those dreams.

That being said, Chicago is not necessarily foreign territory for the wheelchair sports movement as we can boast that we have an extremely large and organized adult

population who are avid wheelchair basketball and wheelchair softball competitors. For those who are old enough, can remember the Spaulding Bulldogs who were the first youth wheelchair basketball program in Chicago, who helped to form the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s (NWBA) youth movement and eventually the junior division. When you are at a Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) Hornets or Chicago Fire wheelchair basketball game, many of those athletes got their start with the Bulldogs. Then one day budget cuts arise and the Bulldogs are no more and also there went the Chicago Blizzard Youth Sled Hockey Team too.

Then ten years later the Chicago Park District sets in motion to make inroads to do it all over again. Perfect timing as Chicago is a bid city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic

games. We piloted everything from boccia to power soccer, to wheelchair basketball, for two years we were growing painfully slow as we would get a person here and there, but never more than two people at any one program. I would tell the youngsters tales from my experiences as I would coach them on individual skills and always would finish with some one on one. I would tell every kid; “tell your friends”, “tell me about people you know”, and “one day we will have a team, I promise”

Well one day comes along when RIC hires Trent Thenhaus from Western DuPage Special Recreation Association who had been coaching the Warriors

for a number of years to come in and begin a youth program for them. When he got to the city we met and discussed our common goals and decided that we were stronger together than we were separate and developed a plan and a partnership. He has access to some kids that are in other RIC programs

Dan Ferreira shares his experiences in the world of Prep wheelchair basketball in the City of Chicago

“...one day we will have

a team, I promise.”


and we start there, along with the few kids that I had been working with over my time in the city. We hosted our first practice on a chilly day in October with nine kids from all over the city. It was exciting, as we had a team!

We continued to practice and work on our skills and we got better, and as we improved, we decided that maybe we

would play in a tournament. We decided that we would register for the Illinois High School Association’s March Madness Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. The kids were so excited when we told them. We then had the conversation about a team name and the kids threw out different ideas from the Rockets, to the Bulls and many more in between. Among this list was the Skyhawks, which the kids were fond of. To be honest, I was not fond of this name as I thought to myself: “what is a Skyhawk”? But I did not put up a fight when the kids came to a consensus about the name of our team.

So now we were able to go out and get some jerseys with our name on it and along with jerseys came a season schedule. With a few

months before State, we also registered for a few other junior tournaments in

Dolton, Lake Forest, and Chicago that would help our development. With each tournament there was plenty of frustration on the court, but there were far more successes from improved communication, fundamental passing skills, etc. We were improving every time we hit the court. So by the time we got to Peoria, the kids were so excited to represent their city in a state wide competition. The fun part of this trip was the fact that for many of the Skyhawks this was the first time that some of our kids had ever stayed in a hotel. It was official we were having a slumber party! That whole trip my heart was warm and tingly as I watched them play on and off the court and could not help but feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this experience. I knew it was a special moment as these kid’s lives would be forever better because of the opportunities that our sport provides. For three days our athletes were wide eyed in all that did and it was incredibly fun to just sit back and watch them grow.

Two seasons ago was year where we exploded from nine to over thirty, and we would plan for two teams in our first full year

of competition in the Junior division, one in the prep division (6 – 12) and the JV division (13 – 18). It was astronomical growth for any team, but we knew that there are many more kids out there that could benefit from our program. Having the opportunity to split the group was the best thing that we could do as it allowed for the members of our program to develop appropriate peer to peer relationships within our program. The other thing that we built into our program in year two was greater accountability especially on our JV team. We understood that we had a responsibility to prepare our athletes for the next stage of their life, and we wanted them to have the same expectations that their peers have; i.e. going onto higher education, having

“...it was incredibly fun to just sit back and watch them grow...”

a career, etc. This was not just a dream, but an expectation, that eventually they will grow up and we will need them to be role-models for the future generations of Skyhawks.

Last year when we arrived in Peoria, we told our athletes; “from here on out, nothing is new”, and “you have been here and done that before”.

They were a seasoned team now and we challenged them to play as such as we asked them about the characteristics of good team. Over the course of the weekend, we built off of this premise which led to many more discussions. Traditions are great, but bad habits are not, and I attribute this weekend to our athletes evolution as they began to grasp the concepts and lessons that we had been teaching them. This was evident this summer during our softball season as our team posted big wins through effort and skill, rather than depending upon luck.

I am excited that basketball season is here again, as I look forward to seeing our maturity, skill improvement, and effort come to the forefront of our

program. We are positive that there will be plenty of success to come on the court, but I am far more excited to the many successes that we know they will have in all of the other aspects of their life. When someone asks me now what a Skyhawk is? I tell them; a hardworking, intelligent, and goal oriented; that is how I describe the athletes in our program. It is these skills that will serve them for the rest of their life.

Good Luck Wheelchair Bulls!The Windy City Warriors wish the Wheelchair Bulls a high-‐scoring, action-‐packed season!

The Windy City Warriors are a WDSRA sponsored program. For more information, call 630-‐681-‐0962 or visit www.wdsra.com.

WDSRA is a nationally acclaimed organization serving the communities of Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn,Naperville, Roselle, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton,

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA)supports children, teens, and adults with physical disabilities.

to the fullest extent possible

athletic programs

State Champions

the nation

Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA)

sponsored program. For more information, sponsored program. For more information, call 630-‐681-‐0962 or visit www.wdsra.com.Equal Fun For Everyone


The Chicago Wheelchair Bulls hosted the Waukesha Thunder in the 2011 Christmas version of the annual Kids Day game.

The Bulls looked to exploit their height advantage and get the ball inside to their big men, Curtis Lease and Chuck Wyder. The Thunder featured an all star in his own right, point guard Eric Barber.

It was nip and tuck all the way as the Bull led 28 – 27 at half. The leading scorer for Chicago was Curtis Lease who scored 10 and for Waukesha is was Eric Barber who had 11 at halftime.

The second half featured much of the same close action as other players started to get into the flow of the game.

Forwards Kevin Besette and Eric Shimkus had 8 points between them to try to help Barber get the win for Waukesha.

The Bulls point guard Gary Maldonado had 6 second half points to help bolster another strong half by Lease who had another 10 point half.

Both teams played hard in the closely fought game, but the Bulls hung on to win the marquee game, 53 - 52 with the Thunder having a couple of chances to win the game, but some last minute attempts did not fall.

Curtis Lease of Chicago had 20 points for the victors.Eric Barber finished with 20 points for the Thunder.

IMAGE© NAME/AGENCY

Wheelchair Bulls Kids’ Day Game 2011


Gerardi & Sons Development, Inc.

Congratulations to the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls as they return to the 2013 NWBA Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky.

GOOD LUCK BULLS!!

Joe Gerardi

The Chicago Wheelchair Bulls would like to thank the

Jack DeLoss Taylor Charitable Fund

for their support of our

24th Annual Bulls Day for Kids.

World Sport Chicago is an independent, non-profit

organization that strives to teach life-enhancing values and leadership through sport. We

believe that sport has the power to strengthen individuals, and in

turn, Chicago’s communities

www.worldsportchicago.org

18 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls



NEDSRA Adaptive SportsJunior Wheelchair BasketballAdult Wheelchair Basketball

Track & FieldSwimming

WeightliftingGolf

BocciaSoccerSkiing

CyclingJudo

TennisBeep Baseball

Sports Sampler

To learn more, contact Adam O. Kramerat 630-576-4037 or [email protected]

nedsra.org


A Great Night in Arlington HeightsBY SETH GOLDBERG

On November 10th, 2012, I hosted an exhibition game at Miner School in Arlington Heights. It was a game between the off duty Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove Firefighters. We had a silent auction, raffle prizes, food, soft drinks, baked goods and t-shirt for sale along with a 50/50 raffle sponsored by the Arlington Heights Fire Department and Fire fighter Jason Wachal.

We had an awesome evening and another huge success for the 4th year in a row. Both young and old had a wonderful time. I was thrilled to have this event in my hometown in Arlington Heights to raise awareness and educate the community about wheelchair sports.

Our team tries to be a role model in our communities and show everyone to look beyond the wheelchair and see the real person. The Chicago Wheelchair Bulls take pride in this and want everyone to understand that we are real people that just move around in Wheelchair.

The Chicago Wheelchair Bulls and I would like to extend a huge thank you to Miner School and NSSEO for hosting us again this year. Also we would like to thank Cookers food in Deerfield and JD’s restaurant in Arlington Heights for providing the drinks and food for the event. A huge, Huge thank you goes out to the Arlington Heights Fire Fighters, their whole department and local union 3105 for supporting us every and and also to the Buffalo Grove Firefighters for their support.

Lastly, we would like to thank, Arlington Heights Mayor Mudler, the Village Trustees, and the Arlington Heights community for always supporting in what we do.

Ink Well Ad


The 24nd Annual Kids Day was kicked off by a group of Junior All Stars, split into Red and Black teams.

The Red team was paced by swingman Kyle Gribble who scored 16 points in the first half. The Red team was more balanced, led by a trio of young men, Justin Harrison, Kyle Picchetti, and Erik Todd who each scored at least 6 points each in the first half.

The Black team held a precarious lead at halftime, 24 – 22. Kyle Gribble kept up his hot shooting scoring 18 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the scoring due of Picchetti and Todd who tallied another 8 points apiece.

Picchetti scored the game winner late in the second half. The Black team held off

the red by 2 points 50 – 48.

For his individual brilliance, Kyle Gribble was named Most Valuable Player scoring 34 points. He won some wheels from Per4max Medical for his efforts.

IMAGE© NAME/AGENCY

Junior All-Star Game Winter 2011


Best of Luck tothe Chicago Bulls!

Denver here we come!

Hoop...there it is!

GO BULLS!Billy & Lynn Toczyl


Every year the Wilson Sporting Goods has provided basketballs

for our gift bags and backpacks for our halftime raffle. And each year, we have great raffle prizes courtesy of the Bulls and other generous donors.

For helping to make Kids’ Day so successful and for being such a great believer in the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls:

I’d like to thank Variety Children’s Charity of Chicago, Inc. and

Per4Max Medical for donating wheelchairs and equipment during last year’s event. We couldn’t do these great events without the generous support of groups mentioned.

A Special Shout-Out

As one may imagine, charitable organizations

don’t make it through two decades without the help and generosity of so many people and companies. It just isn’t possible to maintain a quality organization, hold great events, and do so many things (in addition to playing basketball) and staying within a budget without tons of outside help. So on the following pages, we try to acknowledge people who have helped us.

To Those Who Have Helped with the Program:

Joe Gerardi and Denise Lease, along with several contributing writers who

put together this program.

John and Pete at Inkwell, the “ official printer of the Chicago Wheelchair

Bulls.” Thanks again for letting us blow our deadlines and still get us the programs in time for our events!!! There is no way we could ever do this job without your help.

All of the friends and family members, along with the

corporations who make not only this program possible, but also the success of this team. We wouldn’t be able to do it without you!

During the Bulls’ Day For Kids, the team treats about 100 kids,

parents and friends. For the last few years, Homerun Pizza has provided the pizza and utensils for the kids. Thank you guys!


The red in the logo is PMS 1805 C: 5% M: 96% Y: 76% K: 21% R: 175 G: 38 B: 38 rgb: #af2626 As the first and only provider of urological supplies and

other medical products committed to supporting

adaptive sports, our mission is to help people with

disabilities lead healthier, more active lives.

www.abc-med.com

ABC is the exclusive medical supply partner of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.


No. Player Position Class Hometown

3 Curtis Lease Forward III Naperville, IL

5 Eduardo Rivera Guard II Hammond, IN

12 David Radbel Guard II Chicago, IL

13 Ben Chevillon Forward II Dunkerque, France

15 Kyle Picchetti Guard III Roselle, IL

21 Ted Beck Guard II Montgomery, IL

22 Kevin Kohn Guard II Schaumburg, IL

23 Kyle Gribble Forward III Hanover Park, IL

24 Joe Gerardi Forward II Addison, IL

25 Seth Goldberg Forward III Arlington Heights, IL

30 Gary Maldonado Guard I Chicago, IL

40 Chuck Wyder Forward III Chicago, IL

42 Dan Ferreira Guard II Chicago, IL

44 Tom Daily Forward III Gurnee, IL New Players:Quinton DailyZachary HaneyJosh Johnson

Introducing Your 2012 -2013 Chicago Wheelchair Bulls


On the look-out for new

players!

Are you interested in playing some round-ball? The Wheelchair Bulls are always looking for new players. No experience necessary. All you need is a desire to learn and a commitment to work hard and we will help you do the rest. Not only will wheelchair basketball give you the exercise you need to stay in shape, it pro-vides a great competitive outlet and you’ll make friends that will last a lifetime. If you’re inter-ested or know someone who might be, email Joe Gerardi at [email protected] or look for our fan page on Facebook; Chicago Wheelchair Bulls.

Chuck Wyder #40

David Radbel #12


Ted Beck #21

Tom Daily #44

Joe Gerardi #24

Curtis Lease #3


Dan Ferreira Formerly #13 Currently #42

Seth Goldberg #25

Gary Maldonado #30

Ben Chevillon #13

28


Kevin Kohn #22

Kyle Picchetti #15

Kyle Gribble #23

29


On September 18, 2012, Ben flew to Chicago for a one-year

adventure as a Wheelchair Bulls player.

“I decided to try the American experience for at least one year for the sporting aspect and especially the personal aspect. I wanted to dedicate basketball to earn new things. What’s better than the USA Wheelchair Bulls and especially the Wheelchair Bulls for this project? They have good coaches, great players and a great atmosphere in the team. Even though it was hard to leave everything in France to live in Chicago, I do not regret my choice. This experience is more than experience with the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls. It is an experience with friends, the Wheelchair Bulls family, meeting new people, life in a new city, discovering a new country, a new society. The United States embodies so much that I had to try this adventure. I found new friends here, this great basketball family where everyone knows eachother. I hope that this season will be filled with good things and emotions. In any case, I have fun and I thoroughly enjoy every day that passes.

Let’s go Bulls! And as we say in France: “ne rêves pas ta vie, vis yes

rêves”, “Do not dream your life, live your dreams.”

A Frenchman in America

“...as we say in France:

“ne rêves pas ta vie, vis

yes rêves” or, “Do not

dream your life, live your

dreams.”

Born on August 17, 1988, Benjamin Chevillon is a French athlete.

He is known for his interest in international wheelchair basketball competition, and for his involvement in politics and associations to defend the best interests of people with disabilities

In 1995, Benjamin was diagnosed with leukemia, and spent more than

a year in the hospital at the University Hospital of Dijon. To overcome the disease, doctors have used chemotherapy. After months of treatment, Benjamin was healed, but he was was left with a diagnosis of paraplegia. He and his family were organized their lives around and according to his disabilities.

He began his career as a wheelchair basketball player

in 2005, with the JDA Dijon Basket, the current club of professional basketball in the city of Dijon. Progression and determination allowed him to quickly integrate the collective, but also to be called team hopes France (under 22 years) two years later, in 2007.

But Ben’s first passion is music. He took drum lessons for six years

at the Tony Fallone school of music. During these years he made the acquaintance of several young musicians to create a band called Interference. This group has a composition to his credit “Renaissance”, which met with great success among the youth of Dijon.

In 2009 Benjamin was sophomore at STAPS University of Lille II,

majoring in the field of Sports Management. He received his degree in 2011 and played for several teams in France.

But in January 2012, a discussion with the coach of the

Chicago Wheelchair Bulls, has changed its plans. Daniel Ferreira proposed to Benjamin to visit for a week and try playing with the Bulls. After trying out, the good news came: the Bulls wanted Ben to join their team.


2011-2012 Season in

ReviewThe Wheelchair Bulls 2011/12 season

would begin with a great deal of change and a number of questions would arise. After the 2010/11 season, we lost three of the five players from our starting lineup as longtime Bull Sue Haddick hung her sports chair up in the garage to rest her shoulders, Josh Fabian had his fifth child, and Alex Parra made the tough decision to play closer to home with the Southside Chicago Fire. This left two things; a void of leadership, but opportunities for players to step into those roles that were vacated.

On the first day of practice, there was a great deal of excitement in our

practice gym as the remaining players were more than willing to step up. Although we had lost some vocal leaders, we were not without leadership as long time Bulls Joe Gerardi, Ted Beck, and Curtis Lease had more than enough experience and success to serve in a leadership capacity. Another positive was that Dave Radbel was back after undergoing a kidney transplant eighteen months earlier. This would be the core of leadership and supported by Southwest Minnesota State’s Kevin Kohn, Tom Daily, Gary Maldanado, Seth Goldberg, and our junior phenoms Kyle Picchetti and Kyle Gribble. There would be an adjustment period, but we would be just fine.

The past couple of years, the Bulls have had a pretty busy November with the

Second City Showdown in Chicago and the Rockford Chariots Invitational. In our first tournament the unthinkable would occurred when Dave Radbel went for a steal and got his arm caught between

the offensive player’s real wheel and side guard opening a large gash on his forearm. This injury left us one more man lighter and now we would have to worry about classification points as we were down another Class II.

Over that previous summer I started toying with the idea playing and began

scrimmaging to get some exercise, but now I was left with a decision as to what I would do as I have always enjoyed coaching the Bulls. The next week I made the decision to pack up my ball chair and see what happens. At the end of that practice I had to go home and ice for about two hours, but was excited to get back to practice next week. But who would take the sideline duties? The next weekend in Rockford, a solution appeared as Dave was back on injured reserve and had more than enough experience. The weekend was a little rough but we were not dead in the water and just needed some time to gel.

By the time that Kids day rolled around we were feeling good as the 23rd day

was one that was amazing. We brought on a new sponsor with Variety Club of Illinois who we celebrated International People with Disabilities Day as they donated brand new sports chairs to two deserving youth. The other highlight of the day for me was seeing a number of Bulls alumni come out and NWBA Hall of Famer Marvelous Marv Lapicola handed out the awards to the junior all stars.

As the New Year arrived, we were preparing for the RHI Pacers

BY DAN FERREIRA

invitational. This would be a tournament with stiff competition and would be the test to see where we fall within the Championship Division. We played tough games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Fire, and the Pacers. Although we came away with a losing record, all of our games were close games. We left feeling good about our play and looked forward to going to Lexington for Bluegrass. Bluegrass is the tournament that earns you a spot in the national tournament or it can bump you out. That weekend proved tough for the team as every minute on court was a struggle. From having a hard time putting the ball in basket to defensive break downs at inopportune times, it felt like we could not catch a break. This does happen some games, but to have an entire tournament was incredibly frustrating. The The one positive was that we took away on our way home was that our bonds as teammates had never been stronger in my five years as a Bull.

With the end of the season rapidly approaching we made the decision

to not attend the NWBA national tournament, but we would host a home tournament for our fans, friends, and family. It had been a couple of years since our last home tournament, and on a beautiful day in March, we were in the gym playing host to our friends in the NWBA. We played well and finally posted a win against the Chicago Fire which was a feel good for us as we had lost close games to them for most of the season.

When the last hoop was scored, we talked about our goals for

next season and rolled out of the gym. Looking back I would say that we had a successful season. No great team ever underestimates the importance of chemistry - and that was what we built over what was a transition period and is a new chapter for the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls.


Autographs

34

Mike & CathyVenzon

Kate Mullaney Miner School

Variety Club of Illinois

Michelle BaertVince Pagone

Tim LenahanLaura Brown

Bill KelleyRuth Rossman

Jelly Belly

Bob GalloPower

Construction

John & Pete at

The Ink Well

Jeff SchultzTony Rokita

Chicago Bulls

George at Home Run

Inn - Addison

Big BruceJim Glascott

Jenna, Adam,& Lisa

NEDSRA

All the NEDSRA volunteers who make our Kids’

Days great

Denise LeaseBill PeckChris & Al!

Patty Woods Wilson Sporting

Goods

Mike KuehneWilson Sporting

Goods

The Chaffee Family

Tom, Carole, and Deanna

Gallo

Craig“Taters”

Cunningham

Kevin KollinsKids’ Day

PA AnnouncerJack McClure

Marla & Ted Goldberg

McHenry West High School

All the Gerardi

Companies

Gary Gribble

Phill FosterCatherine Taylor

Jack DeLoss - Taylor Charitable

Trust

Tony @Players Sports

Jason SiokChicago Bulls

David HeerenUBS

Ken WegnerThe Jel SertCompany

Dave Danowski& Dan Mullin

Rebecca Palumbo -

you’re a god

Lea JackmanWDSRA

Nancy MinerWDSRA

Randy CecolaTriumph

Packaging

Virginia Munkvold

ISBA

The Parquet Page

A parquet basketball floor is made up of many wooden squares that combine to make a bas-ketball floor. Similarly, the Wheelchair Bulls organization is composed of many people and companies who through their efforts make our organization one of the strongest in the league. Without their support, we could never accomplish so many feats. This page is dedicated to them.


GOOD LUCK

TO

JOE GERARDI AND THE

CHICAGO WHEELCHAIR BULLS

VICTOR A. GERARDIPRESIDENT

170-A ALEXANDRA WAY CAROL STREAM, IL 60188630-510-2434 FAX 630-510-9255

no cover proof of 2012 - 2013 chicago wheelchair bulls program

Documents

buffalo grove firefghters

comparable disability resulting

complete spinal injury

black team held

windy city warriors

chicago wheelchair bulls

wheelchair basketball

wheelchair bulls