North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By JOHN SMITHSON
Last Saturday afternoon before the NFL games got underway for the weekend, I dropped by to watch the Coastal Chairmen wheelchair basketball team take on the Port City Spokesmen from Wilmington, N.C., another team in the Carolina Wheelchair Basketball Conference.
The Carolina conference is part of a group of teams from the Carolinas that play each year in conference games and then compete in their conference tournament, this year scheduled for March 18 and 19 in Raleigh, N.C.
The Chairmen play their home (and away) games at the Aquatic Center. They usually play two games anytime they are scheduled to meet another team, to save on travel costs.
They also travel to other conference locations for other scheduled games.
On Saturday the Chairmen won their first game 57-38 and the second by a 55-32 score. They are now 10-0 this season.
Coach Jesse Lind stated that his team is looking forward to the tournament.
“We have finished second in the tournament the last two years. We get to the final game and can’t seem to win it. We are hoping to break that string this year,” Lind said.
If you would like to see the team in action, they will be back at the Aquatic Center on Feb. 5, for games against the RCRC Lightning from Columbia, S.C.
The wheelchair basketball conference is part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and the team is sponsored locally by the non-profit Coastal Adaptive Sports. Lind stated that it’s imperative to have sponsors because it costs around $3000 to fund the team’s operations, travel expenses, referees and other costs.
