Student gears up for tourney action
Will Van Vroonhoven can’t wait to get out on the court this weekend.
The 16-year-old Hillcrest High School student will be competing in the Firstport Activ8 Powerchair Football Tournament on Sunday, alongside his Parafed Waikato teammates.
Powerchair football is just like regular football, only it is played on a full-sized basketball court with an extra large football. And the players are in powered wheelchairs.
There are four players on each team, no goalies, no contact and no offsides.
Will has been in a wheelchair for the past four years. He has duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
He got his first wheelchair in 2012, but was still walking short distances up until about four years ago. He said he’ll probably spend the rest of his life in a chair.
Powerchair football lets him be active, set goals and achieve them.
‘‘I just like being on a team. I’ve made some friends that I can talk to and it’s nice to get out there and play a sport.’’
The idea is to kick and pass the ball between players, similar to regular football, except players use their chairs to push and flick the ball.
The strategies are the same as any court sport. Players must mark the opposition, find space, call and talk.
It is non-contact, although there is still a bit of bashing and crashing, Will said.
It’s pretty safe, he said. It would be rare for someone to tip over. To play, Will bolts a frame on to his regular day chair. However, his goal is to buy a purposebuilt chair, which will allow him to go faster. The specialty chairs cost about $10,000.
Will’s dad, Peter Van Vroonhoven, is the co-ordinator for powerchair football in the Waikato and the chairman of the organising committee for this weekend’s tournament.
Peter said the sport has given Will more independence and the chance to be competitive, like his brothers.
‘‘It’s fantastic to have Will out there playing a sport.
‘‘His three older brothers all played representative hockey, but playing a representative sport is something we hadn’t planned on for Will. It allows me to support him in the same way I supported his brothers when they played hockey, just getting