Sportable, a local non-profit adaptive sports organization, is partnering with VCU’s Center of Sport Leadership to host “Sportable at the STU,” a corporate wheelchair basketball tournament. The event is aimed at promoting Sportable’s mission of creating opportunities and transforming lives for individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments.
"We are excited to partner with the Center for Sport Leadership at VCU again for this event,” said Grace Davis, Sportable's Development Director. "Giving the Richmond corporate community the opportunity to experience wheelchair basketball really brings our mission to life. We are incredibly thankful to our partners at CSL for making this possible."
The CSL has a long partnership with Sportable and their executive director Hunter Leemon, a 2009 CSL graduate.
Twelve local businesses in the Richmond community have sponsored a team that will compete in the tournament on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Several of these team sponsors include C&F Bank, Dominion Energy, Hourigan, Old Dominion Insulation, Patient First, Rebkee, Timmons, VCU Health, Sheltering Arms and Union Bank.
"Sport has an incredible ability to bring people together, and it has been an amazing experience developing this event with Sportable. Everyone is excited to provide an opportunity for members in the Richmond community to experience a new perspective of the adaptive sports world, even if only for a few hours." - Kelli Buhrdorf, CSL gradaute student.
Pool play will begin at noon with each team being divided among three different pools, and tournament play will begin at 3 p.m., immediately following pool play. Teams will qualify to compete in either the NCAA bracket or the NIT bracket. Seeding within each bracket will be determined by a team’s performance and record during pool play. In addition to the competition, players and company spectators present will be able to enjoy a day filled with food, drinks, music and games. Other activities such as cornhole and Jenga will be available for participants to play.
Only two teams will be able to take home a championship trophy at the end of the tournament, but everyone will experience a day filled with competition, camaraderie and new perspectives on adaptive sport.