Long Beach State students gathered at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to play a variety of inclusive sports, Wednesday.
The event included opportunities for students who don’t use wheelchairs to experience what it’s like to play badminton and basketball while being in one.
“This is an eye-opening experience for people,” said Anthony Almeida, Associated Students Inc. representative and host of the event.
Almeida said the SRWC wanted students to interact with each other and have fun, but also recognize the struggles that disabled students face.
“It’s important that [students] get to experience playing basketball or badminton on a wheelchair. We want them to know how challenging it can be,” Almeida said.
First-year mechanical engineering major Dewey Hoglund stopped by the SRWC to play basketball with other students. Hoglund said that the inclusive sports event was his first time playing in a wheelchair, but will not be his last.
“It’s really fun,” Hoglund said. “It was hard at the beginning because I’ve never played in a wheelchair before so trying to maneuver was hard, but once I got the hang of it, it was really fun and competitive.”
Another student who attended the event was Dareth Bojorquez, fourth-year kinesiology major. She said that playing basketball was more fun than badminton because there was more movement involved.
“Basketball was easier after a few minutes,” Bojorquez said. “In badminton, I was just sitting there and it was hard to move quickly.”
Bojorquez said that she didn’t feel as tired as she would if she played without the wheelchair, but her upper body was sorer.
“I would recommend it, it’s challenging but it’s fun and worth the experience,” Bojorquez said.