Mary Free Bed’s Sled Hockey Teams Headed to National Tournament
The Grand Rapids Sled Wings are bound for Nationals! The Junior and Adult teams are packing up their gear and competing in the USA Sled Hockey National Championship this weekend. The Junior Sled Wings, young athletes ages 13-18, have had recent success in tournaments, winning their home tournament, the Griff’s Sled Hockey Classic, in March. […]
Fifth-ranked Mary Free Bed Pacers to play for national championship
The Mary Free Bed Pacers wheelchair basketball team is ranked fifth in the country and is heading to Wichita, Kansas to compete for the national championship. The Junior Pacers also will compete on the national stage, which means 20 athletes from West Michigan will make the trip. Both teams had their last practice this week […]
Griff’s Sled Hockey Classic draws 200+ athletes with disabilities to Grand Rapids
Twenty-two teams from seven states will hit the ice this weekend for Griff’s Sled Hockey Classic, the region’s largest tournament of its kind. Hosted by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports and the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation, the tournament also serves as the league championship. When: Friday, March 18 through Sunday, March 20 […]
Wheelchair basketball tournament returns to Grand Rapids after nearly two years
About 70 athletes from across the country will compete this weekend in the Mary Free Bed Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. For many of the teams, the event marks the first return to tournament play since the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellations almost two years ago. Seven teams from two competitive divisions are scheduled to compete, including […]
Wheelchair, handcycle racers return for Amway River Bank Run
Grand Rapids, Mich. – After cancellation of the in-person race in 2020 and postponement of the 2021 event from May to October, racers are excited and ready for the 44th Amway River Bank Run. Over two dozen wheelchair and handcycle athletes from across the United States will compete on Saturday. The River Bank Run is […]
Rec Therapy, Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports manager Maria Besta honored with Community Service Award
Disability advocate Maria Besta’s efforts to strengthen opportunities for people with disabilities have been recognized with the 2021 Community Service Award by the Grand Rapids Chapter of American Business Clubs. Besta, who manages Mary Free Bed’s Recreational Therapy department and Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports Program, accepted the award this week in front of her family, […]
Ms. Wheelchair America makes a comeback
Grand Rapids, MI – Thirty contestants from across the country are grateful to participate in this year’s 50th Annual Ms. Wheelchair America competition. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation, and it seemed history might repeat itself again. Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital leaders couldn’t let that happen. The two organizations combined forces to […]
Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Returns to Grand Rapids
Over 40 wheelchair tennis athletes are competing in Grand Rapids at the 2021 Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship. This tournament, presented by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports, is highly competitive and features athletes with great stories of all levels of experience from Paralympians to hometown heroes. When: Tournament play begins at 9:00am Friday, July […]
Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp: ‘You feel like you belong’
When Sule Christiansen arrived for the fourth time at Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, she once again felt welcomed. “Everyone is so nice, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Sule, 18, who traveled from Plymouth to Grand Valley State University in Allendale. “You feel like you belong, because there are so many kids just like […]
Paralympians lead charge in River Bank Run handcycle, wheelchair divisions
Two Paralympians are among the elite athletes to compete in the 41st annual River Bank Run on Saturday in downtown Grand Rapids. Aaron Pike and Tom Davis will hit speeds of more than 18 mph, making the wheelchair and handcycle divisions two of the event’s most exciting races. Davis, who represented Team USA in the […]
Grand Rapids Sled Wings capture national championship
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Sled Wings clinched its first sled hockey national championship during the 2017 USA Hockey Disabled Festival April 6-9 in San Jose, Calif. The Sled Wings defeated the Colorado Warrior Avalanche, 5-2, in the title game. The Sled Wings, a team of Michigan athletes with physical disabilities, are sponsored […]
NASC members raise thousands for Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports
Grand Rapids, Mich. — The National Association of Sports Commissions’ (NASC) Sports Legacy Fund on Thursday, April 7, 2016, presented $27,000 to Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Program (WAS). The money was raised during the 24th NASC Sports Event Symposium hosted April 3-7 in downtown Grand Rapids. It is the highest-ever amount of any NASC Sports […]
Sled Wings Susie Kluting earns fourth selection to U.S.A. women’s sled hockey team
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Forward Susie Kluting from the Grand Rapids Sled Wings adult sled hockey team has been named to the 2015-16 U.S. Women’s Sled Hockey Team. This season will mark the fourth time that Kluting has represented her country. She spent two years on the squad from 2011-13 then was an alternate in […]