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Tag: Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports

Push, Pedal, Win! Wheelchair and Handcycle Athletes Glide into River Bank Run

This weekend, racers of all abilities are heading to downtown Grand Rapids for the 47th annual Amway River Bank Run. The wheelchair and handcycle athletes are ready to compete, as the divisions welcome 30 athletes coming from West Michigan and across the nation. The River Bank Run is the largest road race in the country, […]

Mary Free Bed Hosts Michigan’s First Power Soccer Tournament

Local athletes have been waiting for it. Michigan has its first power soccer tournament right here in Grand Rapids. The Inaugural Overdrive Power Soccer Invitational Tournament presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union will feature nearly 50 athletes and coaches in the fastest growing sport on four wheels. Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program […]

Rolling to the Hoop: Youth Wheelchair Basketball Glides into Grand Rapids

This weekend, young athletes will hit the courts for Mary Free Bed’s 24th annual Keep Up the Pace tournament. The junior wheelchair basketball tournament features over 50 athletes, ages 7 – 18 with various physical disabilities. The tournament is hosted by the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program. Six different teams are traveling […]

Camp is in Session: Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is back

It’s the highlight of their summer! Mary Free Bed’s Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is back in action. Kids and teens age 7-18 will take over Grand Valley State University’s campus playing sports like basketball, lacrosse and tennis. Every year camp provides the chance for kids to come together through adaptive sports to try new activities, […]

Local Paralympian & Admired Veteran Returns to West Michigan

Our Family® Brand Spokesperson Melissa Stockwell Visits Patients and Staff at Mary Free Bed Melissa Stockwell, West Michigan native and three-time medal winning Paralympian, brought her story back home thanks to a partnership with SpartanNash and Our Family®. She visited patients and hospital staff at Mary Free Bed and lead a keynote speaking engagement, which […]

Wheelchair and Para-Standing Tennis Action Returns with Tournament

Wheelchair and para-standing tennis athletes are competing in Grand Rapids at the 2023 Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championships, presented by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. This highly competitive tournament has been in Grand Rapids for over 30 years. It will be hosted at MVP Athletic Club – Crahen and features athletes with all levels […]

Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports Receives $50,000 Grant from The Hartford

Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports was awarded a $50,000 grant from The Hartford for new adaptive sports equipment. The grant enabled the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program, a member of the Move United member network, to purchase adaptive sports equipment, including seven handcycles and three sports wheelchairs for the inpatient […]

Grand Rapids Hosts Sled Hockey Competition for over 250 Athletes

Sled Hockey is back in Grand Rapids! Twenty-four teams are traveling from eight states for this weekend’s Griff’s Sled Hockey Classic. With over 250 athletes, it’s the region’s largest tournament of its kind. The competition is hosted by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports and serves as the league championship for the adult league. […]

Griffins & Sled Wings Sled Hockey Game Returns

Renewing one of the most unique events anywhere involving a pro sports team, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Grand Rapids Sled Wings will play their 16th annual sled hockey game presented by Meijer on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park (30 Coldbrook St. NE). The doors will open at […]

Pickleball Legend Leads Clinic for Adaptive Athletes on World Pickleball Day

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the world, has made its way to wheelchair and adaptive athletes in Grand Rapids. October 10 was World Pickleball Day, and a legend of the sport paid Grand Rapids a visit to host an adaptive pickleball clinic with Mary Free Bed for athletes with disabilities. The legend was Seymour […]

MFB Camp Instructor Competes with Team USA in World Championship

Gabe Den Braber, a 22-year-old from Grand Rapids, is competing with Team USA at the Men’s U23 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Thailand. Gabe was born with spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal cord didn’t form properly and has affected his lower limbs and his ability to walk. In 2014, when Gabe was […]

Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is in Session

Fifty kids with varying abilities are preparing for the much-awaited summer tradition of Mary Free Bed’s Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp. Campers ages 7-18 will participate in sports like lacrosse, kayaking and basketball. Campers and staff alike look forward to this week every year for the unique opportunity to spend time enjoying adaptive activities with their […]

Tournament Brings Wheelchair Tennis Athletes to Grand Rapids

Wheelchair tennis athletes are competing in Grand Rapids at the 2022 Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Championship, presented by Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. This highly competitive, local tournament hosts athletes with inspiring stories and all levels of experience – from beginners to professionals. New this year, the tournament has added standing adaptive divisions for […]

Wheelchair Softball Action was Back with a Tournament in Grand Rapids

America’s favorite pastime is in full swing, and last weekend’s tournament was a home run for everyone. After a four-year hiatus, the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair Softball Tournament had a full lineup and knocked it out of the park. The tournament was hosted at the Mary Free Bed YMCA and played on their outdoor wheelchair […]

Local Golfers Hit the Fairway FORE! a Great Cause

The 2022 Mary Fee Bed Open was another enjoyable and successful day the course! Despite a few sprinkles and the chance of rain throughout the day, the golfing community showed up. The Mary Free Bed Open sells out annually, and this year was no exception.  We welcomed 220 community members representing 50 area businesses and […]

Local Paralympian Honored at Mary Free Bed Golf Outing

During a break in play at the annual Mary Free Bed Open golf outing, long-time coach and athlete Lee Montgomery was surprised and honored with the announcement of a sponsorship fund in his name. The Lee Montgomery Athlete Assistance Fund was established thanks to the generosity of The Meijer Foundation. Montgomery is a former employee […]

Wheelchair & Handcycles Pumped and Ready for 45th Amway River Bank Run

After two years, the 45th Amway River Bank Run is back in May, and the wheelchair and handcycle athletes couldn’t be more excited and ready to compete. Over 35 wheelchair and handcycle athletes from across the United States, Canada and Spain will travel to Grand Rapids to race on Saturday. The largest road race in […]

Power Soccer Chair Challenge Kicks into ‘Overdrive’ with Lori’s Voice

Mary Free Bed’s power soccer team needs your help! The Overdrive power soccer team is raising money to replace its aging power chairs with new ones. Overdrive travels and competes nationally, and new chairs will keep the growing team competitive. Power soccer is played by people who use power chairs for daily mobility; it’s one […]

‘Bikes for the Rest Us’ Gives Freedom on Wheels

Last weekend, over 50 children and adults with disabilities were introduced to adaptive bicycling. Thanks to Mary Free Bed’s “Bikes for the Rest of Us” event, participants were given a new lease on freedom and mobility. At the event, pre-registered participants were paired with therapists who assisted in matching their physical needs to the most […]

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 […]

Bikes for the Rest of Us matches participants with adaptive bikes

More than 70 adults and children with disabilities have been introduced to adaptive bicycling, thanks to the Mary Free Bed Guild. Pre-registered families were paired with therapists matched their physical need with the most appropriate bicycle. Airway Oxygen, West Michigan Bike and Fitness, AMBUCS and Creative Mobility provided the biking equipment. Every rider also was […]

Kyle’s love for Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports moves donors to raise $300,000

The COVID-19 pandemic did little to deter supporters of Mary Free Bed from celebrating its mission to restore hope and freedom. While “Thrive,” the Foundation’s annual gala, looked a little different this year, the result was the same. Instead of one large event attended by hundreds of people, the Foundation offered opportunities for sponsors to […]

Campers enjoy Junior Wheelchair Sports Field Day

Twenty-five campers are having a ball this week at Junior Wheelchair Sports Field Day, a smaller version of Mary Free Bed Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports’ annual weeklong camp for kids with disabilities. That event, held the past 35 years, was canceled for safety reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was very important to us […]

Recreational power soccer team forming for power wheelchair users

Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports program is gearing up to add power soccer to its roster of teams for people with disabilities. It will join more than 250 teams from around the world competing in one of the fastest-growing sports on four wheels. Power soccer is the first competitive team sport designed for […]

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 […]