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Tag: wheelchair sports

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, […]

Wheelchair and Handcycles Geared up for Amway River Bank Run

It’s time for the 46th annual Amway River Bank Run and the wheelchair and handcycle athletes are ready to compete. Nearly 30 athletes from West Michigan and across the national will travel to downtown Grand Rapids to race on Saturday. River Bank Run is the largest road race in the country, and the only race […]

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 […]

New Adaptive Cheerleading Team breaks barriers, builds friendships

The Mary Free Bed All Stars Adaptive Cheerleading team boasts enthusiasm and spirit to spare. The newest team organized by Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports is made up of enthusiastic young athletes with physical or cognitive impairments that prevent participation in able-bodied cheer. “A cheerleading team was a missing piece of our program, and it has […]

Mary Free Bed alumnus Bryan Barten heading to Paralympics in Rio

Bryan Barten will be the first to tell you he’s an athlete. And actually, he is a top athlete. In September, he will represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Barten, 42, a Hart, Mich., native who now lives in Tucson, Ariz., is one of the best wheelchair tennis players in […]

Preschool Sampler gives sports-lover Greyson introduction to team play

Greyson Gibbs is an energetic first grader who loves sports and playing with his friends. His participation in the Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Program’s new Preschool Sampler offers him the best of both worlds. “He loves all the games they play and seeing all of his friends on a weekly basis,” said Greyson’s mom, Leigh. […]

New fencing team challenges athletes physically, mentally

Tim Volkers loves swordplay. He’s a fan of “Zorro,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Star Wars” (yes, a lightsaber can be considered a sword). And now he’s wielding one himself. Tim is a member of Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports’ new fencing team, organized this year following success of the program’s adaptive […]

Mary Free Bed YMCA a global first for accessibility

Thursday, December 3, marked the start of an exciting new chapter in accessibility and opportunity. The West Michigan community — including many representatives from Mary Free Bed — came together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the much-anticipated Mary Free Bed YMCA. This first-of-its-kind Y is the first health and wellness facility in the world to […]

2015 Fifth Third River Bank Run wrap-up [Photos & Video]

Congratulations to everyone who rolled, ran or walked through a very rainy — but exciting! — Fifth Third River Bank Run on Saturday, May 9, in downtown Grand Rapids. Below is a wrap-up of Mary Free Bed’s 2015 River Bank Run experience, including photos, video and news coverage. Thank you to our handcycle and wheelchair […]

Mary Free Bed YMCA to have universal design and LEED certification

Guest Blog by Bryan Koehn, @bwkoehn ProgressiveAE Principal, Director of Design The greatest of all ideas are universal. They transcend the boundaries of age, ability, location, or financial situation. They are brilliantly simple, yet inherently complicated. The greatest of ideas are dreamt by few, understood by many, and accessible to all. The Mary Free Bed […]

River Bank Run with Mary Free Bed handcycle and wheelchair athletes

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is proud to sponsor the Fifth Third River Bank Run Wheelchair & Handcycle divisions. The following videos show you first-hand what it’s like to train and race on a handcycle or wheelchair. Please contact Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports if you’re interested in being involved with the team. #MFBRollin | #53RBR – Join […]

Wheelchair basketball coach & player earns spot in national hall of fame

Lee Montgomery — a wheelchair basketball player and coach of Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports’ basketball teams, the Junior Pacers and the Adult Pacers — recently was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. The coach’s relationship with Mary Free Bed spans more than 5 decades. Coach Lee, 57, was born with limb differences […]

The FAQs of handcycling and wheelchair racing

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is proud to sponsor the wheelchair and handcycle divisions of the Fifth Third River Bank Run for 26 years and support the Grand Rapids community. Below you’ll find some frequently asked questions about the Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports team, wheelchair racing, handcycling and how to be involved. 1. How long […]

Mary Free Bed Guild Proud to Support Wheelchair and Handcyclists

  The Mary Free Bed Guild was a proud sponsor of the 36th Annual Fifth Third River Bank Run’s Wheelchair and Handcycle Divisions. This year, 29 handcyclists and 13 wheelchair racers competed in front of an estimated 38,000-plus spectators. View this video to view highlights of the race.

Former Mary Free Bed patients to compete in Fifth Third River Bank Run

On Saturday, May 12, 2012, thousands will come together to make history in the Fifth Third River Bank Run in downtown Grand Rapids. This year’s event celebrates the River Bank Run’s 35th race, and will involve more than 21,000 athletes – including those who compete from wheelchairs and handcycles – in the largest 25k race […]

Patient helps other amputees by starting support group

by Kate Snider In July 2002, Dennis Vandereist’s car was struck by another vehicle, hit a fire hydrant and rolled. Dennis, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle, his left leg was pinned between the driver’s door and the ground. Dennis was taken to Holland Hospital, then flown to Spectrum Health where doctors tried […]