When it comes to the annual Big Wheels Basketball Tournament, Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset is certain of two inevitable outcomes: an outpouring of community solidarity and tender, exhausted fingers.
“It’s a fun day even if there’s a lot of blisters to be had,” Nasset said. “I’ve walked out of there with blisters on every finger.”
Nasset and the Kalispell Police Department have sent a team to the basketball tournament for several years. It operates much like any other basketball event, but with one exception: All players hustle up and down the court in wheelchairs, whether they use them in their daily life or not.
This levels the playing field and helps bond different parts of the valley’s community, according to Missy Henderson of the Special Friends Advocacy Program.
Special Friends has been hosting the tournament for 24 years as its major fundraiser, Henderson said, and the competition draws teams from all over the state. This year, the tournament festivities begin April 9.
Henderson said the tournament can host as many as 12 teams and some come from as far away asBillings.
The advocacy program focuses on people with developmental disabilities. Henderson and a two-person team help their clients work toward financial independence and also has a program to match clients with a friend from the community, much like the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
The Special Friends group also takes monthly trips to places like Glacier National Park and the Izaak Walton Inn, which they might not otherwise be able to do if they don’t have family in the area, Henderson said.
The program also supports the Kalispell chapter of the People First of Montana advocacy program and a program to educate its members on women’s health issues.
Other than money from United Way, the program receives no federal or state funding, Henderson said, so the basketball tournament plays a vital role in the success of her clients.
But the tournament is also just fun, Henderson and Nasset noted. Teams can play up to five games, which last 40 minutes each. Wheelchair sports hit the mainstream with the popular 2005 documentary, “Murderball,” which chronicled the lives of wheelchair-bound rugby players.
One of these players, Steve Pate, played in the Big Wheels tournament last year, Henderson said. Other teams have included the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department, the fire departments and teams from Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
The tournament also features a Big Wheels Ball April 9, the night before the action starts, held at the Elks Lodge from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The ball features the talents of local artist André Floyd and will have a silent auction. There is also a raffle for a grizzly bear serigraph piece by Rob Stern from the Samarah Fine Art gallery in Whitefish.
As a member of the Special Friends team, “People First Patrol,” Kathy Rose plans on bringing her A-game to both the ball and the tournament. Rose is a basketball fan outside of the event and does not normally use a wheelchair, but said she particularly likes these games.
Getting together with people from the community and meeting new friends is probably the best part, Rose said. It also helps that there’s usually a big crowd cheering the athletes on as they power up and down the court, she noted.
“It’s hard: by the time you get finished your hands are sore,” Rose said.
Her team won two games last year, but played with plenty of spunk. This will be her third time taking to the court, Rose said.
Nasset said his department hasn’t put a team together quite yet, but hopes to enter this year’s tournament. It’s a good opportunity to work for the valley’s disabled community, Nasset said, and give the officers a unique chance to interact with the wheelchair-bound.
It’s also a good opportunity to level the playing field, Nasset said, something that is much tougher than it looks. Other than bringing a good attitude and having fun, the police chief gave some pointed advice for potential teams.
“Bring lots of tape for your fingers and some gloves,” Nasset said.
For more information, interested teams can call Missy Henderson at Special Friends Advocacy, 756-5488. There is a $500 entry fee for a team with sponsors or $150 per person. Raffle tickets for the artwork cost $5 each or five for $20. Tournament play takes place on April 10 at Edgerton School, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.