Whether it’s West Monroe, Little Rock, Los Angeles or Atlanta, the dreams of wheelchair athletes remain the same: compete for your friends, teammates and family, for not just trophies, but to show the world that adaptive sports is the window to those things that put special needs individuals on an even playing field. With lessons in teamwork, doing your job to the best of your abilities, and persevering in the face of adversity, adaptive sports are so important in the lives of those involved and those that could potentially get involved in the future.

I was first introduced to adaptive athletics through Rapides Parish Adaptive P.E. teacher Pam Carey and statewide track and field competitions for physically and visually impaired athletes.

Those early experiences sparked my own journey and love for adaptive sports. Track and field opened doors for many wheelchair athletes in Louisiana, helping us make connections and discover other opportunities, including wheelchair basketball. I personally found success in shot put and discus and spent some time experimenting with wheelchair racing. But in the fall of 2001, everything changed when Pam invited my mom to bring me to Alexandria to watch a wheelchair basketball tournament. From that moment on, I was hooked.

There was one adult team in South Louisiana and one in Jackson, MS. at that time but no junior teams for anyone in North Louisiana to play on.

I soon found a team in Hot Springs to play on and for the next three years would have the time of my life learning teamwork, problem solving. Some of which involved trouble shooting things in the road as we sometimes drove and sometimes navigated airports traveling around the country with this wonderful sport.

Discover Monroe-West Monroe saw early on the potential benefits to the entire area, and specifically the special needs community, in hosting a wheelchair basketball tournament such as a NWBA regional or the National Championships. The only thing missing was the right venue.

Then the City of West Monroe and Mayor Staci Mitchell partnered with Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Ouachita Parish Police Jury to deliver the final piece to the puzzle in 2024 with the opening of the state-of-the-art West Monroe Sports & Event Center.

This 110,000 square foot venue features 8 courts along with a kitchen, concession on two levels, team meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms that can be used in a variety of ways. It also has elevators to the second level, ADA-compliant bathrooms throughout, concessions that feature grab-and-go items accessible to para-athletes, and every seating area will have accessible tables.

All the preparations and hard work from Discover Monroe-West Monroe along with the many volunteers that make such an event run smoothly will be on full display. With a first-class event can come future opportunities. There is a world of track & field, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair soccer, and more that can be tapped into and that can’t happen without the support of our community. Volunteer opportunities are available. So, grab a friend, load up a family member or friend who is disabled and come watch some of the world’s best wheelchair basketball players do what they love to do right here in our backyard.

This isn’t just a NWBA event, it’s our event. It’s our duty to give it our all for current and coming generations to have the stage to showcase their talents for us to and showcase all that is good in Northeast Louisiana.

The only thing for us to say on the bayou is

Laissez Les bons temps rouler!