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Team History
The Charlottesville Cardinals wheelchair basketball team was formed in early 1980 by six local athletes in the Charlottesville area. The team was created to provide athletes with disabilities an opportunity for exercise and competitive recreation, and to educate the general public concerning the capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Since its formation, over 375 area athletes with disabilities have participated with the Cardinals and they have performed in front of over 45,000 people across the U.S. and Canada. The team was initially sponsored by the Therapeutic Recreation Program of the City of Charlottesville. Later, a local center for independent living, the Independence Resource Center, helped sponsor the team. Most of the team's funds come from contributions and from the players themselves. The Cardinals compete in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) which consists of about 180 teams in North America. Many of the teams are sponsored by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NWBA has five divisions. Championship Division which consists of only about 70 teams, Intercollegiate Division which has men and women teams and consists of about 15 teams, Women's Division which has about 10 teams, Junior Division which has about 70 teams, Division III which has about 70, but is a developmental league and restricts the number of less disabled players on the court. All five divisions plays by NCAA rules. Now in their 29th season, the Cardinals will field a Championship Division team. This past season the Cardinals squad finished ranked 10th in the nation, and made it to the "THE Sweet Sixteen" before losing to the Shepherd Stealers by one point in a nail biter. They begin the 2009-10 season ranked 10 in the country but have fallen to 12th. The Cardinals perform numerous demonstrations at schools, churches, and community events to educate the general public concerning the abilities of people with disabilities. They have also assisted numerous community groups raise funds for various causes throughout the years. In 1982, members of the Cardinals formed a local advocacy group for people with disabilities that eventually became the Independence Resource Center, one of sixteen centers for independent living in central Virginia. Members of the Cardinals still serve on both the staff and Board of Directors of the Independence Resource Center. The Cardinals line-up includes men and women, young and old. The youngest current player is 17, and the oldest is (we stop counting). Throughout their existence, the Charlottesville Cardinals have remained committed to their mission of eliminating attitudinal barriers towards people with disabilities by energetically demonstrating their "abilities", rather than "disabilities", on the basketball court. |
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