Steampunk assist the women wheelchairs basketball national team


Every Tuesday and Friday a few Steampunk members go to "Aviv arena" which is next to our school and assist the women wheelchairs basketball national team by bringing the wheelchairs to the court, bringing the balls, filling the tiers etc.

The women wheelchairs basketball national team, that is the only team of its kind in Israel, started to practice on April 2009 and after 2 months moved its practices to Aviv arena which is now its home arena. It now consist 19 players from a wide range of ages and physical disabilities. Some of the players have played basketball before they first entered the team, what makes the game harder for them than for the other players. As it plays in the 3rd league for wheelchairs teams, the team's goals are the Olympic Games in London in 2012, and the Europe Championship in Raanana in 2011.

Since June 2009, Every Tuesday and Friday few Steampunk members go to "Aviv arena", which is next to our school, for 2.5 hours and assist the team. In Tuesday the practice starts at 5pm and ends at 6:30pm, and in Friday it starts at 11am and ends at 12:30am, what forces us to miss classes. Of course we arrive in the arena half an hour before the practice starts. We bring the wheelchairs to the court from the storeroom, bring the balls and a compressor from our lab, where they're kept, fill the tiers with air if needed etc.

In the team's home games, as well as bringing all of the equipment to the court, we do the statistics, and we are being the Game Officials, what demands more people. To the foreign games of the team, wherever they are held, we go with the girls. Before the team leaves in the bus we load it with the wheelchairs, and when arriving we unload it. After the game ends we load the chairs and unload them back in Raanana.

Together with us, another group assists the team. The group is the "A.L.S" (Abilities Localization for Success) class in our school. The "A.L.S" students are the ones who the school gives the greatest educational help for. We, as members of the robotics team, help them to overcome the difficulties by making them serve the community, with us. As the Steampunk members, they bring the equipment to the court, take part as the Game Officials, and even go with the team to foreign games.

"I honestly thank you for everything you do, all the time and efforts that you put on us" said one of the players.

In addition, another player said: "We really appreciate all the things that you do for us, if it's bringing the balls or cheering us in the games".

"We will welcome every player that would like to join us, it doesn't matter what she knows about basketball" said the manager of the team.