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closeOne local mom is asking for the people of Houston County’s help.
She doesn’t want money donations or volunteer hours. All Mary Lou Wiggins wants is for people to attend the last home game for the Sharks.
The Sharks is the adaptive sports team for the Houston County school system. Its last regular season game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Bonaire Middle School. Admission is free.
The Sharks are now playing handball. Basketball follows, and then they play football in the spring.
Members, regardless of their disability, are all in wheelchairs. For handball, the sport seems to combine techniques from both soccer and basketball.
Six players are on the court at one time, using a ball similar to a volleyball. Players can use their hands to make goals, but time is limited for how long they can hold onto the ball.
Wiggins’ son, Jeffery, a 10th-grader at Warner Robins High School, has been a member of the Sharks since last spring. Wiggins said she initially was hesitant about letting her son, who suffered a stroke at 7 months and has limited ability in his left arm, participate, until she watched a game.
“Now he just loves it. He is constantly on the court, and he is contributing to a team,” she said.
Not only has he contributed, but Jeffery Wiggins has been the team savior on at least one occasion.
Tied 2-2 against the DeKalb Eagles after overtime, the Sharks were forced into penalty shots. He blocked all five of the opponent’s shots and then scored the only shot for the Sharks, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.
It was a season that almost wasn’t when state funding for the program was cut this summer.
But after being flooded with calls and e-mails from parents who believe school sports programs should be for all children, the decision was reversed.
“The Sharks are a way for me to help others get motivated and to work with other kids as a team,” Jeffery Wiggins said. “That is the most important thing about the Sharks. It is not about athletic ability but about being part of a team.”
After the last regular season game at Bonaire Middle on Saturday, the Sharks will travel to Atlanta for the championship game.
The basketball program will start in January, and the Sharks team is always looking for new members. For more information about joining the Sharks, contact Bonaire Middle School’s Christy Jones at christy.jones@hcbe.net.
“We might have disabilities,” Jeffery Wiggins said. “but we are as much athletes as anyone.”
Contact Alline Kent at allinekent@cox.net or 396-2467.
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