ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Members from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg participated in the Gulf Coast Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament at the Thomas “Jet” Jackson Recreation Center in St Petersburg, Saturday.
Therapeutic Sports Ministry held the tournament and pared professional wheelchair basketball teams like the Orlando Magic Wheels-Championship Team against non-professional teams like Team Coast Guard.
Coast Guard members strapped into sports-designed wheelchairs and played basketball from a new perspective.
“This was a good event; it raise good awareness and it’s good for the community,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Lyon, a crewmember at the sector who played in the tournament. “I have a lot of respect for people in wheelchairs; it was hard."