Nomination for 2008 Jr Athlete of 2008

Sports N Spokes Magazine invited Bridge II Sports to nominate a Jr Athlete of 2008. More on Sports N Spokes Magazine: http://www.pvamagazines.com/sns/

I talked to a few people and decided to nominate Deja, from the Wheels of Steel basketball team in Raleigh. Congratulations Deja, you definitely deserve this recognition.

On a related topic, I just heard from Bridge II Sports' executive director that an organization in Atlanta is going to pay for girls to attend a camp in Atlanta. I am going to get more details and post them here soon. So look for that soon.

Below is why Deja was nominated:

Deja is a 12-year-old in eighth grade who plays basketball with the Wheels of Steel team managed by Bridge II Sports in North Carolina. She is also an accomplished wheelchair bowler, who regularly places in competitions.

Each week, she is there for basketball practice. As her coach, I have never heard her complain, even though her wheelchair is not the best for playing the sport. Her attitude is excellent, even when she isn't feeling the best because of complications due to her cerebral palsy.

She led the team in her division and was the captain of the team during the 2007-2008 season. While Deja was the team captain, she always kept her teammates in line with jokes, or with encouraging words.

When I needed someone to fill in with the higher age bracket team during a tournament, she did it without question, even though she wasn't used to playing with much older kids. I could tell she was a little anxious about this new experience, but she soldiered through it.

After the game was over, she made a special effort to thank me for the unexpected opportunity to play with the older age division. Her graciousness and sportsmanship is equaled by her sense of humor. She never lets anything get her down, and is always ready with a smile and a laugh. Deja maximizes her abilities while other players don't try half as hard.

When Bridge II Sports hosted a local Junior Paralympics Trial and offered practices for the weeks leading up to the trial, Deja attended despite the fact that she was too old to compete. Her goal was to improve herself and learn more sports-related skills, and grow stronger as a player.

I believe she accomplished this goal, and it was one of the highlights of the event to see her progress. She participated in tennis and made an amazing amount of improvement in a short time, despite her specific physical disability making it more of a challenge for her.

Deja would be an excellent and well-deserving winner of this recognition. She consistently demonstrates the kind of qualities that an athlete of the year should have.


--David Pletcher