There are very few sports where people of all ages and sizes can compete alongside each other. Gangball, also known as wheelchair rugby, is one of those.
Gangball splits members into two teams and is played on a basketball court. The court has a pair of cones on each side of the baseline and is considered the end zone. The objective is to pass a volleyball to your teammates and either roll between the cones or pass it to your teammates sitting in the end zone.
“After you play, you will be tired,” Bellingham’s gangball leader Jeff Bergman said. “We don’t keep score anymore, you just go up and down the court and play.”
Competitors finished gangball’s fall schedule Monday, Dec. 16 and the city of Bellingham will provide it in the winter from 4-6 p.m. every Monday at the Bloedel Donovan Park community building. The winter season starts Jan. 6 and runs to March 31, excluding Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and March 17. The sport is free to all and wheelchairs are available to use. There is no limit of competitors who can play at once. However, if the court is too packed, players may have to sit a certain time frame and take turns with other players to free up space on the court.
There is no fee to gangball. Players can arrive the first time and sign in on a sheet. Afterward, players are asked to RSVP with Bergman.
“I try to express that most people walk in and we have sport chairs here, so we can all play together,” Bergman said. “Most people try it one time and want to come back. We all have fun together, and it is pretty cool that people walk in and will play with us.”
Alex Arriaga was born with spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. When Arriaga moved from Texas to Bellingham at 11 years old, he wanted to be active in the community.
“My mom found this program and we linked up with others,” Arriaga said. “I was in the program for about three years. It gave me a start to being active and a sense of community. I made friends and linked up with people with similar experiences.”
Arriaga stopped playing for over a decade because he wanted to try other adaptive sports. However, he and his family needed to travel to Seattle to participate in those other sports.
“It was good to have gangball in Bellingham because of travel costs,” Arriaga said.
As Arriaga returns to the sport in Bellingham at 28 years old, Luke LaViolet continues to play gangball with his friends and family.
LaViolet moved from Washington, D.C., to Bellingham during the pandemic and his only exercise would be running in his neighborhood. When LaViolet was on one of those runs about a year ago, Bergman flagged him down, handed LaViolet a business card and welcomed him to gangball. Since that moment, LaViolet and his sons have enjoyed Monday nights wheeling around the court.
“I love that it is something I can do with them and it allows them to meet a bunch of different people,” LaViolet said.
Charlie LaViolet, Luke’s youngest son, competed on Dec. 2. The 4-year-old had the opportunity to wheel around in his own chair, pass to his teammates, run into opponents and score a couple of goals.
Although the sport is open to everybody, Luke and several other able-bodied participants struggle when they first play.
“My hands were bleeding after the first time I did this,” Luke said. “I have never had to be in a wheelchair so it is an adjustment.”
First-time player Tom DeLange said turning was the toughest part but he loved making new friends and scoring some goals.
Anyone interested in gangball can contact Jeff Bergman at 360-303-2130.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
