Willow Glen Resident

Cover Story

Photograph by Vicki Taylor

Johnny Rios works on his game at Wallenberg Park. The South Bay Smash wheelchair tennis team appreciates that the sport is sponsored through the city of San Jose office of therapeutic services.

Smash Hit

Wheelchair tennis at Wallenberg draws players from throughout the South Bay

By Marilyn Fahey

South Bay Smash, like other tennis teams, has its mix of beginning, intermediate and advanced players; an ever-watchful coach chockfull of pointers; and, during practice, a near-constraint refrain of "Nice get!" and "Good shot!" The only apparent difference between South Bay Smash and other tennis teams is that Smash players are in wheelchairs.

"It's not like learning able-bodied tennis," says coach Bill Jacobson, who's been a volunteer with the team for about 10 years.

Anyone who's ever played the game knows how tough it is to develop the skills needed to anticipate where the ball will land and when to return it. Smash players do that in a wheelchair.

Jacobson, who's able-bodied, has played tennis most of his life, but it took him years to learn how to play the game in a chair.

Smash team member Don Bearden, who has been with the team since the city of San Jose began the program through its office of therapeutic services in the mid-1990s, makes the game look easy.

During a practice session at Wallenberg Park in Willow Glen, where the team meets twice a week, Bearden glides across the court to meet the ball and sends it back with a perfectly pitched thwack before returning neatly to a ready position.

Bearden is ranked ninth nationwide in the USTA Men's Wheelchair Open Singles Division. This September at the Tahoe Donner International Wheelchair Sectional Championship, he reached the quarterfinals in singles and the semifinals in doubles.

The Smash players compete in tournaments statewide, and some, like Bearden, have been quite successful.

Willow Glen resident and Smash member Sharon Kelleher was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for about five years, and in 1998 she was ranked No. 3 worldwide.

Kelleher could have broken through the top 10 without being a Smash player, but she says playing with a team makes a difference.

"Going to a tournament as a team is a lot more fun that going by yourself," she says.

The players can warm each other up, watch each other's matches and hang out together when game time is over. Bearden agrees, and adds that going to tournaments also allows them to meet players from all over the country. The fundraising arm of the organization enables Smash to sends players to tournaments who otherwise couldn't afford to go.

Having a regular meeting place and coaching staff has made a big difference. Kelleher especially appreciates Jacobson's coaching style.

"Before we had a team," Kelleher says, "it was hard setting up matches and finding a place to practice. Bill runs drills that are fun for everyone, no matter what level you're at."

So while Bearden and Kelleher perfect their killer serves, beginner Lisa Rasche can learn the basics in the court right next to them.

"Three weeks ago, Lisa couldn't even maneuver her chair," Jacobson says, but Rasche has begun to master that skill, and she gets the ball over the net nine times out of 10.

Assistant coach Mike Elix puts her through a hard workout, but when she takes a break she's all smiles.

"It takes a lot of practice, especially getting the chair at the right angle and getting the racket out far enough, but it's a lot of fun."

Keep on rolling

The Smash is the only wheelchair tennis program in the Bay Area. Rasche makes the trip to Wallenberg Park from Mountain View, but some players come from even farther away. Dylan Young comes from Marin County.

"I used to hit tennis balls against the wall, and I took able-bodied lessons," he says, "but last spring I decided to join the Smash."

Another San Jose wheelchair sports program attracting athletes from all over the Bay Area and beyond is Wheels on Fire.

Maria Flatau drives from Monterey to the Camden Community Center every Saturday so that her 19-year-old daughter Ania can participate in Wheels on Fire, a program for 5- to 21-year-olds that offers wheelchair activities such as basketball, table tennis, soccer and rugby.

Wheels on Fire is offered through Far West Wheelchair Sports, which, like Smash, is sponsored by the city's office of therapeutic services (OTS).

Both programs depend on grants and donations. Although the city provides staff and facilities, it doesn't provide any funding, so it's up to the participants to raise money for tournament expenses, equipment and sports wheelchairs, which cost about $1,500.

The costs can keep athletes from joining wheelchair sports programs.

Wheels on Fire

Flatau knew about Wheels on Fire when her family lived in San Diego; her daughter had met athletes from the program during regional sports events. Flatau says she wouldn't have moved to Monterey if there hadn't been a wheelchair program in the area. It's a long drive to the Camden Community Center, but Flatau is willing to make it because Wheels on Fire has proved invaluable to her daughter. Ania plays indoor soccer through the program.

Adam Elix, therapeutic specialist for the OTS and program coordinator for Far West Wheelchair Sports, says there is more to the game than making a goal or winning. The program promotes teamwork and problem-solving strategies, and it gives the participants self-confidence in areas outside of sports.

"The fact that the coaches are in wheelchairs shows the athletes they'll be able to succeed in life," Elix says.

Elix is able-bodied, but he's been involved with wheelchair sports for most of his 27 years. His father Mike is an "incomplete" paraplegic (which means only a portion of his spinal cord has been damaged) and has been active with Far West Sports and Smash for several years as a volunteer and a participant.

Elix's mother, Jan, who was an incomplete quadriplegic, ran the OTS for many years. Elix began volunteering there when he was a kid. He's held a paid position with the OTS since 1996, which he juggles with his schoolwork at San Jose State University, where he's working on his degree in kinesiology.

Wheels on Fire and Smash are spurred by the belief that all athletes, disabled or able-bodied, want to experience the thrill of competition. Both programs are geared toward preparing its athletes to compete in regional and national games.

In the spring, they'll start training in sports such as track and field for the Desert Challenge Regional Games in Arizona. In the past, some Wheels on Fire athletes have gone on to the nationals.

"Helping kids get to the regionals and nationals is one of the best things we can do for them," Elix says.

The program instills a sense of accomplishment and builds lasting friendships with athletes their age throughout the U.S, he adds.

The participants can get a boost in training by attending the Northern California Junior Sports Camp, which Elix's mother founded in 1983. The two-week camp is held every summer at SJSU and offers basketball, rugby, tennis, swimming, archery and soccer; this year, the camp introduced kayaking and fencing. Elix remains committed to the camp, partly because he loves the work, and partly as a tribute to his mom, who died in 2005.

Ania has attended the camp several times and was a counselor this past summer. She zips across the gym floor during a Wheels on Fire indoor soccer game, along with about 20 players, including a handful of volunteers from SJSU, who either push the smaller children's chairs or play along in wheelchairs themselves.

On this day it's the green jerseys against the blue; there's a lot of bumping into each other and a lot of laughter, and Mike Elix keeps it all under control with his referee's whistle.

Johnny Rios works on his game at Wallenberg Park. The South Bay Smash wheelchair tennis team appreciates that the sport is sponsored through the city of San Jose office of therapeutic services.

South Bay Smash coach Bill Jacobson (left) has volunteered with the team for 10 years. Jacobson said it took him years to learn how to play the game from a wheelchair. Jacobson works with team player Don Bearden on his game.

Smash team member Don Bearden (right) bounces the ball prior to play, while player Johnny Rios waits for the ball to be hit by coach Bill Jacobson. South Bay Smash draws wheelchair players from throughout the valley.

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Smash team member Don Bearden, who has been with the team since the city of San Jose began the program through its office of therapeutic services in the mid-1990s, makes the game look easy during a practice session at Wallenberg Park in Willow Glen. Bearden is ranked ninth nationwide in the USTA Men's Wheelchair Open Singles Division.

Resources for Wheelchair Sports

To contact South Bay Smash, call Bill Jacobson at bjacobsn@msn.com or Sharon Kelleher at sharonakelleher@ yahoo.com or visit www.south baysmash.com.

The team practices are at Wallenberg Park tennis courts on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wallenberg Park is located at the intersection of Cottle Avenue and Curtner Avenue, next to Willow Glen Middle School.

For more information about, Far West Wheelchair Sports/ Wheels on Fire, contact the Camden community Center, 3369 Union Ave., at 408.369.6438 or visit www.fwws.org.

To contact the city of San Jose Offices of Therapeutic Services, call Adam Elix at 408.6448 or via email at Adam.Elix@san joseca.gov or visit www.sanjose ca.gov/prns/ otsindex.asp.