By Liz McBreen
She and classmates Rosalie Norton and Blessie Nunez approached Coach Mark Drummer and asked if they could sell candy at a Long Island Lightning game. Drummer suggested organizing a fundraiser game after the regular season during which students could play teachers.
The girls then took over and organized a game for May 2 at Floral Park High School. Players on The Long Island Lightning, a team consisting of 11 wheelchair bound students from around Long Island ranging in age from 12 to 17, took on a team of teachers from Floral Park.
Jack Lopez, Kerri Ann's brother, has been with the team for a year and a half. Since Sewanhaka High School is not yet wheelchair accessible, he attends Floral Park High School.
Lopez was being fitted for a new wheelchair about a year and a half ago, and the man who fitted him told Jack and his mother Thea about Long Island Lightning. "I went to see a practice, and I decided to join, and it has been a great experience. It is really good for me." Jack is happy that his sister decided to work with the team for her community service. "It shows how much she loves me, and that she wants to see the team do even better."
At the beginning of the first half, the teachers were spotted a 20 point lead. This is done as a general rule when the team plays teachers, according to Drummer. Lightning had surpassed the generous lead they had given their opponents by the end of the first half. During the second half, the teachers received another bonus 25 points, but were still not able to defeat the Lightning.
Drummer came out of retirement from coaching in 1997, when Long Island Lightning began. Someone who was involved with wheelchair racing suggested to him that he start a basketball team. Drummer, who had a long history in basketball, soon began putting the team together.
In college, Drummer had been part of The Rolling Dutchmen at Hofstra University. The Dutchmen eventually went out on their own, becoming Long Island Express, a adult wheelchair basketball team that still exists, and they ranked 23 in the country out of 200 teams during their best season.
Long Island Lightning has experienced an ebb and flow in performance since it began, according to Drummer, until last summer. "We had a great amount of talent on the team, and we decided to play at a higher level. Some parents were skeptical They weren't sure if it was a good idea, but we all decided to go forward." Going forward paid off. In March, Lightning finished as the 13th best team in the country at the Nationals in Alabama. They are currently undefeated in their conference.
Lightning is now playing at the highest level of competition possible for their age group. "Playing at this level has made a huge difference in their mental and physical growth," said Drummer.
The team currently practices in a gymnasium at Nassau County Medical Center. Because the facility is not completely wheelchair accessible, and there is a lack of sideline room, the team has not been able to invite other teams to play against them and routinely travel to other locations to play against teams. LI Lightning is currently in negotiations to begin playing in a gym at Farmingdale University, which will allow them to host games.
Drummer suggested that Lopez, Nocella and Nunez organize a fundraiser game because he feels that they are helpful in raising awareness of disabilities and it increases the players' skill. "Some of their skill is learned, but a good deal of it is inborn and there is a special skill involved here."
Although Long Island Lightning is the only team in New York to play at such a competitive level, there are hundreds of adult level teams in the country. Two of Lightning's players are currently being scouted by major universities.
Steve Serio joined the team last February, and he says playing on the team has changed his life. Serio has definite plans to go to college and continue playing basketball, and is already being scouted by several schools, but he is not yet ready to make any decisions. "I'm only fifteen, I'm still a kid. I'll think about all of that next year."
Eighteen-year-old Jessie Walsh has been playing with LI Lightning for six years. "I love my team. They are my family, and I love the crowd." Walsh is a junior, and he also races. He will soon have to make a choice on a school that will allow him to pursue both sports.
Lesly St. Louis says that the games in the off season are can be very helpful. "They are great, because they keep us physically active and keep our upper body strength up."
Diane Ventura is a the Social Studies teacher at Sewanhaka High School who gave her class the assignment that lead to Friday's game. "I was thrilled with the results of the assignment. All of the kids did a great job."
Thea Lopez says that playing on the team has been an invaluable experience for her son. "He is out there having a great time with kids his own age, and these games are just amazing to watch. At the nationals, they were at the younger end of the age group, but they held their own and did a great job."
Drummer says that the players on the team are learning the skills they need not only to be a successful basketball player, but to be successful in life. "They are learning to win and lose gracefully, to work hard as a team and that hard work pays off."
To learn more about Long Island Lightning, log onto their website at www.gliwac.org.
