The River City Rollers are hosting a tournament to raise funds for their operations. The event, pitting four-against-four teams in wheelchair basketball, takes place Saturday morning at the Student Activities Center on the campus of IU South Bend.
The River City Rollers meet once a week for a practice session. Many of the participants are wheelchair-bound, but plenty of able-bodied athletes compete as well. The team needs funding primarily for facility rental fees and the costs involved in maintaining the custom-made wheelchairs required for the sport.
David Munoz, a health sciences intern at IU South Bend who began working with the team to gain real-world experience in operations management and health promotions, has also become one of the star players, and a regular at the practices.
“We have retirees, teachers, an eighth grader and his mom, college students, you never know,” Munoz says. “Every skill level has a place. Newcomers can fit right in, but we have some pretty good players too – one of our regulars has played in the pro wheelchair basketball league in Fort Wayne.”
The team was founded in 1977 by army veteran James Milliken, who had been wounded in Vietnam. Recently, the team has been helmed by Joey McTigue, whose own rehab from a broken back has been aided by the sport, and Gordon Fowler, who teaches management information systems at the Leighton School of Business and Economics.
"This is a great example of a mutually beneficial relationship between IUSB and a community organization," Fowler says. "The collaboration has resulted in some excellent service-learning relationships as well as an adaptive PE segment for a local high school. We've seen a lot of learning, mirth, and growth."
Marlene Wenta, clinical assistant professor at the Vera Z. Dwyer School of Health Sciences, has connected with the River City Rollers in several productive ways over the last couple of years. For the ‘Exercise for Special Populations’ course, Wenta has her students participate in River City Rollers practices and then write about the experience from the standpoint of exercise physiology. The connection has now broadened this semester to include one-on-one exercise sessions with students and Rollers, developing individualized therapies.
Wenta says that adaptive sports programs carry numerous inherent virtues.
“As a public health advocate, it’s always great to create and to see greater accessibility for everyone. No matter what their ability, physical activity should be available to anyone who wants to pursue a healthier lifestyle,” Wenta says.
Wenta and the River City Rollers roster all hope to see a day when the IU South Bend Rolling Titans could be a fully accredited university operation, but that plan will take time.
“This is a great starting point for us, and we hope it can become an integral part of IUSB’s identity,” Wenta says.
The River City Rollers’ 2025 fundraising tournament is Saturday, April 12, at the Student Activities Center. Registration opens at 9:00 a.m.; first game at 10:00 a.m. Teams of four; $5/person. Wheelchairs provided. For more information, visit facebook.com/rivercityrollersbb or email sbrivercityrollers@gmail.com.
