SPOKANE, Wash. – Meet Jack Coy, a wheelchair athlete playing in Hoopfest at 14 years old, getting the opportunity to play with kids just like him.
“It’s priceless,” Coy said. “I never could’ve imagined something like this that could’ve happened. It’s truly amazing.”
“It makes me feel like I have friends to play with, that I belong here.”
Coy’s mom and dad both played basketball, and his brother is his biggest competition.
“I’ve been basically playing basketball my whole life,” Coy said. “My brother also plays basketball, and we’re both very, very competitive, so just trying to get that edge on each other.”
Jack’s mom, Stephanie, says she loves being able to watch her son play, and done in an environment so welcoming and opening has Hoopfest.
“It fills you up with a lot of pride,” Coy said. “It’s pretty tough competition, so, you’re cheering and hoping that they win, but yeah, you want everyone to win and have a good time.”
Parasport Spokane Development Director David Greig helped lead the organization of the event, and he spoke on what the most rewarding part of providing a space for wheelchair youth who love to hit the court.
“What we hope to see is these young kids seeing the future, seeing something to aspire towards, and getting to meet hands-on. They don’t get to see this on TV, right. They don’t get to see this on ESPN, so we bring it here for them, and they get to witness it firsthand and their parents, and it gives them something to shoot for.”
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