Wounded Veterans have been able to compete in wheelchair basketball in events like the Warrior Games this summer (photo from Marines vs. Navy/Coast Guard game), and now some with lower limb amputations may even be able to compete and win against able-bodied, non-amputee teams. One of the 800 teams in the Oregon National Guard Hoopla 3 on 3 Basketball tournament will be a team called AMP1 of all players with lower body amputations.
The progress being made by Army Staff Sgt. Glen Lehman could give an indication that those with arm amputations might also have the chance to compete in these tournaments. Lehman was injured in Iraq, but is now able to pick up and drink from a cup and even work on dribbling a ball, as shown in this video.
According to a release by Freedom Innovations, the team of AMP1 is a team of stand-up (non-wheelchair) amputee basketball players sponsored by Freedom Innovations, an Irvine, California based manufacturer of advanced technology prosthetic devices.
With the help of high-tech prosthetics, the AMP1 players have overcome lower limb amputations (due to traumatic accidents, birth defects and cancer) to go on and play able-bodied, non-amputee teams–and often win. AMP1 launched its first national tour in 2011, with stops in cities across the country, sold out games and a growing fan base. AMP1’s message is one of optimism and hope for those who have lost a limb, and for anyone facing adversity.
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