Mathew Barber plays in the River City Classic Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography)
In 365 days, Sportable, an adaptive sports nonprofit based in Richmond, put on 4,437 athletic events totaling 8,097 program hours and featuring 437 unique participating athletes, all of whom agree that its programs have improved their overall quality of life.
For administrators, coaches, players, fans and all others involved in adaptive sports, these aren’t just numbers, they’re a sign of improved access and equity in the Richmond region for the disabled community.
Sportable has fostered adaptive athletics in Richmond since 2005, providing recreation opportunities for those with physical disabilities and visual impairments. In recent years, the organization has grown rapidly and has now arrived at a major milestone: bringing the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s 2024 tournament to the region, to be held April 5-7 and 12-14 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center.
The nonprofit, co-founded by former CEO Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein, currently offers 17 team sports programs, including wheelchair basketball, and individual sports, such as kayaking and rock climbing. Sportable also provides adaptive sports equipment to those who may not have their own.
“We talk about Richmond, Virginia, being a destination for inclusivity,” says Hunter Leemon, current chief executive officer of Sportable. “I want people to think about Richmond as being this welcoming community for everyone.”
Leemon has been at the helm since 2014, taking over for Lessig-Schenerlein. His path with the organization started in 2008. While pursuing a graduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Sports Management Program, Leemon landed a coaching position for the organization’s power soccer team.
“I loved that team,” Leemon said. “I didn’t know anything about wheelchairs. I didn’t know anything about disability etiquette. They all made it great.”
Hunter Leemon (Photo courtesy Sportable)
Now, he’s leading Sportable into its most active era yet as part of the team that worked to bring the Adult and Junior Division Wheelchair Basketball National Championships to Richmond. The competition will see 96 teams and more than 1,000 of the best wheelchair athletes from across the country, including paralympians who will represent the United States in the Paris Olympics this summer. Sportable has multiple basketball teams currently vying for a spot in the championship.
The national championship “is our chance as a community to show the world how inclusive Richmonders are,” Leemon says.
Mathew Barber has been involved with Sportable since 2018 as an athlete ambassador, an advocate position within the nonprofit. As a wheelchair user born with congenital amputation, he was attracted to Sportable’s high level of play and the variety of opportunities offered for athletes. He primarily plays on its men’s Division II basketball team, the Rim Riders, and will participate in the national tournament.
Barber didn’t start playing adaptive sports until he was 17 years old, having relocated to Virginia from California. “I just stumbled across wheelchair basketball at a local rec center,” he says. “That’s where I’ve pretty much started my career.”
I want people to think about Richmond as being this welcoming community for everyone.
—Hunter Leemon, CEO of Sportable
Now 41 years old, Barber trains whenever he can and plays in as many games as possible in preparation for a potential championship run.
“This is huge for the state of Virginia,” he says. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s a pretty exciting event, just for wheelchair basketball itself to be in the Richmond area.”
After the championships, Leemon hopes the event will have solidified Sportable’s position as a leader within the adaptive sports industry, as well as Richmond’s role as a destination for inclusivity. However, he recognizes that it is most important for Sportable’s athletes to be able to see themselves as local leaders in such events, regardless of the outcome.
“They’re athletes first and foremost,” Leemon says. “They may need adaptive equipment to do it. They may need accommodations in order to participate. But first and foremost, they’re athletes.”
