NATIONAL WHEELCHAIR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION (NWSA)

Wheelchair softball was born over 25 years ago in the Midwest by a few individuals with spinal cord injuries and lower extremity impairments, who still wanted to enjoy America's greatest pastime. These individuals needed to develop a way of playing without the full use of their legs that would allow easy maneuverability in a wheelchair and keep the fast pace of softball. Thus was born a new game played on hard surfaces, such as a parking lot, instead of the normal grassy infield, and a 16-inch softball, which allows wheelchair players to keep one hand one the wheelchair while catching a softball without a glove.

In 1976, the National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA) was founded and serves as the governing body for wheelchair softball in the United States. The game is played under the official rules of the 16-inch slow pitch softball as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with some exceptions geared toward the wheelchair user. Teams throughout America compete on a regular basis and hosts several tournaments throughout the summer. The NWSA hosts a national wheelchair softball tournament annually, which will celebrate its 29th anniversary in Columbus, Ohio this August.

Today, NWSA governs over 30 teams nationwide. Many teams have sought and found allegiance and sponsorship with their Major League Baseball (MLB) team counterparts, including: the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. All wear official MLB uniforms and compete with pride under their respective professional team's logo.

Wheelchair softball is an exciting and challenging summer sport that enables most wheelchair users to compete. To learn more about the NWSA, visit its website at www.wheelchairsoftball.org