17

opportunity that mine had,” he said of growing the sport in Johnston County. “It’s not only a basketball team, it’s a confidence builder for these kids. To find a place they belong, to find something they’re good at, it carries out into their school life, into their church life and into their family life. “My daughter grew up overnight when she started playing wheelchair ball. It’s my passion to get as many kids (as I can) traveling the same road that she did.” One of the requirements for that path is a chair. The chairs, made especially for wheelchair ball, start at around $2,000. Revolution Adaptive Sports has bought five of them for team use in the last three years. “Most of the families are pretty strapped already with the medical situations with their kids,” he said. “We raise money as a foundation and we buy these chairs to loan to the players. The last thing I want is for a kid to want to play and us not have a chair for them.” When he isn’t using a portable air pump to keep the balls inflated properly, Lynch works part-time for Wake County Schools transporting children with special needs and serves as president of the athletic booster club at Neuse Charter School. It’s a hectic schedule, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I really enjoy doing this,” he said. “It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, setting up tournaments and things like that. But it’s a labor of love. It really is.” Omar Sanchez waits for his turn to do a drill at practice. Photos by Jamaal Porter/Massive Motives Coach Billy Gartin lets the team know how long the next drill will be. MARCH 2017 | 17