Tennis enthusiasts gather for Wheelchair Tennis Camp

SALT LAKE CITY — Wheelchair tennis isn't a very well known sport in Utah, but players are hoping its growing popularity and accessibility will change that.

Friday kicked off the beginning of the fourth annual Wheelchair Tennis Camp at Liberty Park, where beginners and experts alike can work on their game together.

One of those beginners is Kim Walton, who traveled from southern Idaho to attend the camp. Walton lost her ability to walk after she was struck by a car while riding her bike. Besides wanting to stay physically active, she said she enjoys the socializing and the camaraderie the camp provides.

"When you're around people like this," she said, "everybody understands. There's a connection you don't get with people that don't know what you're talking about. Before I was injured, I didn't understand, and now I do, and it's nice to talk to people who understand."

The sport is one of the few that allows able-bodied and disabled players to take to the court together. At Friday's tournament, a team of two — one able-bodied player and one disabled player — were paired for matches.

The sport is the same as regular tennis, with one exception for disabled players: the ball gets two bounces instead of one. Linda Vincent, the director of Utah Tennis and coordinator of the camp, joked that many of the regular players don't even need that second bounce. Vincent said the popularity for the sport has more than doubled since the camps began. Five to seven players started the camp just a few years ago, and this year more than 20 players participated. More players participate in weekly matches at local tournaments.

"This is a group of people where they may all be in chairs," said Dean Oba, a longtime player of the sport, "but what you find out is the chair is just a small part of what their life is. They have so much else that's interesting going on in their lives. The chair is just the way to get from point A to point B."

Oba has been playing wheelchair tennis for more than 30 and was one of the first to play the sport in Utah. For years he has coached tennis and basketball to kids who use wheelchairs. For the Wheelchair Tennis Camp, he has been an instructor since its inception.

"The chair allows me to do all of the things I really love to do," Oba said. "It gets me from here to there. I wouldn't be able to play tennis if I wasn't in a chair."

e-mail: gbarker@desnews.com