John Piazza started playing wheelchair basketball with our Redding, California recreation league Shasta Lakers team shortly after he was injured. He was having trouble getting back into life following his motorcycle accident. Basketball was an outlet that helped him get back to some competitive activities. He was able to work hard in the recreation league and get a scholarship to play basketball in Whitewater Wisconsin. He has played for 2 years back in Wisconsin, winning the national championship of college basketball in 2013. He is currently working on his bachelor’s degree in history and studying in England for a semester. The money that Northern California Wheelchair Athletics donated to him to help with is sporting activities had a direct correlation to him pursuing his degree and progressing in life.
Van Williams originally got paralyzed in 1991. Prior to his accident he had been playing basketball in college on a scholarship. Following his accident he thought he would never be able to play sports again. He was introduced to wheelchair tennis and immediately started playing competitively. He was able to win the national championship in Wheelchair tennis twice. (1996, 2006) He was pursuing a Master’s degree in physical therapy at Loma Linda University. He was the first person in the United States to graduate physical therapy school in a wheelchair. He currently owns his own private outpatient physical therapy practice in Redding, California. Northern California Wheelchair Athletics was a dream of Van's to start up. His dream was to raise money to help people afford to buy sport wheelchairs, skis, wakeboards and pay for travel expenses to compete on a national level