Wheel Serve NC puts the “fun” in fundamentals for wheelchair athletes in North Carolina

Kelly Flouhouse and Helen Leonard both remember the day Flouhouse tentatively rolled onto a tennis court and picked up a tennis racquet for the first time. It was over a year after Flouhouse hit her head on the bottom of a pool in a diving accident and was adjusting to life as a quadriplegic, mostly isolated aside from her parents and nursing assistants who came to help with her medical care. She was connected with the hospital-based adaptive sports program Leonard volunteered with in Charlotte, and while she was wary of playing tennis, the former college softball player decided to give it a go.

Looking in the mirror, Flouhouse didn’t see herself as a tennis player—she was in a power wheelchair with no use of her legs and limited function in her arms and hands. But when she arrived at the court, she saw people rolling around the court at high speeds, hitting the ball, getting in and out of their cars, leaving to go to work. Within minutes she was transferred into a manual sports chair, a racquet taped to her hand and was on-court with Leonard.

One day, Flouhouse mentioned that there were so many opportunities for able-bodied athletes to play tennis recreationally, but the same ones didn’t seem to exist in the wheelchair space, where programming is often focused on beginners or top players bound for national and international competition—so the two women decided to do something about it.

They talked to some of the staff at USTA North Carolina, including Amy Franklin, the director of community development, outreach and training, who suggested they start a Community Tennis Association (CTA) specifically for wheelchair athletes.

“Consistency is key,” Flouhouse said. “As a newly injured person—and still to this day—I needed something that kept me accountable and that kept me having something to look forward to. My world opened very slowly, but having that once-a-week commitment where I was physically challenged, mentally stimulated and socially connected, that's a win-win all the way around.”

Another important pillar of the program is that the wheelchair athletes are integrated with the able-bodied volunteers. Other than getting two bounces, the sport is the same, and everyone involved is a recreational player who’s just happy to have fun on the court with other people who love tennis just as much as they do.

Flouhouse and Leonard partner with local CTAs, parks and recreation departments, colleges and various nonprofits to set up each location and ensure they are sustainable, with people on the ground who can keep the program running. They stay in touch with the program coordinators in each location, and answer questions as needed. If a new player reaches out and the coordinator isn’t familiar with that disability, Flouhouse and Leonard help to find the right adaptations for the athlete and answer volunteer questions about how to best serve participants on-court.

“We've been very blessed that the greater tennis community in North Carolina has really embraced what we do and what our mission is,” Leonard said. “We've been very fortunate to have been well-received, and I think all it takes for most people is to see our players on-court and see what a benefit this program is to them, and also what a benefit it is to the able-bodied community.”

They say that one of the hallmarks of Wheel Serve NC is “fun before fundamentals,” because the programs strive to be a social, enjoyable space for people to have a good time playing tennis while building community. A perfect forehand isn’t the most important thing—having fun and feeling empowered is what matters. Some players will join their local USTA League or travel across the country to play competitively, but Leonard says that about 90% of participants are strictly recreational players who can’t wait for their weekly Wheel Serve NC clinic.

Both Leonard and Flouhouse love seeing new players come to a program and witnessing them smile as they start to gain confidence on the court.

“The last few weeks we've had several new players in Charlotte, and seeing that excitement and that “aha moment” just as I had, it is just so fulfilling to me to be on the other side and seeing people have that lightbulb moment.”

If you’re interested in starting a recreational wheelchair program, feel free to reach out to Wheel Serve NC to ask questions or learn more about how to develop a successful program.