By Staff
Athletic Management, 18.3, April/May 2006, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/am/am1803/wurefonwheels.htm
Interscholastic sports can teach student-athletes how to overcome adversity, usually through what happens during competition. But during basketball games at Creston Middle School in Indianapolis, players need look no further than the man in stripes for a shining example. Referee Steve Doudt covers the court and calls the game as well as anyone, despite being confined to a wheelchair.
Doudt was an Air Force commando before a motorcycle accident 14 years ago left him without the use of his legs. Since then, he’s been active in wheelchair basketball, competing in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and officiating events around the country. He first got involved with Creston’s athletic program through his wife, Sherri, a teacher at the school.
"He started as a volleyball official for me, and when I found out he’s licensed in basketball as well, I asked him to work our basketball games," says John Quick, Athletic Director at Creston. "At first he did our girls’ games, because he felt a little more comfortable with the speed, but now he does boys’ games, too. And everyone agrees, he does an exceptional job."
The only accommodation Doudt needs is a pre-game reminder to cheerleaders to leave room along the sidelines and corners of the court, where he completes his turns when moving from end to end during play. "I’m no different than anybody else who turns his head and goes to the other end of the floor," he told the Indianapolis Star. "My arms are pumping on the wheels just like somebody running. I can pretty much guarantee I’m not the slowest person out there."
This past season, Doudt was happy working at the middle school level, where the game pace is easy to keep up with, but he has been contacted by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) about calling girls’ j.v. and possibly varsity games next year. Theresia Wynns, IHSAA Assistant Commissioner in charge of officials, says the governing body welcomes any official with a disability as long as they are licensed. "We’ve had legally deaf officials work our games before," she says. "As long as they can do the job and communicate with the other officials and the people on the floor, there’s nothing stopping disabled individuals from calling high school games."
While Doudt is treated like any other official during the game, Quick knows that seeing him on the court has a special impact on the athletes. "Kids at this age just don’t think about people with disabilities, so any time we can show them that they are capable people, and that we need to care about them, respect them, and accept them, I think that’s excellent," he says. "Kids can sometimes take everything for granted, and I think seeing Steve out on the floor working the game and being successful is a great lesson."
Others are inspired by Doudt’s involvement as well. Quick has received messages from numerous parents, coaches, and athletic directors praising the example he sets by having Doudt work his games. "There’s one player on our basketball team whose father is legally blind," Quick says. "The first time his son played in a game where I used Steve, he sent me a very nice e-mail afterward saying he appreciated me employing somebody with a disability. He told me he hoped it would help inspire the kids and make them realize that people with disabilities are not helpless, that they can function just like everybody else."