Magee Rehabilitation has a long history of supporting the local community of people with disabilities. Magee's wheelchair sports programs heighten independence and improve quality-of-life. Getting involved with Magee's sports programs helps people with disabilities to reach for personal health and wellness goals. In addition to experiencing the excitement of competing, those goals include:

• Improved fitness and overall health through physical activity
• Increased opportunities for social contact among peers, resulting in enhanced social skills
• Increased self-esteem and confidence
• Adaptation to disability through interaction with peers and role models.

Magee athletes have competed in regional, national and international sports events, including the Paralympics, held every four years at the site of the Summer Olympic games.

Magee sponsors athletes in the sports listed below and works with several other sports organizations. These activities are coordinated through Magee's Community Programs department. Magee supported athletes can compete in these sports:

Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair tennis
Weight-lifting

   

Click here if you would like to visit the
Magee Sixers Spokesmen web page.

Organized practices are held weekly at community recreation facilities and nearby colleges and universities. Practices are geared toward peak performance during competitions held throughout the year.

Click here for more info about Wheelchair Basketball

Other sports activities are offered through various community organizations throughout the Philadelphia Region.  Click here to view the Magee Recreation Resource Guide, a directory of local recreation programs designed for people with disabilities.

Magee sponsors two annual competitions. A Wheelchair Rugby Tournament, The Beast of the East, stretches over a fall weekend and attracts teams from across the United States and Canada. This tournament is sanctioned by the United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA). Many of the competing teams qualify each year for the USQRA's National Championship Tournament.

A Wheelchair Tennis tournament is held each spring. The tournament attracts nationally ranked men and women to compete in the fastest growing wheelchair sport.

 

Many Magee athletes are patients who are enrolled in the hospital's lifetime follow-up program for spinal cord injury. However, any Magee patient can join if they meet two basic requirements.

Physical disability is neurological or musculoskeletal, such as spinal cord injury, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida, amputation, etc.

Athletes must be medically and neurologically stable. Each athlete will be required to complete a medical examination prior to participation.

Leisure counseling
Leisure education

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