When Brian Willis was growing up, he was—like many kids in Western New York—crazy about Buffalo’s sports teams. Competitive and fiercely proud of the 716, he loved to watch them play.
Unlike many kids, Willis had diplegia cerebral palsy, which affects muscle control and coordination in his legs. He didn’t have much opportunity to mirror the pros in the standard kids’ sports leagues.
However, that changed around age 7, when he first heard about The Sled Hockey Foundation, a local non-profit that ran adaptive hockey programs allowing people with disabilities and mobility limitations to compete on the ice. The foundation—now known as Greater Buffalo Adaptive Sports (GBAS)—has been a major part of his life ever since.
“From there, I’ve just loved adaptive sports,” he says. “It’s been a great journey throughout, from when I began to the sports that I play now.”
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Lancaster resident Norm Page cofounded The Sled Hockey Foundation with his son Adam, who has spina bifida, after Adam began playing sled hockey. Adam eventually advanced to compete for the U.S. National Sled Team by age 15 and went on to become a three-time Paralympic gold medalist.
However, the Pages came to realize they could serve a larger portion of a hugely underserved population if they expanded their offerings. GBAS now also offers wheelchair lacrosse, curling and football, well as several “stand-up” adaptive sports programs for those with developmental disabilities.
GBAS athletes number around 100, evenly split between the adult and youth programs. A priority in 2023 is expansion of those youth programs—specifically, wheelchair football and lacrosse. Norm says their goal is to reach as many people of all ages as possible; not just the athletes, but their family units as well.
“It’s great when you have the groups that we have together, but always in the back of our mind, we’re wondering who doesn’t know or who doesn’t get the opportunity,” Norm says. “So that’s our goal ... keep getting the word out there, trying to help families who don’t think they can do it. Just helping them understand, hey, you can do this—you have a community, you have support.”
The Buffalo community’s support is key to the success of GBAS. The sled hockey, wheelchair lacrosse and wheelchair football teams are affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits and Buffalo Bills, respectively; the latter is one of only nine sanctioned football teams in the country. PBS published a documentary about the GBAS football team in January titled “Concrete Gridiron.” Upon viewing, Scott Bieler, president and CEO of West Herr Automotive Group, offered to pay for 10 new, heavy-duty wheelchairs for the program. Coaches and support staff of teams throughout the region donate their time.
“We love Buffalo, and we think we have something special here,” Norm says.
These days, Willis plays both wheelchair lacrosse and football through GBAS. However, he says he finds the most satisfaction helping with the youth programs, seeing the puzzle pieces fall in place as young players perfect a new skill.
“Throwing a football—that smile or that lightbulb effect of like, ‘Oh, I know how to do this,’ ” he says. “Just to see them out there and enjoying sports instead of, you know, the daily doctor’s appointments or whatever they have. It’s important they feel like they have something more to offer.”
