Keegan makes the news
Rookie at home on court
By Charis Chang - Northern District Times
THANKS to a wheelchair sports roadshow Keegan Oh-Chee got to try basketball and tennis.
One year later and he has been selected to represent Australia in both sports.
The 16-year-old is this week’s nominee for the Northern District Times Junior Sports Star award.
Keegan, who has been in a wheelchair all his life, said he loved to watch tennis and his favourite player was Rafael Nadal.
“He’s really fast around the court and he’s got a lot of flair,” Keegan said.
When Keegan got the opportunity to get on the court himself, he said he felt completely at home.
“It was really fun - I have always enjoyed sports and always have a ball in my hand,” he said.
Keegan really came into his own on the wheelchair basketball court during the come-and-try-day at Epping Boys High. While his classmates fumbled around, unaccustomed to the wheelchairs, he ran rings around them.
Encouraged by the organisers of the roadshow he took up wheelchair basketball last July and wheelchair tennis in September.
This month he will travel to England for his first international competition, the World Team Cup for wheelchair tennis, where he will represent Australia for the first time.
“I’m pretty excited, I can’t wait, it’s my first big overseas trip, I’m going to a new country and I’m going to play a bit of sport,” Keegan said.
The Eastwood resident also gets to represent Australia as part of the national wheelchair basketball team, the Sydney Wheelkings. He is one of only three junior rookies selected to play with the adult team.
His basketball ability has also scored Keegan a spot in the NSW Institute of Sport’s talented athlete program.
Keegan has also been selected to represent NSW in the Australian Youth Paralympic Games in both tennis and basketball to be held in Victoria in October.
As for the future, Keegan said he knows he may one day have to chose between basketball and tennis but not right now.
“At the moment I am enjoying both and I’m doing well at both so it’s OK.”
LINK: http://northern-district-times.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/rookie-at-home-on-court/
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