Blaze of Glory

EDMOND - It was halfway through the first half of a game against Tulsa when Adam Saldana grabbed a rebound, looked, and fired a pass to teammate Colin Cutter at the other end of the floor. Cutter converted the lay up and slapped Saldana a high-five before the two high school juniors hurried back to play defense. Neither cracked a smile. It was business as usual. Saldana and Cutter - the leaders of Oklahoma City's wheelchair basketball team, the Oklahoma Blaze - have each played for more than a decade. For them, like many other wheelchair athletes, sports are much more than mere weekend hobbies. "We play to win, for sure, and to do my best," said Saldana, the Blaze's point guard who is a junior at Putnam City. Said Cutter: "For me, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It's my career. Whether you win or lose, it's a lot of fun. But I definitely take it seriously." Saldana and Cutter, both of whom have Spina Bifida, hope to earn Division I wheelchair basketball scholarships and play on the U.S. Paralympic Team before eventually starting a coaching career. And it's a likely scenario, as there are currently 10 teams at nine Division I schools that offer scholarships - Oklahoma State being one of them. "There are guys on this team (Blaze) that are good enough to play (at the Division I level)," said Stacy Pinney, coach of OSU Spokes, Oklahoma State's wheelchair basketball team. "They can't be recruited until they're seniors, though." Saldana and Cutter, a junior at Piedmont, likely wouldn't have such dreams if it weren't for the Greater Oklahoma Disabled Sports Association. Since it's inception in the 1980's, the organization has provided a way for disabled athletes to compete in numerous sports, including basketball, track and field, softball, table tennis, archery, weight lifting and swimming. The Blaze is just one of those examples. It features players from all over the metro area. "It's a great thing for these kids and it really helps their development," said Dana Cutter, Colin's mother and former president of the GODSA. "Some of the kids who are playing now couldn't get up and down the floor when they started." The Blaze basketball team, which is comprised of high school, middle school and elementary students, practices every Saturday, has several festivals throughout the year and competes in a national tournament each March. This year's national tournament is in Denver. Last year, the Blaze placed fifth at nationals in Omaha. The Blaze is primarily comprised of players with Spina Bifida. There are two exceptions: one player is an amputee and another has Cerebral Palsy. "This league is great, and the people are some of the best you'll meet," said Colin Cutter. "You also hear a lot of cool, inspiring stories."