All-Terrain Wheelchair for Chris
Donation protected
Help Carolina Tradition Paintball Team Raise Funds to Purchase an All-Terrain Wheelchair for Chris Alnazer.
Tournament paintball player and cerebral palsy are not generally synonymous terms. However, Chris Alnazer has become a household name in the world of paintball. I’m not sure whether it’s his amazing playing ability, his charismatic smile and infectious laugh or his intense drive to do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that an able bodied person can do. Whatever it is, there’s no doubt about it, he has it. And if you have followed our Facebook page for any length of time, you already know we’re more than a paintball team. We’re a family.
Chris was born in February of 1990. Unfortunately, due to complications during his birth, his brain was starved of precious oxygen and he would later be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Although signs and symptoms vary widely between individuals; Cerebral Palsy or CP is defined as a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. Cerebral Palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination. Though Cerebral Palsy can be defined, having Cerebral Palsy does not define the person that has the condition.
It’s true - Chris defies the rules. He plays a sport that requires running, diving, crawling and dodging paintballs whizzing past you at lightning speed. Chris doesn’t just play, he plays phenomenally. Our team placed 3rd at World Cup 2016 out of 72 teams in the D4 Xball category. Chris had 2 kills off the break in the first game on the 1st day of the tournament! Here’s the video: https://www.facebook.com/weeklypaintball/videos/521973667995366/
Chris is not allowed the use of his wheel chair on the field during tournament play. He is wheeled onto the field at which point he gets on his hand and knees and when the buzzer sounds, he crawls to the first bunker. Chris doesn’t need help on the field; believe me, he’s got that handled. It’s off the field where he needs the extra help.
For those that are not familiar with tournament paintball, most paintball facilities are laid out over large – many acres - of rolling land. The larger the tournament, the larger the facility, the more paintball fields. Unfortunately, regular wheel chairs and typical power wheel chairs do not perform well on this type of terrain. Some members from our team purchased a power wheelchair for Chris last year, however we quickly found that the amount of power it took to run an electric wheelchair over gravel and thick grass quickly killed the batteries and it became useless.
As of right now, Chris only has a regular wheelchair. His team navigated nearly 30 acres at World Cup 2016 with Chris, his non-powered wheel chair and all his guns and supplies (not to mention their own). While the team is more than happy to help him get around and to help him carry his guns and bags, an all-terrain wheelchair would give Chris the freedom to get around on his own. Currently, he has to rely on a teammate to take him to other fields to watch other teams or to take him to a vendor or even up to the bathroom. An all-terrain wheelchair would be a game changer for Chris. He already proves on a daily basis, that the sky is the limit and if you want to do something badly enough, and you put your mind to it, you can accomplish it. He deserves this extra bit of freedom.
Please take a few minutes to watch the videos and look through the pictures of this amazing young man, then consider donating to our cause. Thank you!!
Tournament paintball player and cerebral palsy are not generally synonymous terms. However, Chris Alnazer has become a household name in the world of paintball. I’m not sure whether it’s his amazing playing ability, his charismatic smile and infectious laugh or his intense drive to do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that an able bodied person can do. Whatever it is, there’s no doubt about it, he has it. And if you have followed our Facebook page for any length of time, you already know we’re more than a paintball team. We’re a family.
Chris was born in February of 1990. Unfortunately, due to complications during his birth, his brain was starved of precious oxygen and he would later be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Although signs and symptoms vary widely between individuals; Cerebral Palsy or CP is defined as a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. Cerebral Palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination. Though Cerebral Palsy can be defined, having Cerebral Palsy does not define the person that has the condition.
It’s true - Chris defies the rules. He plays a sport that requires running, diving, crawling and dodging paintballs whizzing past you at lightning speed. Chris doesn’t just play, he plays phenomenally. Our team placed 3rd at World Cup 2016 out of 72 teams in the D4 Xball category. Chris had 2 kills off the break in the first game on the 1st day of the tournament! Here’s the video: https://www.facebook.com/weeklypaintball/videos/521973667995366/
Chris is not allowed the use of his wheel chair on the field during tournament play. He is wheeled onto the field at which point he gets on his hand and knees and when the buzzer sounds, he crawls to the first bunker. Chris doesn’t need help on the field; believe me, he’s got that handled. It’s off the field where he needs the extra help.
For those that are not familiar with tournament paintball, most paintball facilities are laid out over large – many acres - of rolling land. The larger the tournament, the larger the facility, the more paintball fields. Unfortunately, regular wheel chairs and typical power wheel chairs do not perform well on this type of terrain. Some members from our team purchased a power wheelchair for Chris last year, however we quickly found that the amount of power it took to run an electric wheelchair over gravel and thick grass quickly killed the batteries and it became useless.
As of right now, Chris only has a regular wheelchair. His team navigated nearly 30 acres at World Cup 2016 with Chris, his non-powered wheel chair and all his guns and supplies (not to mention their own). While the team is more than happy to help him get around and to help him carry his guns and bags, an all-terrain wheelchair would give Chris the freedom to get around on his own. Currently, he has to rely on a teammate to take him to other fields to watch other teams or to take him to a vendor or even up to the bathroom. An all-terrain wheelchair would be a game changer for Chris. He already proves on a daily basis, that the sky is the limit and if you want to do something badly enough, and you put your mind to it, you can accomplish it. He deserves this extra bit of freedom.
Please take a few minutes to watch the videos and look through the pictures of this amazing young man, then consider donating to our cause. Thank you!!
Organizer
Victoria Sherwood Breece
Organizer
Indian Trail, NC
