Miami-Dade County Parks' Top Ranked Nwba Miami Heat Wheels Team To Host Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department will join the City of Miami Springs Parks and Recreation Department in presenting the “Miami Heat Wheels Invitational Tournament”, January 18 – 19, 2014, at the Miami Springs Recreation Center, located at 1401 Westward Drive, Miami Springs. The wheelchair basketball tournament is sanctioned by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). Tournament play will begin at 9:00 a.m. each day.  Competing in this tournament is Miami-Dade County Parks’ own Miami Heat Wheels adult wheelchair basketball team. The team is ranked #2 in Florida and 8^th nationally among the NWBA’s Division III teams. Competitors will include the Sunrise Suns, the Tampa Bay Strongdogs, the Orlando Magic Wheels, the Ft. Lauderdale Sharks, the Jacksonville Books Ballers, Team Puerto Rico, and the Philadelphia Magee 76ers.

Admission to the tournament is free.  Fans are encouraged to come out and support their local wheelchair basketball team and meet players after the games. 

For more information on this event, the public can call Diana Bonet, Miami-Dade County Parks Disability Services at 305-380-9106 or email [email protected].

About the Miami Heat Wheels Team:

Miami-Dade County Parks Disability Services has been running the Miami Heat Wheels wheelchair basketball program since 1998. Competing at the Division III level in the Florida Wheelchair Basketball Conference, the adult wheelchair basketball team competes in local and regional competitions associated with the NWBA. The team’s season runs from September through March and culminates with the NWBA National Championships in April each year. The team is supported by the Leisure Access Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit agency that supports Miami-Dade Parks Disability programs. The foundation provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in quality leisure programs, both recreational and competitive. The foundation’s goal is to provide organized sporting programs for people with disabilities, funds for adaptive equipment, and to partner with other organizations to increase recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

About the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department:

Nationally accredited, a three-time winner of the NRPA National Gold Medal Award, winner of the 2013 Florida Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award and the 2009 Florida Governor’s Sterling Award for excellence in management and operations, Miami-Dade County Parks is the third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 260 parks and 12,825 acres of land.  It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world.  Made up of more than just playgrounds and athletic fields, it also comprises out-of-school, sports-development, and summer-camp programs; programs for seniors and people with disabilities; educational nature centers and nature preserves; environmental restoration efforts; arts and culture programs and events; the renowned Zoo Miami and the Deering Estate at Cutler; the Crandon Tennis Center, home of the Sony Open; golf courses; beaches; marinas; campgrounds; pools; and more.  For information about Miami-Dade County Parks call 3-1-1, or visit www.miamidade.gov/parks/.

Miami-Dade County Parks is supported by The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department’s efforts to further develop Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors.  Its mission is to create a healthier, more livable and sustainable Miami community by ensuring the implementation of the Parks Open Space Master Plan and the development of year-round park and recreation programs for local children, adults and people with disabilities.  For more information on the Parks Foundation, please visit www.miamidade.gov/parks_foundation.

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