"I thought this guy in a wheelchair in my room was crazy," remembers Lee Brown. That guy was Randy Snow, a member of Austin River Rec'ers and he was in Lee's room to recruit him for the community-based wheelchair basketball team. After he was injured in a motorcycle accident, Lee, 52, figured high levels of activity had come to an end. "I couldn't even fathom playing basketball," he says. But Randy and the Austin River Rec'ers changed that. When he was released from the hospital, Lee went to his first practice where Randy ran him so hard he thought Lee might quit. But at the next practice, Lee showed up before anyone else. "Randy rolled in and came over and said, 'you're gonna be really good,'" Lee says. "At the time, I didn't know he was the best player in the world or that he would become my biggest mentor. That moment actually changed my life's path forever." Though based in Austin, the Re'cers travel all over the country during the season and members of the team also coach younger disabled players. "It is important for me as a coach to give the young athletes in my community the same opportunities that were given to me when I thought there was nowhere to turn," Lee says. Setting an example for younger players is also important to Re'cers team member Kenn Peters, 51. "I think it is important for the younger players to see that you can live an active life even if you have a disability," Kenn says. Beyond the love of the game, Kenn and Lee both say the team has given them a sense of community and camaraderie. "This game is so special because everyone can play a vital role," Lee says "It is made of so many players with such a range of abilities." "Teamwork suggests that people work in an atmosphere of mutual support and trust, working together cohesively, with good inter-group relations," Kenn says "We must work together and trust each other to accomplish something that's bigger than just 'one' of us." (1/2) 📸 by:@cielito.vivas