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Show TIMES ApriM 0,2007 9 Wheelin' Jazz man, contractor BY TRENT TOONE . Standard-Examinerstaffttoone@standard.net F or Kevin Yost, 28 years of playing basketball culminated in a peak experience April 4. Yost is a member of the Utah Wheelin1 Jazz, a squad of nine athletes who played in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's final four for the first time in the team's 18-year history. A No. 5 seed, the Wheelin' Jazz , played the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in Lexington, Ky, and went down, 83-58. "This will be the highlight (after 28 years), by far, no doubt," said the Layton resident before the team set out for the tournament. "We have played them (Dallas) three times, but we have played better each time, and we have the best shot to knock them off." As a youth, Yost was "pretty athletic" and played several team sports. His favorite was football. His athletic abilities were permanently altered in August 1976 when he was involved in an automobile accident that left him paralyzed. Yost, 16 at the time, was a passenger in a vehicle with two friends coming home from Powder Mountain Ski Resort when the driver "had been drinking a little too much," causing an accident, Yost said. Yost suffered multiple injuries, including damage to his spinal cord, but he pulled through the adversity with his competitive spirit intact. Four years later, he was invited to play on a wheelchair basketball team in Ogden called the Spokemasters. When the team dissolved in the early 1990s, he was invited to join the Wheelin' Jazz. For the past two decades, Yost has traveled all over the country playing basketball in his wheelchair. His wife, Kim, travels with him as often as possible. When Yost isn't playing ball, he works as a computer support specialist at Hill Air Force Base. Yost describes playing basketball in a wheelchair as very competitive. To be successful, one needs to develop power and strength in his shoulders and arms. "Everything is about your arms. If you are not strong enough, you will die because you are using a whole different set of muscle groups," Yost said. "You need to get the ball up to a 10foot hoop from a sitting position, and it's a long way up there when you are sitting on your butt." When possible, Yost and other members of the team visit schools and do exhibitions where they allow students and teachers to play the game in a wheelchair. 'They are usually in good shape, but get them in a wheelchair for a few minutes and they are exhausted," Yost said. The Wheelin' Jazz, one of 200 teams in the NWBA, have consistently made the playoffs and been ranked in the top 20 nationally since 1992. The team was formed in 1990 by current assistant coach Mike Schlappi, among others. In addition to their competitive schedule of 15-20 games annually, the team is actively involved in serving Child Abuse Prevention Month focus on healthy families By Daryl Sondrup, Family Advocacy Outreach Manager C hild abuse (family violence) has been shown to occur in cycles. Patterns of various forms of child abuse (physical and emotional) are frequently passed on, or cycled, from one generation to the next. The costs of responding to the impact of child abuse and neglect are borne by the victims and their families — but also by society. "Based on data drawn from a variety of sources, the estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect is $103.8 billion in 2007 value," accord- "Based on ^t0 2007 vw^ . , Child Abuse Amer- data drawn tea. from a Although the r economic costs as- Variety Ot sociated with child 5OUrCeSf the abuse are enori mous, it is impor- eStima ted tant to recognize annual COSt the pain, suffering, , , ... and reduced quality 0/ Child of life the victims of abuse and child abuse and ne. . gleet suffer, togeth- n eg led IS er with the myriad $103 8 of social problems ..... '. that are the direct UllllOn in result of violence in 2007 Value." the home. Photo courtesy of Kevin Yost Top, Wheelin' Jazz member Kevin Yost, of Layton, shoots the ball toward the basket. Yost, who was paralyzed during an automobile accident in 1976, has been playing wheelchair basketball for 28 years. Above, the Wheelin' Jazz are (left to right) Rod Niemann, Joe Ruigomez, Kevin Yost, Jeff Griffin, Layne Mangum, coach Mike Schlappi, Bret Remington, Jeff Townsend and Jason Hokanson. the community. Wheelchair basketball originated in the 1940s as a social and recreational outlet for disabled war veterans. The NWBA follows NCAA rules and regulations with a similar tournament format. Jump balls, dribbling, 3-pointers and referees are all aspects of the game. Yost says many of the teams in the league are affiliated with their local NBA team. The Wheelin' Jazz, however, are not. t( We are trying to be, but it is a struggle. Their big deal is the Junior Jazz program, which is a good deal, but we are a good deal too," he said. But that doesn't mean the Jazz won't support the team. Linda Luchetti, Utah's vice president of communications, said the team has provided dark blue road jerseys for the Wheelin' Jazz. Luchetti said the Utah Jazz have one of the smallest community relations staffs and budgets in the NBA, but said the Jazz look forward to sitting down this summer with the Wheelin' Jazz and considering other options for helping them on a year-byyear basis. Children raised 2007 in violent homes: PREVENT • Are six times CHILD ABUSE more likely to comAMERICA mit suicide • Are 26 times more likely to commit sexual assault • Are 57 times more likely to abuse drugs • Are 74 times more likely to commit other crimes against others • And boys are 10 times more likely to become abusive to their partners (Safe and Sound, Vol. 3 Issue 4) The theme for this year's Child Abuse Prevention Month is, "Promoting Healthy Families in Your Community." Prevention efforts to help reduce the incidents of child maltreatment are necessary by educating the public about the signs of child abuse, characteristics of abusive parents and the long-term consequences of violence in the home. But additional effort needs to be focused on supporting families by ensuring parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need in order to be able to meet the basic needs — especially those of love and acceptance — of family members. In order to assist families in these areas (this includes all families), we need to focus on protective factors that are important in establishing healthy home environments and well-adjusted children. Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, recommends five protective factors needed to reach this goal: • Nurturing and attachment — this includes the importance of establishing early bonding, as well as positive love and See CHILD I page 11 Denzel Washington is professor Melvin B. Tolson in "The Great Debaters/' a movie based on real events. Harpo Films 'Great Debaters' gives much to think about BY STEVE SALLES Standard-Examiner movie critic I 've tried to teach my children over the years that "knowledge is power" — that they should never be embarrassed to know too many things, and just be careful in how they express them. Imagine a world in which you were told that nobody wanted to hear what you had to say at any time. That's the world you'll find yourself in if you check out, dare I say, the inspiring and humbling "The Great Debaters." ' Based on real events in 1935, the story is about a small rural Texas school, Wiley College, which had created an exceptional debate team led by professor Melvin B. Tblson (Denzel Washington). Tblson was not only a great motivator of young minds, but also taught his students to stand up against the injustices perpetrated against poor African-Americans and whites. He was a firm believer in unions, a position that didn't sit well with some Southern business owners. See REVIEW I page 10 |