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Author Archive for Trooper Johnson

Youth Program Updates

By Trooper Johnson on April 8, 2020 No Comments
Two kids playing wheelchair basketball; tip off

Having qualified for the Varsity National Tournament for the first time in years, the BORP team was looking forward to playing against the best teams in the country. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 crisis resulting in the tournament’s cancellation, the team was disappointed. This outcome was particularly sad for the two seniors on the team (Ben Thornton and Garnet Silver-Hall), who were not able to play the final tournament of their high school sports careers.

However, both Garnett and Ben have been accepted by the University of Arizona to play basketball and will doubtless have many more exciting games to look forward to. We are so proud of their achievements and wish them all the best!!

Another senior, Amit Vagoda, who played on the Jr. Road Warriors for 4 years, returned to Israel to complete high school two years ago. We are thrilled that Amit will be attending the University of Texas next year.
During the current shutdown, the team is continuing to meet online to do minor wheelchair repairs and home workouts together.

The BORP Youth Sled Hockey Team, the Sharks, were preparing for the 2020 USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival and the Youth Sled Hockey National Championships. Unfortunately, the 2020 Disabled Hockey Festival was cancelled and the team is looking forward to when they can get back on the ice.

Kid playing sled hockey
Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : BORP youth sports

Cesar Chavez California Children’s Services hosts Sports Day

By Trooper Johnson on May 16, 2019 No Comments

On April 24, BORP and the Cesar Chavez California Children’s Services Therapy Unit hosted a Sports Day at the Cesar Chavez campus. The event brought in 14 Oakland students with a variety of physical disabilities to try wheelchair basketball, adaptive cycling, and to learn about BORP and the programs we offer to Bay Area youth.

Generally, these kids are never around other kids like themselves, and never get to simply get out and play. These events offer them an opportunity to play sports with other kids who have similar disabilities.

Eleven new kids tried wheelchair basketball for the first time. Three current BORP athletes, Kevin, Joseph, and Eyan, helped run drills and answer questions.It was an incredible day on the court and we hope to be hosting several more of these events in the near future!


Categories : Uncategorized

BORP Youth Sports Update: April 2019

By Trooper Johnson on April 9, 2019 No Comments

Wheelchair Basketball

The Jr. Road Warriors finished the 2018-2019 NWBA season at the National Invitational Tournament in Chicago, IL. The team wound up with an 8-8 record for the year and are still developing. We have no graduating seniors this year, so we expect almost the entire team to return (Theo Batty is moving to Texas). 

Collage of pictures of the 2018-19 BORP Jr. Road Warriors

We have a good group of kids with a few that have been together for several years and they are starting to develop great chemistry.

Three photos: Ella Rodriguez, Garnett Silver-Hall, and Ben Thornton

Ella Rodriguez, Garnett Silver-Hall, and Ben Thornton have taken most of the responsibilities for carrying the team this year, but they have some help on the horizon. Braulio Noriega and Zach Nazareno are two of the youngest members of the team and are developing into a couple of beasts. Braulio has incredibly fast hands and although he isn’t that big he has blocked shots in almost every game. 

Zach is a gnat on the court. He is the smallest member of the team and, because of his speed and tenacity, he is generally responsible for defending the other team’s biggest players and keeping them from moving on the court. 

He is only twelve and was the only member of the team to play every minute of every game at the National Tournament, showing how much we value and trust him on the court.

We are also expecting great things from Kumar Polk, Arianna Lohrer, Sage Burtis, and Avery Dauer.

Kumar, Arianna, and Sage played their first season this year and exceeded all expectations. Arianna and Sage are playing wheelchair sports for the first time and have changed from shy timid kids into fierce competitors and two kids that are constantly having a blast off the court with the team. Kumar played basketball before becoming paralyzed and brings a natural court awareness to the team.

Avery has been playing for years and continues to get better each year. This year he grew about a foot and has turned into a rebounding and defensive force. 

As always, we expect to get a few new kids in the gym this year and will probably have one or two more kids to talk about soon when they join the team.

Prep Basketball

The Prep team (5-12 years old) continues to grow. This program feeds the varsity team and introduces kids to movement, structure, and teamwork on the court. For many of these kids, Prep basketball is the first time they’ve see another kid in a chair and they quickly gain the understanding that they are not alone.

Gabriella, Riley, Emanuel, Joseph, Kevin, Devan, and Joshua are names you will be hearing a lot more as they continue to develop within the program. These kids are the future and they work, play, and laugh incredibly hard each week on the court.

Sled Hockey

The Sharks Sled Hockey Team returned from Tampa as the Youth Sled Division II National Tournament Runner-Up. 

The team was bumped up a division from the division they competed in the previous two years and the competition was fantastic.

The team played against teams from Colorado Springs, New York, Nashville, and Pittsburgh during the competition and advanced to the Championship game for the 3rd consecutive year.

An injury to Garnett Silver-Hall, our fastest skater, in the Championship Game forced the team to finish almost half the game with only four skaters. The four remaining skaters played their hearts out but simply could not break through the tough Pittsburgh defense.

Ben Thornton, Braulio Noriega, and Thomas Giovanola were forced to cover more ice than normal and take on more responsibility than they ever had in the past and they did amazing. Until the injury, Garnett continued to play well and cover a lot of the ice on both ends. He supported the defensive end and created on offense, using his speed. This year the team was led by twelve year old Zach Nazareno. 


Zach Nazareno

Zach brings the presence of a swatted bee to the ice. He was everywhere! He is the smallest player on the ice and when he locks onto a player, he makes things miserable for them. Because he is a double-leg amputee he can turn and move in small spaces incredibly fast and has developed into a great puck handler. 

Our only graduating senior this year is Marcellus Garcia. Marcellus played basketball and hockey at the start of the season and then decided to focus on hockey. Marcellus became the goalie after Eyan Gilder graduated last year and played amazing this year. 

He started the season 4-0 and continued to 6-0 after the first two games in Tampa. He made saves in every way imaginable, including blocking a couple of shots with his face. He had a great couple of years with the team and will be sticking around to practice with the team. That leads us directly to this:

That leads us directly to this:

HELP WANTED – Sled Hockey Goalie: Must be a high school Junior or below (to be eligible next year) with a permanent physical disability. Must have fast reflexes and tenacity, and be crazy enough to want to stop a frozen rubber puck at all cost. 

Off the Court/Ice

It was an incredible year off the ice this season. We had five new kids play and travel with the teams. Some of these kids have had their disabilities their entire lives and some of these kids have acquired disabilities (trauma, cancer, etc.) but BORP brought them together. 

They come from a variety of backgrounds and have banded together to become part of a bigger community that most of them did not know existed before finding BORP.

Now, instead of being overwhelmed with some of the day-to-day issues they face related to their disabilities, you hear them laughing about them in the gym. They embrace their collective differences and have found strength and unity in their team.

There are so many kids in the greater Bay Area who have physical disabilities. As a parent, the simple question is this: If you have a kid with a physical disability, wouldn’t you want your kid to have an opportunity to play, to work towards a goal, to make new friends and be treated like family by a group of kids within their same age range who are facing similar issues? That is what the BORP Youth Sports Program offers. We just do it in custom sports wheelchairs or hockey sleds. We have kids that have an amputation, slight spina bifida, mild CP, and other mobility impairing disabilities that do not require a kid to use a wheelchair on a regular basis. These kids only use a wheelchair when they play sports. These are the kids that generally excel in the sports programs and just like the rest of the kids, have a blast doing it. 

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : BORP Jr. Road Warriors, BORP youth sports, Jr. Road Warriors, Prep Basketball, Sharks Sled Hockey, Sled Hockey, wheelchair basketball

Youth Sports Program Highlights

By Trooper Johnson on March 11, 2019 No Comments

BORP youth sled hockey players attend Hockey is for Everyone event in Philadelphia

On February 23 two members of the BORP Sled Hockey team attended the Willie O’Ree, Skills Weekend at the 2019 Hockey is for Everyone event in Philadelphia. The event is part of the NHL Outdoor Classic event and is centered on diversity and inclusion.

Zach and Garnett participated in on-ice activities, visited landmarks in Philadelphia, got to hang out with Olympic Gold Medalists and Stanley Cup winners, and attended the Outdoor Classic game between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

BORP Jr. Road Warriors compete in Seattle

BORP Jr. Road Warriors in Seattle

On March 2-3 the Jr. Road Warriors attended the West Coast Conference Championship Tournament in Seattle. The team went 2-2 on the weekend and wound up in 5th place. Two BORP athletes shined during the weekend. Ella Rodriguez and Ben Thornton were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : BORP youth sports, Sled Hockey

BORP Youth Sports Program Starts the Year Off Strong

By Trooper Johnson on February 13, 2019 No Comments

The BORP Youth Sports Program started the year off strong. The Sharks Sled Hockey Team visited Orange County, CA to compete in the very first Pacific Division Youth Sled Hockey Tournament. They played against teams from Colorado, San Diego, and a combined Los Angeles/Las Vegas team and went 4-0 over the weekend. Three members of the team were invited to the NHL Red Carpet event during the All-Star Weekend in San Jose.

BORP Sharks compete at the Pacific Division Youth Sled Hockey Tournament

The players got to meet the NHL All-Stars including the three players from the San Jose Sharks. Two members of the Sharks Sled Hockey Team, Zach Nazareno and Garnett Silver-Hall have been invited out to Philadelphia to compete in the Sled Hockey Skills competition during the NHL Outdoor Classic.

The Sharks also helped support the launch of a new program in Stockton during their “Try Sled Hockey” event. Twenty kids from the Stockton area came out to try the sport for the first time.

The Sharks Sled Hockey Team will be competing in the USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival in Tampa Bay, Florida in April. The team has advanced to the Championship Game in the past two years, winning the National Championship for their division in 2017.

BORP Jr Road Warriors at the 2019 West Coast Invitation Tournament

The Jr. Road Warriors hosted the 2019 West Coast Invitational Tournament at Stanford University. Teams from Portland, Spokane, and Los Angeles attended the competition and the team went 3-2 over the weekend. The team will be competing in the West Coast Conference Championship Tournament, March 1-3 in Seattle and finishing off the season at the NWBA Jr. Division National Championships in Chicago, March 29-31.

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : Adaptive Sports, Jr. Road Warriors, Sharks Sled Hockey, Sled Hockey, wheelchair basketball, Youth Sports

BORP’s youth Sharks Sled Hockey Team compete at the 2018 Disabled Hockey Festival

By Trooper Johnson on April 20, 2018 1 Comments

Last week BORP’s youth sled hockey team, the Sharks Sled Hockey, were in Chicago for the 2018 Disabled Hockey Festival. Last year the Sharks debuted at the tournament by winning first place in their division and coming home with a national championship, so excitement was high as the team headed to the Windy City.

The Sharks Sled Hockey team had a great opening game against the Colorado Avalanche Youth Sled Hockey team. The BORP youth won 10-0, with BORP’s Garnett Silver-Hall scoring four goals. In their second game the Sharks faced Cincinnati and Zach Nazareno, one of BORP’s youngest players, scored four goals leading the team to another win, 8-0. The team went on to finish pool play undefeated after a 3-1 win against the Chicago Thunder and advanced to the semi-finals.

In semi-finals the Sharks Sled Hockey team defeated Chicago Wings of Steel, 5-2 and prepared to face Pittsburg Penguins. The Sharks played hard in the final game for the Youth C Division Championship and ended up losing 2-1 and finishing second place in the tournament.

The Disabled Hockey Festival was an incredible experience for the BORP youth and we would like to thank Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, the Oakland Ice Center Operated by Sharks Ice, the Sharks Foundation, and the many BORP supporters who made this possible.

BORP youth Sharks Sled Hockey team group photo Shark Sled Hockey player in the locker room on the ice Sharks group photo Garnett Silver-Hall black and white photo in the locker room battling for the puck on the ice Eyan guarding the goal battling for the puck on the ice

Categories : BORP Youth Sports, sled-hockey
Tags : Adaptive Sports, borp, Disability, San Jose Sharks, Sled Hockey, Trooper Johnson

Best BORP Basketball Camp Ever

By Trooper Johnson on August 15, 2017 No Comments

Group picture of the youth at basketball campWe held the BORP Basketball Camp July 17-23 at James Kenney. During the week we had 10 kids attend the camp with seven of the kids staying overnight. The camp includes a combination of morning conditioning, afternoon basketball, and evening social time for the kids.

During the week the kids pushed 18 miles during their conditioning workouts, including their push across the Bay Bridge.  They played basketball for 24 hours on the court which included a mix of sport specific skills instruction and scrimmages. On the final day of the camp, they visited the Cycle center for a seven-mile ride before heading to the gym for four hours of basketball, followed by an hour on the ice for a skating session.
In addition to the kids attending the camp, Christie Levine and James Bohnett dropped in to talk to the kids and run some of their favorite college drills.
It was the best camp ever.









See more pictures on Facebook
Categories : Adaptive Cycling, BORP Cycling, BORP Fitness, BORP General Interest, BORP Transportation, BORP Youth Sports, sled-hockey, youth-wheelchair-basketball

BORP Youth at the 2017 Angel City Games

By Trooper Johnson on June 28, 2017 No Comments

The 2017 Angel City Games were held June 22-25 in Los Angeles at the beautiful campus of UCLA. Several BORP athletes went down to compete in the event, which combined sport-specific clinics and competitions throughout the weekend. All sports are Paralympic sports and include opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities or visual impairments to participate.

The BORP youth post for a picture on the track at the 2017 Angel City Games

The BORP youth post for a picture on the track at the 2017 Angel City Games

The weekend kicked off with an Archery clinic on Drake Field with Paralympic Gold Medalist, Jeff Fabry providing instruction.

BORP youth athlete Garnett Silver-Hall practices his aim at the Angel City Games archery clinic

BORP youth athlete Garnett Silver-Hall practices his aim at the Angel City Games archery clinic

Additional clinics through the weekend included wheelchair basketball, tennis, swimming, track & field, and a fun zone.

As part of the event, there was a 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball tournament including teams of players from around the country. BORP entered a team which included me and any kids that were not in sports clinics at the time of the games. The kids played incredibly well and advanced to the semi-finals before being knocked out. What was so impressive was that the kids were playing against adult players and outplaying them.

The kids also played in a game against kids from southern CA in the annual Jr.’s game. The Jr. Road Warriors struggled early but got on track when Ella and Isaiah started running the pick & roll to perfection.

BORP's Jr. Road Warriors playing basketball at the 2017 Angel City Games

BORP’s Jr. Road Warriors playing basketball at the 2017 Angel City Games

There was a Celebrity Wheelchair Basketball Game with local celebrities playing in wheelchairs. It was the 3rd annual event and as always, it was a blast.

On the track, Ella, Zach, and Isaiah tore it up. Isaiah raced for a personal best in the 200M. Zach was 5th in the 60M, and 4th in the 100 and first in the shot put. He also competed in the long jump. Ella was the queen of the track. She was 1st in the 60M, 2nd in the 100M, 1st in the 200M, 1st in Discus, 1st in Shot Put, and set a National Record in Javelin. All that and her best sport is still basketball!

Ella, who owned track and field at the 2017 Angel City Games, poses with her many ribbons and medals

Ella, who was the queen of the track at the 2017 Angel City Games, poses with her many ribbons and medals

The kids had an absolute blast and I believe Eyan personally met every single person that attended.  He even got up on stage and led some of the workout activities.

This was absolutely the best Angel City Games so far.

Eyan at the Angel City Games

Eyan at the archery clinic on Drake Field with Paralympic Gold Medalist, Jeff Fabry at the Angel City Games

Ella aiming for the target during the archery clinic

Ella aiming for the target during the archery clinic

Isaiah racing on the track during the Angel City Games

Isaiah racing on the track during the Angel City Games

Ella racing on the track during the Angel City Games

Ella running on the track during the Angel City Games

Categories : BORP Fitness, BORP General Interest, BORP Youth Sports, fitness, junior-adventures, youth-wheelchair-basketball
Tags : Adaptive Sports, Angel City Games, borp, BORP basketball, BORP Jr. Road Warriors, Disability, Jr. Road Warriors, paralympics, wheelchair basketball

Recap of the 2017 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Louisville, KY

By Trooper Johnson on April 4, 2017 No Comments

What an incredible week for the Jr. Road Warriors at the National Tournament in Louisville, KY.

Jr Road Warriors

Group shot of the Jr Road Warriors on the court the the Naitonal Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Louisville, KY

The Jr. Road Warriors entered the tournament ranked #8 in the country and riding a 9-game winning streak. The team faced a tough team from Chicago to start the tournament and the kids were excited to get things rolling. After a dominating first half by the Jr. Road Warriors, the Chicago Hawks made their run to close the gap to just 2 points with seconds left. A tough defensive stand forced a bad shot and the Jr. Road Warriors were able to hang on for the 40-38 win and advanced to the next round.

In the round of eight teams, the Jr. Road Warriors would face the #1 ranked Dallas Jr. Mavericks. Dallas had come into the the tournament 31-0 and were the favorite to take home the title. The Jr. Road Warriors played an incredible first half, holding Dallas to just 24 points. Unfortunately they only scored 14. In the 2nd half, Dallas found their form and turnovers stalled any momentum we could start and Dallas capitalized on our mistakes. Dallas went on to defeat the Jr. Road Warriors 54-29.

The loss dropped the team down into the placement bracket (In the NWBA, the team’s play out the tournament to determine final placing which determines final season rankings). This matched the team up against the Houston Hotwheels, ranked #5 coming into the tournament. Again, the Jr. Road Warriors played well in the first half, but turnovers continued to plague the team and the Hotwheels were able to take a lead at half. With under five minutes left in the game, and the Jr. Road Warriors down by 17, the show began. Jacob Ramirez hit four 3-point shots in a row and cut the lead to 7 points (the Hotwheels scored a basket during this run). Unfortunately, there was not enough time and the Jr. Road warriors lost by nine, 55-46.

This put the Jr. Road Warriors in their final game of the tournament, playing for 7th place. Since they came into the tournament ranked #8, there was no pressure on the team at all. Their opponent, the RHI Racers, came into the tournament ranked #6 and they were a much bigger, faster team. The Jr. Road Warriors were unfazed during the game and played an incredible team game. Isaiah Ahlstrom, one of the team’s leading scorers during the regular season, entered the game having scored only 4 points total in the previous three games. He found a way to take the lid off the bucket and finally had his normal type of game. When the Racers pressed, Ben Thornton and Jacob Ramirez benefitted from perfect picks set by Ella Rodriguez, Garnett Silver-Hall, and Stephen Christian. The bench offered tons of energy and Daniel Diana, Matthew Hatae, Eyan Gilder, and Avery Dauer all came in and played great defense and set the picks to get their teammates free. Their composure in the 2nd half was amazing and Jacob and Stephen ran the pick & roll to perfection. The Jr. Road Warriors held on to win 54-42 and secure the #7 spot for the end of season rankings.

This was an incredible tournament and marks the end to a career for one of BORP’s favorite athletes. Matthew Hatae has been the Co-Captain of the Jr. Road Warriors for the last two years. He did not earn that responsibility by making baskets. As a matter of fact, he rarely shoots the ball, and when he does you never know where it is going (or if you will even be able to find the ball). What he does is simply, work. He constantly is put in a position to try and get his teammates open. He sets picks, plays defense, and gets very little attention for his efforts on the court. He is the ultimate teammate to the rest of the team and has been a perfect pick as Captain.

Group hug at the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Group hug for Matthew at the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Tip off at the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Matthew at tip off

This year Matthew will graduate high school and move on to bigger things. It has been great being able to coach him for the past eight years.

The absolute best moment of the tournament came with only seconds left on the clock. Matthew, sat behind a screen set by Ella on the left side of the key. Jacob dropped a cross-court pass to him and Matthew banked in his last (and only) shot, in his last National Tournament with the Jr. Road Warriors. You could not have imagined the excitement his teammates had for him, and it was the perfect end to an incredible career for Matthew. Holding true to form, Matthew let me know that he should have been shooting more since he shot 100% for the tournament…

The kids had a blast at the banquet and danced through the evening. To top things off, Jacob was named to the 2nd team All-Tournament Team and Matthew received an All-American Academic Honorable Mention Award.

Congratulations to all the kids that played this year, and thanks to all the families that made this season spectacular.

Varsity Banquet NWBA

The Jr Road Warriors at the Varsity Banquet during 2017 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Louisville, KY

Categories : Uncategorized

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