The Military Basketball Association (MBA) Veterans Day Rally Wheelchair Basketball Event took place last weekend on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Fort Carson SRU (Soldier Recovery Unit) Wheeled Warriors faced off against the Air Force Team Chair Force, with Fort Carson winning by seven points.
The MBA, led by Commissioner Mike Meyers, was founded in 2018. Meyers is a Major assigned to the Fort Carson SRU as a soldier transitioning into medical retirement.
“For the last five years, the MBA has supported a Veterans Day Tournament in Colorado with the volunteer efforts from retired Fort Carson 1SG Angel Acevedo, also a co-founder of the MBA,” Meyers said. “Four out of five events were held in Colorado Springs. This year was the first year the MBA held its first adaptive sports event to support wheelchair basketball. We thank Marc Cattapan from the Soldier Recovery Unit for his work in adaptive sports and providing the teams for the event. The MBA leadership and its commissioner are committed to adaptive sports events and are thankful to UCCS for hosting the Veterans Day Rally Tournament. We also congratulate Coach Ted Alber from the United States Air Force Academy Club Team and his cadets on winning the tournament.”
The event was held at Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center at UCCS, where Avianna E. Colon-Meyers, an eighth grade student at New Summit Charter School and Meyers’ daughter, sang the national anthem.
“UCCS is proud that we are a military-friendly school,” said Jen Furda, Director of Community Engagement and Local Government. “Not only do we have current military students, we also have veterans, children of vets and military spouses that attend school here. UCCS has multiple military installations that call Colorado Springs home, including Fort Carson, Peterson/Schriever AF Base, NORAD, Space Command, and the United States Air Force Academy, and we are happy to partner with and host local military efforts such as the Military Basketball Association Veterans Day Basketball Tournament.”