Update Letter from Coach Nick

Hello!

My name is Nick Weiss, and I’m a cofounder of the Seattle Parasport Coalition. I was born with cerebral palsy from two University of Washington graduates, grew up in Wallingford, and played youth wheelchair basketball at Meany Middle School in Capitol Hill. Similar to most of us, I love my community.

I’m writing to you because we see an opportunity to support our city in a unique and meaningful way. By launching a coed wheelchair basketball team at UW, we will bring a new level of competition to our region, build a pathway to higher education, and keep talented folks in our area.

Why now, and how?

As alumni of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Wheelchair Basketball team, we have acquired the foundational knowledge to recruit, train, and empower this new program. Our experience has taught us that collegiate wheelchair basketball is one of the most transformative opportunities for people with disabilities because it builds academic excellence, independence, and essential life skills. Together, we can make this a reality.

Seattle provides a lucrative environment for parasport athletes, which gives us hope to begin competition in the Fall of 2027. Currently, we are building a 3-year proposal and budget to build this program from within the Department of Rehabilitation. In this format, athletes, rehab students, and community members will benefit from the in-person learning opportunities surrounding adaptive sports.

Upcoming, we will start to host monthly coalition meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm PST, which will be open to the entire coalition. A link will be released to members. Please consider joining us for more information, or reach out at seattleparasport@gmail.com for any follow-up.

Best,

-Nick