Being in a wheelchair hasn't stopped Topekan Lee Graybeal-Lobmeyer from being a fierce competitor.
She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after birth, but she hasn't let it slow her down.
"I've been in sports since the '80s," she said.
Lee Graybeal-Lobmeyer uses a headstick to release
a boccia ball from a ramp, which was customized
by her father. The 44-year-old Topekan practices
three times per week at the Southwest YMCA. She
is part of a three-person ramp division team from
the United States that will travel to Portugal
for the 2010 boccia championship.
(Than Allton, Topeka Capital-Journal)
On Thursday, Graybeal-Lobmeyer practiced boccia with her mother, Cathy Drobny, who also her coach, in a room at the Southwest YMCA.
Wearing a headstick, the 44-year-old mother of three lined up her ball and quietly told her mother to move her ramp a little to the right. The bright blue leather ball rolled with precision next to the white target ball, known as a "jack."
Boccia, a throwing game involving accuracy and strategy, has been a part of the Paralympics since 1984, according to BlazeSports America. The game originated long ago in Italy, but its popularity has spread worldwide, the BlazeSports Web site states. Once presented as a sport for athletes with cerebral palsy, boccia is now open to all athletes with significant physical disabilities. The game tests an athlete's coordination, accuracy, concentration and the ability to strategize.
Boccia can be played one-on-one, in pairs or in teams of three. Play begins with a player throwing or rolling the jack onto the court. Next, the opponent throws. The player or team that isn't closest to the jack must then throw or roll until they put a ball closer to the jack. This continues until all balls are thrown or rolled. A referee determines the points awarded to individuals or team.
The use of chutes and ramps enables people with different disabilities to play.
Graybeal-Lobmeyer is part of a three-person United States ramp division team headed to Lisbon, Portugal, from May 30-June 10 for the 2010 Boccia World Championships. Her team mates are Austin Hanson, of Topeka, and Sam Williams, of Illinois.
Williams will come to Topeka on March 26, 27 and 28 to practice with Hanson and Graybeal-Lobmeyer.
Gary Barraclough, of Topeka, is the pairs coach for Hanson and Graybeal-Lobmeyer. He is Hanson's father.
"When I was 18, I went to my first national meet," Graybeal-Lobmeyer said while taking a break from her practice session.
That is when she discovered boccia.
"I stepped away from the sport to raise my family," she said. "I stayed in the game by refereeing."
Graybeal-Lobmeyer and her husband, Walt, have three children, AB, 26, who also plays boccia; Katy, 12; and Nic, 8.
"We keep a very busy household," she said.
But she makes time to practice at least three times per week with her mother.
"It is really fun," said Drobny, who will accompany her daughter to Portugal to serve as her sports assistant.
As Graybeal-Lobmeyer's assistant, Drobny has to keep her back to the court and can't speak during play. She watches her daughter's actions and listens closely so she can adjust the ramp right or left. When Drobny isn't helping her daughter, she plays boccia ball with her husband and is on a local league for fun.
Graybeal-Lobmeyer has received several medals for her efforts. The Portugal championship is a qualifying event for the Paralympics in 2012 in London.
Ann Marie Bush can be reached at (785) 295-1207 or ann.bush@cjonline.com.