Bisnett - Overcoming the Odds

If you believe you can acheive and that s exactly what Bismarck native Derrick Bisnett has done He s just old enough to drive and since picking up a new sport he s been on a roll but its not how you would think He s 16 years old but athletics has already taken Derrick Bisnett around the world When we first met him last December soccer was his sport of choice but almost a year later that s changed and so has something else Derrick s a member of a national champon basketball team and its one made up entirely of athletes in wheelchairs Derrick Bisnett I was walking through school everyday I mean it was quite obvious that there was something because I walked with a bit of a limp but I was doing everything else Derrick has spina bifida which is a birth defect that effects the development of the spinal cord Throughout childhood he competed through it even making the varsity soccer squad at Century But since last year his condition has worsened and he s lost a lot of feeling in his legs While he still can walk he can t for long periods of time But when a wheelchair entered his life so did a whole new world of sports Derek Bisnett I more look at it as just living my life and any other high school kid would like to be in sports and participate in some sort activity and this is just our way of doing the same thing At least twice a week Derrick works out at the Human Performance Center at St Alexius Medical Center with trainer Wayde Schulz Wayde Schulz We hit a lot on his arm stuff upperbody and are working on quick contractions and stuff like that with his hands as he s looking at his handspeed with pushing the chair The wheels on his chair aren t the only ones with wear and tear so are the one s on his vehicle as home games involve road trips for Derrick Derrick Bisnett I was lucky enough to jump in on the Junior Rolling Timberwolves which is a high school based team out of Minneapolis There s also the under-20 US National team which Derrick competed with at the Junior Olympics in Austrailia He and his teammates returned to America with gold medals Derrick Bisnett I still don t think that I am good There are a lot of players that excel far more than me and even the professional level in Europe and there are players that are a ton better than me but to have the success that I have had in a short amount of time I am really happy with the progress that I have made Wayde Schulz There are days when it is easy to complain about things like maybe my knees hurt again or something like that but again you look at Derrick and he s busting his butt in his wheelchair and it gives you a whole new perspective on how you look at life and stuff like that As for a desire to ditch the chair Derrick says it there But if that day comes or if it doesn t he ll get by Derrick Bisnett I m happy with it I live a normal life just like everybody else I mean as a normal as one would say I go to school I still have to get up I still have to do homework I wouldn t say I live differently than your average kid in high school Spina Bifida comes from latin which literally means split or open spine Derrick is hoping to play hoops at the next level as many colleges and universities do have wheelchair teams