The Lakeshore Foundation. Healthy. Active. Independent.
Mary Allison Milford
Women’s Wheelchair Basketball
Birthplace: Magnolia, Arkansas
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Milford is a new face on the U.S. team. She was a member of the silver medal winning world championship team in 2006. She is also a member of the University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team.
2008 U.S. Paralympic Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team
Since winning gold in Athens four years ago, the U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team has been in rebuilding mode—half of the 2004 team retired after those Games—and is slowly working its way back up to the top. The team was defeated by archrival Canada in the finals of the 2006 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, but took home a hard-earned silver medal and the knowledge of what it needed to do to get ready for Beijing. After making a few personnel changes, the team headed to the 2007 Parapan American Games this summer with some fresh faces and the chance to test its mettle in international competition. The U.S. came away with the gold, twice defeating Canada along the way. The team now heads to the 2008 Paralympic Games with much to prove and a large target on its back.
University of Alabama Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team
The University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team played its first season during the 2003-2004 school year. In the four years since, the program has shot up through the ranks of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, finishing third—its highest placing yet—at last year’s national championship tournament. To add to the program’s prestige, the Crimson Tide now boast four players on the national team, all of whom helped the U.S. win a gold medal at the 2007 Parapan American Games this past summer.
Courtesy U.S. Paralympics
