The Roving Reporter

'Closer to home than I really am'

Posted by: Amy Reiter

Thursday, September 11, 2008 8:20 PM

As UI Paralympians start racking up medals in Beijing, UI senior and U.S. wheelchair basketball athlete Carlee Hoffman shares her thoughts in a Sept. 5 e-mail on the "air of excitement" at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

News-Gazette: When did you find out you would go to the Paralympic Games?

Carlee Hoffman: We had tryouts in April.

NG: Have you been to the Games before?

CH: I went to Athens in 2004 for Wheelchair Basketball... we won the gold medal there.

NG: How did you train for them?

CH: We had training camps periodically ... they started the end of May. The first one lasted 2 1/2 weeks, and then we went every other weekend until we left for Beijing.

NG: How does it feel to have so many University of Illinois-affiliated people at the Games?

CH: It's really nice to see familiar faces at such a large event. It makes it seem like I am closer to home than I really am.

NG: When did you arrive? Have you gotten to see much of Beijing?

CH: We arrived on the First of September. We got to go to the Forbidden City and Silk Market one morning, but other than that we've only been practicing. I am hoping to get to the Great Wall after competition.

NG: What do you think of the facilities?

CH: China did a really great job with the facilities. Everyone is very helpful and nice. The village is really beautiful, it is full of streams, statues, and these random serenity gardens which makes it very relaxing.

NG: What is the environment behind the scenes at the Games? Is there anything surprising so far?

CH: There is an air of excitement here. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but everyone here just seems really excited to be a part of what's going on and anticipating for the games to begin.

NG: Besides winning, do you have any personal goals for the Games?

CH: Obviously winning is my No. 1 priority, but I am also here to have fun!

NG: When do you compete?

CH: We begin September the 8th and have a game everyday until the 15th (which is the gold medal game).

NG: How do you balance the Games with your UI studies?

CH: I am actually not enrolled in any classes. I only have one semester left, which is an internship so all my class work is finished. I will do my internship in the spring. It all worked out very well!

NG: What are the skills it takes to be a champion wheelchair basketball player?

CH: Well, it takes a lot of fine tuning of the fundamentals of basketball. I also believe that court vision and composure are essential to being a good wheelchair basketball player.

To follow Carlee's progress, head to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association: www.nwba.org.

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