Lincoln teenager competing on states only wheelchair basketball team and inspiring others

You can usually find Lily Lautenschlager flying down the basketball court at the University of Omaha on the weekends.

The Lincoln East freshman is one of a dozen students from across the state that comes out to play on the Nebraska Red Dawgs wheelchair basketball team.

“It’s a way for us to be competitive because we can’t play a lot of other sports. It’s just the best feeling to be out there and doing something,” Lilly Lautenschlager said.

Born with Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome, which is a vascular malformation that affects Lily from the waist down, the 14–year–old has never let the rare disorder slow her down.

She’s done everything from dance to pageants and now for two years has been competing with the Red Dawgs; she’s the teams only member from Lincoln.

The team is made up of players of all ages and skill levels who all share the same desire to win.

“These kids out there are like anybody else, they want to compete, they want to have fun, they want to have a chance to show what they can do and this gives them the opportunity,” Karl Lautenschlager, Lily’s said, said.

The Red Dawgs are the only wheelchair basketball team in Nebraska.

They travel across the country competing against other teams and last year they placed 11th in the nation.

While each team member has a different health issue that lead them to be in a wheelchair, the commonality is a bond they share and it’s one that has allowed Lily to grow both on and off the court.

“It is the best feeling as a mom to see her thrive in a situation that whatever normal is she gets to be and do and work hard and there’s a challenge and it’s not go sit on the sides and watch, you’re in the middle of it,” Carrie Lautenschlager, Lily’s mom, said.

With her proud parents watching on, Lily and her Red Dawgs teammates finished the weekend splitting four games.

More than the games played it’s the lessons learned and friendships shared that have given Lily a new found confidence.

While she’s still growing as player, the teenage powerhouse has an important lesson for all of us, “Just because we’re in a chair doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything. Even though we have different abilities than you we can still play and be competitive.”

It’s that positivity that has the 14-year-old thriving both on and off the court and teaching all of us that two wheels can change the world.