After observing our daughters participate in a total of 40 basketball games this winter, our family journeyed to Marshall, Minnesota, last week for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Collegiate Tournament. This marked the culmination of our basketball-filled winter and the final collegiate basketball tournament for our son, Hunter, aged 26, who served as a two-year captain on the University of Arizona men’s wheelchair basketball team.
Out of numerous universities nationwide eligible to host the national tournament, our family from the upper Midwest felt fortunate that the event took place in Wisconsin last year and in Minnesota this year, both accessible routes for our family to travel.
While our teenage daughters had hoped for a warmer spring break tournament location, the 300-mile drive allowed 50 family members and friends to convene for four days. The stands in Marshall, Minnesota were filled with a gathering of relatives spanning multiple generations, including my siblings, their spouses, nieces, nephews, parents, in-laws, uncles, aunts, cousins, lifelong family friends, Hunter’s former college football coach, teammates, and their families.
Together, we attended one significant game per day, showing our support for Hunter and his Wildcat teammates, and shared daily family meals at various local restaurants, fostering a sense of togetherness.
In the National Wheelchair Basketball Association collegiate men’s championship game on March 16, 2024, in Marshall, Minnesota, Hunter Pinke reaches for the basketball during the match between the University of Arizona and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Katie Pinke / Agweek
WDAY News reporter Kevin Wallevand
While the ultimate goal was a championship victory, the University of Arizona, as the top seed, fell short in the championship game against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Despite feeling disappointed for Hunter’s Arizona teammates and coach, the overall experience left me devoid of any regret.
Reflecting on the journey we had undertaken, I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I took a moment to sit alone on a side bleacher, contemplating the conclusion of our son’s collegiate sports journey. From college football to what I initially thought would be the end of team sports following a skiing accident and spinal cord injury, to the unexpected bonus chapter of collegiate wheelchair basketball, I marveled at the unforeseen twists and turns that life had presented.
As I sat on the side bleacher after the championship game, memories flooded my mind—of the uncertainties we faced four years ago when leaving spinal cord injury rehab in Colorado with Hunter amidst pandemic lockdowns, returning home to our farm in North Dakota, unaware of the world of adaptative athletics at the University of Arizona and the positive impact it would have on our son and our family’s future.
On March 16, 2024, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater emerged victorious over the University of Arizona with a score of 74-67 in the men’s wheelchair collegiate championship game. The image captures North Dakota native Hunter Pinke in action during the championship game, with teammates Tyrone Griner and Blaise Mutware in the background at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. Katie Pinke / Agweek
Several mornings a week, when our daughters and I coincidentally find ourselves in the kitchen together, I read a teen girls’ devotional authored by blogger “Boo Mama” Sophie Hudson to them. While it occasionally disrupts their morning routine, last week, Elizabeth, aged 16, resonated with a particular lesson I shared about ‘Staying out of the future.’
Elizabeth expressed, “Mom, the most impactful thing you read and shared was the lesson about ‘Stay out of the future.’ I find myself repeating that to myself.”
Revisiting the devotional on “Staying out of the future,” emphasizing the importance of avoiding worry and the urge to control what lies ahead, my teenager’s feedback served as a gentle reminder for me to continue following this sage advice.
Observing and supporting our adult son’s journey over the past four years has instilled in me the discipline of staying present and avoiding undue concern about the future. His remarkable progression in wheelchair sports has far exceeded any expectations I harbored as a worried mother four years ago.
Whether it pertains to family life, specific relationships, daily work, small businesses, farms, or ranches, as we transition into spring, a season symbolizing renewal, I urge you to heed the wisdom of staying grounded in the present. May you encounter moments of awe in the future, akin to those that have filled me with joy as I witnessed a journey I never anticipated but embraced with unwavering trust in brighter tomorrows.