ALLENDALE, Mich. — Seth and Liam Kiefer have always been competitive. The 16-year-old twins from Cheboyagan share a love of basketball — the dribbling, the ball handling, and of course that drive to win.
"Competitiveness and just trying to do your best," Seth said.
"Just like competing with each other, trying to win, and I think it's just fun," Liam said.
Both brothers have muscular dystrophy, a condition that has progressively weakened their muscles since childhood.
"We used to be able to walk when we were like around kindergarten, but we have MD, so our muscles get weaker over time, and so we just had to move into wheelchairs around first grade," Seth said.
Growing up in Cheboyagan has limited their opportunities to play organized sports. But for the past 5 years, the annual Mary Free Bed Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp has changed that.
"We get to show up and play sports that we never really get to play, and then compete with other people that are disabled," Seth said.
"Even though everyone isn't the same disability, and some people are stronger than others, there's still ways that everyone can get involved," Liam said.
More than 50 campers attend the camp at Grand Valley statue University each year to participate in a variety of adaptive sports and games. Nine-year-old Pearl is among those who keep coming back — this year marks her third.
"I like to play sports. I like to hang out with new people. I just like coming to camp," Pearl said.
For Seth and Liam, the camp is about more than athletics. It is about belonging.
"You get to like connect with people and run groups and play sports," Liam said. "Being able to be here and play the sport instead of just just viewing it, and they actually get to feel like they're a part of something that's going on," Seth said.
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