This is the Fox Twin Cities article on Robbie Wilhelm. Click here for the original article and a video!
Article by Scott Wasserman from FOX 9 News:
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. - An 18-year-old wheelchair basketball star with polio from New Brighton, Minnesota finally realized his dream to be in Sports Illustrated. Rob Wilhelm, an senior at Irondale High School, started playing wheelchair basketball three years ago. He quickly became a rising star on the Courage Center's junior rolling Timberwolves. Wilhelm practiced five days a week for three hours a day. “(In) Wheelchair basketball everyone is disabled,” said Wilhelm. “You all have something in common it's a lot of fun." Like most athletes, Wilhelm has a lot of dreams. It began at the age of eight when he started reading Sports Illustrated. "I always dreamed of being in “Faces in the Crowd.” All these high school athletes I would see, Joe Mauer in there and I would say ‘wow he's a Minnesota guy.’ I said, ‘why can't I be in there?’" But as he got older, Wilhelm thought his dream was over as his legs started deteriorating due to polio. But on April 10, Wilhelm played the game of his life in the National Wheelchair Basketball Title game. Mike Bauler is Wilhelm's coach at the Courage Center. He e-mailed Sports Illustrated following the game, nominating him for “Faces in the Crowd.” As a senior, Wilhem has played his last game at the Courage Center, but continues to help his teammates and hopefully inspire others through the dreams he never thought possible. "What Robbie’s done is given other young people with disabilities the opportunity to dream to want something more in life," said Bauler. For Wilhelm, his dreams continue next year as he'll be college wheelchair basketball in Marshall for Southwest Minnesota State "You need to believe, you need to believe in yourself and have confidence in yourself it all starts there," said Wilhelm.
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