This struck me as a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the athletes as they began their last 1,000 days of preparations for the Games and, as I already knew wheelchair basketball as a great spectator sport, I was very excited about the chance to give it a try. However, I had never played basketball before – and my netball career had been cut short in favour of hockey – so I was completely new to the sport. Enthusiasm was definitely going to be my key strength.

Initially, we were led in a training session by the coach of the GB team, learning the basic skills and rules. Unfortunately, most of us found that the skills were not so basic. Indeed I discovered that trying to stay in control of the direction and speed of the chair, whilst bouncing the ball and trying to avoid the other people on the court, was exceptionally difficult.

So much so that I gave up on trying to stop by myself and regularly crashed into the other players (and, on one occasion, the wall). This technique worked well, although my feet suffered as a consequence.
 
We then got to play a quick game amongst the Deloitte partners. A huge effort was made by everyone but, after a few minutes, we were all exhausted. My hands were blackened and my back was sore, but I loved it. The game is most certainly addictive.
 

As well as the challenges of manoeuvring around the court, I also found shooting very difficult. The basket is the same height as in the able-bodied version of the sport, so you need a lot of upper-body strength to get the ball anywhere near the hoop. I'm sorry to say that most of my shots didn’t get anywhere near.

After the leisurely pace of our practice match, it was an amazing transformation when the GB players joined us on the court. The incredible commitment of these athletes, some of whom are Deloitte-funded through TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme), was apparent straight away, and having the opportunity to learn from them was a real privilege.

During the game I felt like a pedestrian stuck in the middle of the road, with traffic whizzing past me from every angle. The way that they sped around the court and managed to stop instantly was so skilful. Everything seemed so simple to them. 

We watched a training session afterwards and what instantly struck me was the impressive camaraderie amongst the team. All the players were enthusiastic and supportive of each other, and the way in which they have focused on their sport to achieve to such a high level is truly inspiring.

Having watched the GB team and been lucky enough to play the sport myself, I have become a real fan of wheelchair basketball. Next time a game is on TV or in a local sports centre, I will definitely be watching and I can’t wait for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Sharon Fraser is Deloitte’s Head of Regions Audit. To find out more about the Deloitte Disability Sport programme click here.