Wheelchair tennis player tries out for high school team

Two days ago I wrote about a wheelchair athlete winning the right to compete on her high school track team, and the next morning I opened our local paper to find a story about a wheelchair tennis player competing against non-disabled players for his high school team. Dylan Levine has to wheel back and forth across the court during volleys because he can't move sideways, and he gets an extra bounce before he has to hit the ball, as per U.S. Tennis Association rules, but aside from that, he's set to try out and compete for his team just like any other high school athlete. The 14-year-old Levine, who has a bone disease called fibrous dysplasia, is ranked number seven among world junior wheelchair tennis players, and may be volleying in the Paralympics in 2012. In the meantime, he has his sights set on a varsity letter and some home-school fame. And as a bonus, his presence is spurring his school -- and likely the other schools in its league -- to make the tennis courts more accessible to people with disabilities. Are there wheelchair athletes competing in schools in your area? Mention them in the comments, and I'll give these remarkable sports stars some recognition in this blog.

• Special needs sports
• Video of wheelchair track star Tatyana McFadden