The Mad City Badgers Wheelchair Basketball Team will be hosting a Demonstration Day and Showcase Game at Fennimore High School on Sunday, April 23 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.). This is a free event, and all are welcome to attend and learn more about the Mad City Wheelchair Sports Program.
According to the team’s website, “The Mad City Badgers is an organized Youth Wheelchair Basketball team, serving families and players from many parts of South-East Wisconsin.”
“The team has evolved from its humble beginnings in the 1950’s, when disabled veterans returning from World War II formed the team as a form of recreation. Today, the Mad City Badgers serves school-aged boys and girls, ages eight to 18, with many different levels of disabilities and skill level.”
Two members of the wheelchair team have ties to Fennimore. Traeson Klais, son of Natasha and Brett Klais, attends Fennimore Elementary School, and Abby Lendosky is the daughter of John and Melaine Lendosky of Viroqua, and granddaughter of Dennis and Sarah Lendosky of Fennimore.
Traeson Klais, a 10-yearold fourth grader at Fennimore Elementary School, is the youngest player on the Mad City team. His family is from the Fennimore area. Both his parents, Natasha and Brett Klais, were raised in Fennimore. Traeson has two siblings, Trinity (age 15) and Titus (age 13). Traeson was born with Spina Bifida. He was introduced to the Mad City team after watching a demo they held in Cuba City about four years ago. He joined the team in spring 2019, and after a few seasons of being on the prep team, the 2022-2023 season marked his first as a full time player, participating in all the team’s tournaments.
Although he doesn’t enjoy the traveling part, he does like seeing the places where the team’s tournaments are held and being with his teammates. When asked why he enjoys being part of the Mad City Badgers Team, he said “being with and playing against people where everyone is like me.”
Besides his Badger teammates, Traeson said he’s made friends on the many other traveling wheelchair teams.
Like a typical fourth grader, when not playing basketball, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching movies and “hanging out with his family.”
His mother, Natasha, said that he’s complimented frequently on being a “good teammate and showing good sportsmanship,” and “always making people laugh.”
Like Traeson, Abby Lendosky, was born with Spina Bifida. Abby is the second youngest player on the team. She is the daughter of John and Melaine Lendosky of Viroqua, and granddaughter of Dennis and Sarah Lendosky of Fennimore. She has two brothers Braeden and Kevin. Abby, a 13-year-old eighth grader, who attends Cornerstone Christian Academy, in Viroqua, was introduced to Wheelchair Basketball in the fourth grade, when through her physical therapist, saw the UW-Whitewater Wheelchair Basketball team play.
She enjoyed watching them and thought that maybe this was something she could do. The same physical therapist suggested Mad City and she tried it and as she put it, “I liked it a lot!”
Abby said she likes traveling around the country with the team and getting to spend time with her teammates outside of practice. She also likes that she gets to meet new people from all over the country from participating in tournaments.
The main thing Abby said she gets out of playing with the team is that she “doesn’t feel left out and always feels included since everyone has a disability like her.”
Traeson and Abby have practice every Friday during the season, with tournaments that run September through March. They just completed the 2022-2023 season, qualifying for nationals in Kansas, where the top 30 teams in their league competed.
Overall the Mad City Badgers finished the 20222023 season ranked 14th after nationals.
Traeson, Abby and their families hope for a large turnout on April 23. There will be a wheelchair team demonstration, followed by a wheelchair basketball game with the Mad City Badgers taking on the Fennimore High School boys and girls basketball teams.
In addition to the basketball related events, there will also be a basket raffle, a 50/50 drawing and concessions stand, with the proceeds going to support Mad City Badgers.
Supporting wheelchair athletics involves expenses paid by the Mad City Wheelchair Sports organization and individual families; these expenses include tournament fees, equipment, facility fees, and transportation fees.
