Wheelchair Committee Chair Spotlight - David Van Brunt

Growing up, David Van Brunt was active in sports but never put much focus into tennis. In fact, he didn’t even start playing until an injury forced him to take up the sport later in life.

After a motorcycle accident in December of 1993 left him with a traumatic brain injury, a shattered pelvis, and the loss of his legs, Van Brunt had to learn how to adjust to life in a wheelchair.

It was during rehab that Van Brunt embraced life on a wheelchair. He met a woman with a nice wheelchair and he asked her how he could get one like it and she ended up inviting him to play tennis. It took about two years before he called her up for a game in 1996, but then he quickly took to the sport and started practicing with her small group in Sacramento.

Ever since then, tennis has become an integral part of Van Brunt’s life.

Van Brunt started training and competing in the local wheelchair tournaments in Northern California, and by 2004, he was ranked No. 1 in Level A-Wheelchair tennis in California. He also participated in several USTA leagues, made it to district championships, and has competed against players not in wheelchairs once USTA established the two-bounce rule for players in wheelchairs.

At the time Van Brunt got started in tennis, it was the only sport that he knew of that integrated with others not in wheelchairs, and he liked that challenge.

“I remember once the USTA changed the rules, it opened up everything competitively. I went to a tournament in Davis that same year and played singles,” he said. “I heard the opponent talking to a friend asking where his opponent was. They never assumed it was me because I was in a wheelchair. I beat the guy in the first set with the new two-bounce rule, so it was a real eye-opener for people.”

Not only did Van Brunt become a seasoned tennis player himself, but he also worked with the community to help others.

He went back to college at Sacramento State and then got his master’s degree in social work. David even used his personal experience for his thesis project called Teaming Individuals Emphasizing Sports (TIES).

“It’s now a non-profit where we use tennis and sports as a way to build community and integrate into society,” Van Brunt said. “It’s not about being in a wheelchair, but putting the focus on the sport and building relationships between people living with and without disability through active integrated sports.”

Van Brunt also dedicates his time these days as an advocate by coaching wheelchair tennis, recruiting new players to join, helping build out programs, and helping others get access to equipment, grants, and finding courts.

He is also active with USTA NorCal and has served on the Wheelchair Committee since 1999 and has been the chair for six years.

“I feel what is needed is more outreach and more players, and it helps that I have built many great relationships with people in my area and have created involvement with the entire community,” he added. “From my own experiences, I know the basics of what is needed to get people out there playing, how to offer guidance, focus on integration, and ultimately, influence where we put efforts for wheelchair tennis in areas like rules, grants, and equipment.”

And because he is committed to giving back and helping others find their journey as he did, Van Brunt leverages all of his experience as a player, coach, and social worker to help him serve on the committee.

"Tennis is a hard sport, especially in a chair, and it takes work to build upon," Van Brunt concluded. “But being able to have a voice in the committee and open people’s mind to possibilities they might not have thought of, that’s why I do it.”