The deadline for submitting your Clinic Grant Application is June 1st.  If you plan to have a  rugby clinic and want grant assistance from the USQRA, the deadline for submission of your clinic grant application is fast approaching.

Click the above link to download the grant instructions and application or go to the old file library to find the file link.

Submit the completed application by June 1st.

Texas Heats Up Nationals 
 

Spokes Ableman and the USQRA National Championships

Louisville, KY – April 11-13, 2008

The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby.

    by Ed Hooper 
 

“Pass the Jack Daniels, Helmet Head, these Nationals Championships had more drama than a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western,” said my smart-aleck buddy Spokes Ableman.  “We should call this baby ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby.”

“Helmet Head, Spokes?  I thought you were done calling me that.”

“Aaaahaaahh… nope were back to Helmet Head.  Hey, I didn’t wear the thing all those years, you did.

“Anyway, let’s start with the Good.  The Texas Stampede and Portland Pounders battled into overtime for the Division I National Championship.  Texas had lost to Portland a day earlier in pool play by 11.  Eleven!  The Stampede must have been feeling a little like Texans did after the Alamo.  One might say they were ticked.     3.0 Mark Zupan and 1.0 Norm Lyduch were ready to turn up the heat.  So, enter the heat. Well, the ex-Heat anyway – former Phoenix Heat players 3.0 Best of Class Japanese speedster Shinichi Shimakawa and 1.0 Scott Hogsett from that 2006 Championship team who both now play for Texas. 

“How does Gumbie do it, HH?  That’s a rhetorical question.”

Spokes continued, “On the other side of the ball Portland lined up 3.0 tournament MVP Ian Chan from Canada, 2.0 Will Groulx, 2.0 Seth McBride, and 1.0 Best of Class Max Woodbury.  This group had to feel pretty confident after dismantling the longhorns on Saturday.  They looked like they had the high/low of Texas figured out.”

“Spokes, every player who was on the court represents their respective National Teams.  No shortage of speed, talent or guns in this game.”

“Zupan looked like a man on a mission,” Spokes said.  “Of course Zupan looks like he’s on a mission going up the elevator to his room.  Shimakawa was, well, Shimakawa:  Blazingly fast, slippery, smart, hard hitting.

“Portland seemed jittery at the start, throwing their second possession out of bounds.  After a few hits, they settled down and got their composure.”

“Adrenaline Spokes.  That’s normal.”

“Nothing about you guys is normal, HH, but that’s another story.

“Where was I? The Stampede had figured some things out themselves overnight because they traded punches with the Pounders for 4 quarters, which fittingly ended in a 47-47 tie.  In a curious decision Portland put Woodbury – instead of Chan or Groulx – as their jump man to start the overtime.  They lost the jump, traded goals, and lost the game on a last-second ‘no-goal’ call as Groulx crossed the goal line a half second late.  And Portland came up short, losing 51-50. 

“And for the second time in USQRA history a hi/low lineup won the National Championship (Tennessee did in 1994), testament to all 4 Texas players, especially their two lowpointers, Hogsett and Lyduch.  Lyduch played like a man possessed. And the Hog wasn’t snortin’ too far behind.  It’s the best game I’ve ever seen Lyduch play, HH. 

“Me too, Spokes.  Norm is a humble guy with talent big enough to match his heart.”

“After the game, Lyduch said, ‘It was hard work.  They (Portland) really took it to us in that pool-play game, and we just wanted to compete harder.  We didn’t want to get blown away.  We played as hard as we could; they played as hard as they could.  You couldn’t ask for a better final.  It was awesome!’”

“Portland did play their hearts out too, HH, but they had a few unforced errors that really cost them.”

“Yeah, Spokes, but the game was, as Norm said, awesome!” 
 

The Call 
 

“Well, HH, now the Bad.  The Call, a.k.a., The Horn.  Wasn’t it Descartes who asked, ‘If a horn blows unheard in a gym, does it really make a sound?’

“The action: Lakeshore Demolition and the Texas Stampede battling in the semis to play for the title on Sunday.  The clock is winding down in a tie game with Lakeshore’s axle-bending 3.5 Joel Wilmoth with the ball just at the goal line ready to score for a 1-point Lakeshore lead.  Texas’s Shimakawa is in the penalty box and Zupan, Lyduch and Hogsett are defending. 9, 8, 7… .  Lakeshore’s 2.0 Bryan Kirkland and .5 Eddie Crouch are screening defenders.  5, 4, 3, ‘Score it,’ yells Lakeshore coach Kevin Orr, and Wilmoth scores.

“With 2-plus seconds left, Zupan alertly and quickly gets the ball from the referee and fires a perfect pass to Shimakawa in stride just out of the penalty box with 2.0 Bobby Lujano the only defender back.  Shimakawa  scrapes by Lujano and crosses the goal line and ties the game.  Or did he?”

“Yes, he did Spokes.”

“Oh, contraire, oh great Helmeted One.  I watched xAble’s video and Shimakawa was 2 or 3 feet away when the horn sounded – or should I say when the horn tweeted.  Some say less than 2 feet some say more.  Haven’t heard anyone say he actually crossed the line.  And that’s totally discarding the fact the Lyduch was unsuccessfully calling for a time out just behind the play.”

“Ableman, the official made the call on a bang-bang play.”

“It was bang-bang alright: Bang-bang, Lakeshore dead – ending 10 straight years of them playing in the Championship.”

“Whoa, Spokes, Lakeshore’s execution wasn’t what it could have been at the end.  First, Texas was helpless because if they forced a penalty goal, Shimakawa would have had to stay in the box.  Lakeshore scored with 2+ seconds left – it could have been 1.0 or even less with another tick or so.  Second, they didn’t transition quickly enough.  Only Lujano got back to match up with the fastest man playing quad rugby.  Finally, there was an overtime that eventually decided the contest.”

“Yeah, but if Shimakawa didn’t really get there, it’s game over.”

“The officials determined that it was a goal and an official’s decision cannot be protested.  There is nothing in the rules for instant reply.”

“I get it. Lakeshore got, how do you say it nicely, the shaft,” Spokes chided. 

“No, the officials had a call to make.  They huddled and made the call.”

“So, it’s the refs fault?”

“No, they had no benefit of looking at video. There was so much noise with every person in the building watching and cheering that they couldn’t hear the horn.”

“So, it’s the horns fault?”

“Stop, Ableman, it’s nobody’s fault.  It happened.  It happens in sport.  Lakeshore accepted the outcome and moved on.” 
 

“Yeah, they moved on alright,” Spokes shot back.  “They left the gym on Sunday right after the 3-4 game and they moved on down south I-65, not staying for their 3^rd place trophy and awards ceremony.”

“I’m sorry the whole team – except Chris Rathje – decided to do that.  It’s a choice they made.  I’m sure they were frustrated.” 

“No doubt, HH.”

“There was another semi-final game, Spokes.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot you Hoverhounders were playing.  What’s with showing up with just four guys?”

“Spokes, we’re a team that fought injury and illness all year long.  We lost stalwart .5 Joel Post to a shoulder injury and 3.0 Pat O’Connor to a fractured skull.  2.0 Nick Springer was just back from a serious infection and hadn’t pushed his rugby chair for a month until our first game here.  Our other 2.0 Dave Jenkins was just back in time for post season from a broken finger.  These guys pushed their butts off, and made no excuses.”

“Unlike you, eh?  Let me get my fake Stradivarius out and play a few bars.  You had enough guys to play.  What are you whining about?”

“Just facts, Ableman, not whining.”

“Whatever.  Well, here’s what I say, HH.  The 6-seed Hoveround Gunners led by 3.0 Mike Whitehead and the grunt-work play of .5 Rick Marshall (Best of Class) along with Springer and Jenkins took on defending Champs and 3-seed Denver Harlequins on Friday.  Hoveround prevailed by 5, and eventually made it to the semis against a fast, talented, and balanced Portland team.

“The four Gunners in their fourth game had a bad first quarter against Portland, but managed by shear will to keep it close most of the game. 

“By the by, Helmet Head, do you know you lost a possession arrow in that 2^nd quarter?  The Pounders inbounded to start the quarter and the arrow wasn’t changed.  Later in that quarter, Jenkins got a held ball and the Pounders kept possession, going up by 2 instead of potentially it being a tie game.  Big difference.  Isn’t that your responsibility to double check that stuff, HH”

“It is.  I missed it. Regardless of that, with less than 2 minutes to play, I truly thought we were going to win that game,” I replied.  “But we didn’t execute down the stretch, Spokes.  That’s what got us in the end.”   
 

“The other didn’t help any though did it, HH?  Games change on such things,” Spokes said. 

“Yeah, I know, Spokes, but it was a far better game than what the final score shows.  And I was sure we had them, but hats off to the Pounders.  They are a great team.”

“The rugby played in D-I was solid across the board, notably the U of A Wildcats who had enough travel problems to kill the most hardy of globetrotters, but they still managed a key win in the 5/6 game against Denver who clearly miss that big-ole Brit Ross Morrison. 

“Finally Tampa and Michigan squared off for 7-8 in the battle to finish 7^th.  The Generals won out as Michigan time after time tried to force passes into a solid key defense.”

“Thanks, Spokes, I said. 
 

Division II 
 

“What I’d like to know, HH, is where do these overachievers from Minnesota get off coming in here and knocking off Sharp Edge 51-49 in their very first game?  Sharp was a team many thought belonged in D1.  Who are those North Star guys?”

“First off, Minnesota has been around a long time.  They won the USQRA title in 1991.  I don’t know much about them right now, Spokes.  But they ended up playing a rematch with Sharp for the Championship so they must have some guns.”

“See, HH, that’s where you and I differ.  I took time to go to xAble.com to watch some games.  Remember xAble, Helmet Head, your partner in webcasting for these championships?  They filmed these so you and fans everywhere can watch them later.  Hello.  Anyway, #7 seed Minnesota surprised #2 seed Sharp their pool game.  These Land of 10,000 Lake boys, with the addition of 3.5 Chuck Aoki, have really cranked it up.  Are there really ten thousand lakes up there?  What, do they count puddles too?”

“Spokes, I looked it up.  There are 11,842 lakes.”

“Why not round it up to Land of 12,000 Lakes then?”

“Ableman!”

“I’m just sayin…

“Ok, two words for Sharp’s success: Andy Cohn (2.0).  Yes, he had solid support and it was a great team win in their 55-39 Championship victory, but Cohn was the man, HH.   Does Gumbie know about this guy?”  Spokes grinned.

“Shut up, Spokes.  You know Cohn plays on Team USA.”

“I do?

“Really, though, virtually the whole Sharp team played in that win with Cohn, 2.0 Sam Gloor, 2.0 old-timer (+45) Dan McCauley and 2.5 Delmon Dunston starting against the up and coming North Stars Aoki, 2.0 Joe Delgrave, 2.0 Eddie Brosnan, .5 Dan Lehmann.  But it’s Aoki people need to watch.  This guy is a rookie, and in many ways he already plays like a veteran. Go to xAble.com if you want to see him play, HH.  When Aoki gets more experience and continued good coaching, Team USA has a fantastic prospect for 2010 and 2012. 

“I watched it Spokes.  The experience and depth of Sharp really paid off in their win, but I have a hunch we’re going to see Aoki and the North Stars again next season, maybe in D-I.”

“You know Helmet Head, we can’t talk about these D-II Championships without talking about the Garcias.  They’re baaaack!  Best of Class 2.5 Gil and Best of Class 3.0 Juan.  Add ex-Stampeder 1.5 Robert Boothby and you have enough energy to power a small Texas town.  That San Antonio Ruff Ryders team lost a 48-47 nail-biter to Sharp in the semis, or it would have been them playing for the title. 

“Gil Garcia told me, ‘We just didn’t execute at the end of the game.’  Sound familiar, HH? 

“Sorry to say, xAble didn’t catch any Ruff Ryder games.  Boothby alone is worth the price of admission.  Hats off to this great program, or in your case, HH, Helmets off.

Spokes went on, “#8 seed Kentucky TNT had a solid tournament.  They started out by shocking the #1 seed Northridge Kings from California 50-44, and then nipped the Arizona Outcasts 46-48 to get into the semi-finals.  Between Minnesota and TNT, they turned D-II upside-down.  I’m sure Northridge, Magee (Philadelphia), Shepherd (Atlanta) and Arizona were all disappointed in their results. 

“You know, Spokes, D-II often feels they don’t get the respect they deserve.”

“Yeah, you mean like you not giving them as much ink as D-I or video?”  Spokes retorted.

“Spokes, D-I is the best rugby being played.  Every player worth his salt looks to get better.  The Kirklands and Chans and Hogsetts set the bar pretty high, and players want to get to that level.  And getting better in rugby means playing as well as you can every time you can.”

“Cohn is a good example, HH.  He has played on a D-I National championship team and a world championship team in 2006, and he came in here with leadership and pride and led Sharp to a D-II title.  He and his team and all of D-II got a ton of respect because they made it about the rugby.  Am I right, HH?”

“Right Spokes – The good, the bad, and the rugby.  God, Ableman, are you about done?”

“Yeah, HH, we had better wrap it up before this gets longer than Ed Suhr’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech.  Seriously, congrats to Ed and Wayne Romero for their inductions.  Well deserved. 

"Kudos also to Athlete of the Year .5 Jason Regier of Denver.  Robert Murray of Las Vegas was awarded the Spirit of Achievement.  Great job by all.

“And finally, special thanks to all of our sponsors and to Frazier Rehab for their continued support of our great sport and these championships.”

“Just remember, Helmet Head, the games are on xable.com.  DVDs are available of your favorite teams.  Get those ‘pause’ and ‘slow forward’ buttons working, and enjoy the show.

“See you next year.” 

Eagle Sportschairs, R&D Fabrication (RAM), Spinergy, Fusion Medical and Nuprodx each stepped up to provide items for the USQRA's 2008 Post Season Auction.

• Eagle will provide the high bidder with a choice of one of the following products; a rugby chair, basketball chair, tennis chair or a titanium everyday chair. All chairs will be custom built to the winners size specifications.
• R&D Fabrication will provide the high bidder with a choice of a RAM offensive or defensive rugby chair (including most economical freight). 
• Spinergy and Fusion Medical teamed up to offer 2 sets of Spinergy's new "next generation" wheels, including tires and pushrims (1 set per each high bidder).
• Nuprodx donated two 3000tx travel shower chair to go to the two high bidders.

The auction began Tuesday, March 25th, and ended 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Division I Championship Game on Sunday, April 13th in Louisville, Kentucky.  The USQRA has done its best to make the bidding process as fair as possible; however, we understand a change is needed to better include those not present at the tournament. Next season we will implement a more "eBay like bidding system to better include the off site bidders.  Complete auction details and the bid form can still be found HERE. Thank you to everyone for your participation and support of our sponsors and the USQRA!!

Special thanks go out to all of the USQRA's 2008 Post Season Sponsors: PVA - Coloplast - Eagle Sportschairs - The Roho Group - Spinergy - Fusion Medical - Astra Tech - RAM - Nuprodx

USQRA Mountain Sectional Playoff
Denver, Colo., March 14-16, 2008

Author: Mike Wheaton
Contributing Author: Josh Stapen

The Denver Harlequins, host team of the 2008 USQRA Mountain Sectionals, stunned Texas for the second time in as many years by defeating the Stampede 54 to 49 in the final game of the sectional tournament.

The 2007 USQRA defending national champions Denver Harlequins played host to the 2008 Mountain Sectionals which was contested in the gymnasium of Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo.  The event attracted a total of six teams from the western United States, all vying for a chance to qualify for the national tournament to be held in Louisville, Ky., this April.

The event kicked off pitting the third-seeded San Antonio Ruff Ryders against the sixth-seeded Utah Scorpions.  Cruising on to an easy 57-35 victory, San Antonio sent an early message that they were a viable force to be reckoned with.  However, by the end of the day only two teams remained undefeated – the Texas Stampede and the Denver Harlequins. Both teams would remain undefeated until the final game of the tournament.

 
Along with the expected wins of the top-seeded Stampede and second-seeded Harlequins, the opening day of the tournament also brought one of the unexpected results during the final game of the day between the fourth-seeded Pasadena Texans and the fifth-seeded Arizona Outcasts.  In a back-and-forth battle, an exuberant Outcasts team went goal for goal against the heavily-favored Texans until the final period of the game when the Texans moved ahead.  Down by three points with less than four minutes to go, the Outcasts refused to go down quietly and responded by evening up the score at 46-all.  With just 20 seconds left on the clock, the Texas were poised to score the final game-winning point when an unfortunate turn of events caused the ball to wonder out of bounce off a Texans’ player turning the ball over to the Outcasts.  With less then ten seconds left, the Outcasts pulled off a final play incorporating three solid passes resulting in a game-winning goal with less than five seconds on the game clock.  That win ultimately propelled the Outcasts to qualify for the Division II Championship.

Day two was filled with expected victories as the higher-seeded teams dominated their lower-seeded counterparts.  The Texans rebounded from their loss against the Outcasts and an earlier-that-day loss to the Stampede by doubling up the score against the Scorpions 64-29.  The Stampede sent a message to the Harlequins by defeating the third-seeded Ruff Ryders 63-36 and by the end of the second day, the Stampede went on to out score their opponents an impressive 218-121.

Undaunted by the lopsided victories of their rival Texas Stampede, the hometown Harlequins took to the court in the final game of the tournament in front of a capacity crowd at Craig Hospital.  It would be the first time in the tournament that these two powerhouses would meet – both undefeated to this point.  Featuring five Paralympic athletes between the two teams, the game started out in typical fashion with both teams answering each others point for point.  The Stampede capitalized on the speed of Shinichi Shimakawa who was the main outlet for in-bounder Scott Hogsett while Jesse Honl and Norm Lyduch would attempt to open a lane for Shimakawa to score. 

The Harlequins used a different game strategy using a one-two punch of Chance Sumner and Adam Scaturro while subbing in several players to keep the Stampede off balance.  By the time the Stampede would figure out how to block Joy Rondeau or Jason Regier, the Harlequins would sub Josh Stapen and Dave Hosick into the mix keeping players fresh and the Stampede guessing.  The strategy worked as the Harlequins enjoyed a five-point margin by halftime.

The hits got much harder in the second half of the game as both teams continued to go goal for goal.  One such highlight was Rondeau’s hit on big Jesse Honl to prevent Honl from scoring.  Nearly half Holn’s size, Rondeau proved the tenacity she brings to the game to the exuberant hometown crowd.  Unfortunately Rondeau was charged with a reach on the hit which brought her to the penalty box but it was a great hit to see none-the-less and prevented a goal.

Although double-teamed most of the game, Sumner showed his athletic ability on the court by setting up plays which would ultimately work to eat up the clock.

Nursing a five-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Harlequins knew full-well that the Stampede, who is coached by Team USA coach James “Gumby” Gumbert, would have something up their sleeves to make a comeback.  They did.  The Stampede surged causing two key turnovers bringing the game within just three points but it just was not enough as the Harlequins continued to work down the play clock and score goals.  In the end the Harlequins went on to win 54-49.

Both teams will advance to the USQRA Division I National Championship while San Antonio and Arizona will head to the Division II National Championship.  Both championships will be contested in Louisville, Ky., in April.

Aside from the competition, the 2008 USQRA Mountain Sectionals proved to be successful event in the area of publicity.  The tournament was showcased in local and national newsprint and via television broadcasts each night of the event.  In addition, live game updates were broadcast on the Harlequins’ website and the final game featured live commentators.  For more information, visit the Denver Harlequins’ website at http://quadrugby.harlequins.org

Photos taken by: Michael Bush, Dan Wiebe, and Tom Torgove
 

The USQRA is pleased to announce that xAble has been chosen to be the official online broadcaster for the USQRA.

xAble.com is pleased to become the official online broadcaster of the USQRA (United States Quad Rugby Association). xAble.com, the online interactive media network for the disability community, will be on-site for the USQRA's National Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Louisville, KY April 11-13, 2008.  The games, athletes, and results will be brought to life through video webcasts and commentary. xAble.com brings to life countless other sporting events, expos and accomplished professionals with disabilities through multimedia, including video, audio, and written text (to accommodate allabilities). xAble's previous experience with Quad Rugby includes webcasts from the 2008 Knock N Roll Tournament in Lake Worth, FL, 2008 Coloplast International Tournament in Tampa, FL and the 2008 Demolition Derby in Birmingham, AL. Videos of each game are archived on xAble.com and can be watched on demand by users for free at any time.

The Texas Stampede hosted the first annual Texas Thunder Invitational at St. Stephens Episcopal School in Austin Texas. The tourney featured members of statewide club teams as well as Paralympic Team USA members.

Round Robin play was centered on development and upcoming post season play. Some of the key match ups featured Division II hopefuls Pasadena and San Antonio going head to head as well as previously defeated Texas (lost to San Antonio and Pasadena in 07) trying to find their winning form again.

In the Pasadena v San Antonio tests, it was evident that advancement to Louisville would be front and center on the minds of both squads. Pasadena led by former Team USA member Steve Kearley rallied both newcomer Tim (Mike) Jones and veterans Alan Bailey and Mike Peacock against a seasoned San Antonio line featuring Juan and Gil Garcia and the 1.5 work of Ramos and Boothby.

The first game saw the two heavy weights exchanges goals at an up-tempo pace. The first turnover caused at 3:14 was caused by a stifling Ryder defense which caused the hurried pass from Bailey (6 points in the game) to Peacock to go off the waiting gloves. While the first quarter saw the score 10 – 9, the teams continued the stepped up pace. San Antonio went to their bench and took advantage of skilled low pointer Landon “Lando” Groff and his sticky front end to hold Pasadena’s high pointers. As the teams entered the half several unforced turnovers saw Pasadena fall behind 17 – 23. The 3rd and 4th saw several runs by both sides, however in the end the Ryder’s were too much for the Texans taking the first match 45 – 38.

The next big match was the Stampede B team meeting San Antonio. Stampede B led behind Paralympian Mark Zupan and Jace Beck (Team USQRA) showed up ready as they jumped up early against the hi/low line of Garcia and Huizar. Texas held a 15 – 8 lead going into the 2nd where they expanded there charge to 28 – 14. Said James Gumbert “It was a great opportunity for our veterans to play with the new guys and gain valuable court time”. The Stampede was able to expand their lead in the second half winning the game 55 to 36. Zupan whose game high 35 points was a season high was joined by Beck (12 points) for accounting for the majority of the team's effort.

Fresh off the Stampede B win, the entire Stampede team divided to play one another. New vs Old, Present vs Future it was all there to be counted as the players who beat the heck out of one another in practice, played for bragging rights. The A’s lead by Zupan and Lyduch took on Honl, Beck, and veteran Hogsett of the B’s. In a classic match the youth of tomorrow proved it had game for a half but the wisdom of A’s experience showed there was no changing of the guard today. A’s win 47 – 39. B member Jesie “Beekeeper” Honl.(17 points in the match) said “We could not stop Zupan, he was too much for us today”. “We want a rematch”!

Rematch indeed as the tournament came to a close. The Texas “conference” which usually sees one another up to 4 times a year is already planning the next test games. A big thank you goes to tournament director Kelly Gumbert, the Staff and administration at St Stephens, Mark Zupan and the great people at Wahoo’s, Texas State volunteers and the athletes and staff of the Stampede who helped in hosting this sporting event.

by Robert Murray - Las Vegas, NV – The City of Las Vegas Adaptive Recreation Division hosted the Inaugural “Vegas Vengeance” Quad Rugby Tournament on January 18–20, 2008 at the Chuck Minker Sports Complex located at 275 N. Mojave Rd. in Las Vegas, NV. This inaugural tournament left the folks in the stands on the edge of their seats. The thrills and spills were awesome and the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd was never ending. All of this was provided by the Arizona Outcasts, St. Louis Rugby Rams, Las Vegas Sin City Skulls, Utah Scorpions, Pittsburgh Steelwheelers and the Reno Bighorns.

The rivalry between the Utah Scorpions and Sin City Skulls went to a higher level as the first ever (of several to come) “Cow Bell” game was held. This match was played between the whistles and each team played their hearts out and left everything they had on the court, but the outcome left the Skulls clanging the cowbell. This is sure to be a lasting rivalry between the two.

We also found the battle of the Bone. The Reno Bighorns and the Sin City Skulls have battled over this bone for the past four years. Each team brought their game and battled it out on the court and in the bone yard. Vegas came out the victor and are proud to hold on to it for another year, and can’t wait to face up against the Bighorns again.

This tournament also found the Arizona Outcast bring it as if on a mission. Arizona managed to get to Sunday at 4-0 along with the St. Louis Rugby Rams. The 9am match paired these two teams against each other in an outstanding display of smash and crash. The excitement of the crowd only added to the excitement found on the court. In the end, the Arizona Outcasts rose to the top beating the Rugby Rams 55-41 solidifying their 5-0 1st place spot and the out right winner of this great inaugural event.

These were great matches by great teams, but to be honest, every game could have made the highlight real. Especially the match that left three of the Scorpions in the box at the same time when they played St. Louis during the 2:30pm game on Saturday. This was a great weekend of smash and crash rugby.

Congratulations to all of the teams who competed and a special thanks to our Officials: Marsha Bailey, Cora Jones, April McIntyre and Tom DesChamps. We’d also like to thank our future Officials who participated in the City of Las Vegas Adaptive Recreation Division’s 2nd Officials Clinic this year and held in conjunction with the tournament: Billy Willhite, Danny Hinkle and Jeremiah Curtis. We hope to see all of these great teams next year for this annual event.

1st Place – Arizona Outcasts (5-0)
2nd Place – St. Louis Rugby Rams (4-1)
3rd Place – Las Vegas Sin City Skulls (3-2)
4th Place – Utah Scorpions (2-3)
5th Place – Pittsburgh Steelwheelers (1-4)
6th Place – Reno Bighorns (0-5)

This was the third tournament that has been sponsored by the City of Las Vegas Adaptive Recreation Division’s Wheelchair Sports Unit. We are truly excited to have the opportunity in facilitating a year round program for a sport that has done so much for so many. We look forward to the future and would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the post season.

For the third weekend in a row, xAble.com covered our sport with same day webcasts. First it was the Knock & Roll in West Palm Beach, then the Coloplast International in Tampa, and this time it was Birmingham, Alabama for the Demolition Derby. The Derby featured 12 strong teams from around the globe, and provided some of best games of the season. 

The good people at xAble.com have been working hard to improve their technology, and every game that goes online provides us more in depth coverage. xAble.com has dedicated countless hours and dollars to bring the excitement and hard hits of our sport to everyone, so let them know how much you appreciate their efforts so their great coverage continues.

To catch the webcasts simply visit www.xAble.com and look for the Demolition Derby link. While your there, make sure to join xAble as a member to show your support of for their coverage of our sport.

Special thanks to the good people at xAble.com for covering our sport!

Six athletes return from 2004 Paralympic Bronze Medal Team

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Eleven athletes have been nominated to the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team. The team was announced following a weekend tryout camp held at Lakeshore Foundation, an official U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site. This team will represent the United States at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China next September.

Six athletes return from the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Team that won a bronze medal in Athens, Greece. Those athletes are Andy Cohn (Tempe, Ariz.), Will Groulx (Portland, Ore.), Scott Hogsett (Phoenix, Ariz.), Bryan Kirkland (Leeds, Ala.), Norm Lyduch (Austin, Tex.) and Mark Zupan (Austin, Tex.). The remaining five athletes are first-time U.S. Paralympians. At age 18, Joel Wilmoth (Hueytown, Ala.) is the youngest athlete ever named to the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team. Joining him are Seth McBride (Juneau, Alaska), Jason Regier (Denver, Colo.), Nick Springer (St. Petersburg, Fla./New York, NY) and Chance Sumner (Denver, Colo.).

“All these athletes have sacrificed so much to be here and this was a very emotional selection,” said U.S. head coach James Gumbert (Austin, Texas). “We feel we’ve selected the team that is going to win the gold medal in Beijing and we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us to make that happen.”

The U.S. is currently the top-ranked wheelchair rugby team in the world. Throughout the next year, the team will hold monthly training camps at Lakeshore Foundation in preparation for the competition in Beijing.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team

• *Andy Cohn (Tempe, Ariz.)
• *Will Groulx (Portland, Ore.)
• *Scott Hogsett (Phoenix, Ariz.)
• *Bryan Kirkland (Leeds, Ala.)
• *Norm Lyduch (Austin, Tex.)
• Seth McBride (Juneau, Alaska)
• Jason Regier (Denver, Colo.)
• Nick Springer (St. Petersburg, Fla./New York, NY)
• Chance Sumner (Denver, Colo.)
• Joel Wilmoth (Hueytown, Ala).
• *Mark Zupan (Austin, Tex.)

*Denotes 2004 U.S. Paralympic Team member

Alternates:

• Eddie Crouch (Smyrna, Tenn.)
• Derrick Helton (Tucson, Ariz.)
• Steve Pate (Kalispell, Mont.)
• Max Woodbury (Portland, Ore.)

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