Super Bowl weekend began and ended in superb fashion with the 12th Lakeshore Foundation “Demolition Derby” Wheelchair Rugby Invitational which was held January 30-February 1, 2009, in Birmingham, Alabama.  Eight U.S. teams, the Canadian National Team, the German National Team, the Swiss National Team and the London England Wheelchair Rugby Club were poised to earn the Derby title.  To add to the international flair, Australia phenom Ryley Batt and Korean Yang Il were present with their respective teams to continue the international relations of the Demolition Derby.

      It was good to have some variety of play at the derby this season as several teams were making their first appearance at the tournament. The RHI Indy Brawlers came with the goal of learning from the other teams and adjusting their play for future development. The unique 10-team format started as expected on Friday with the top seeds advancing through their first two rounds.  The first “upset” of the tournament occurred when #3 seeded Sharp defeated #1 seeded Canada in pool play 58-49 on Friday night.

      The game of the day was the duel between Germany and TNT.  The game went back and forth the majority of the game, Germany was down one goal under two minutes left in the game and surged with three turnovers to take control in the final minute.  The Germans prevailed 50-48.  Meanwhile on court three, another great duel between the University of Arizona and Switzerland was taking place.  It was a classic match-up of the experience of the Swiss and the youthful exuberance of the Arizona team.  The young guns from the desert pulled out the win 40-37.

      Saturday continued the pool play battles where all of the higher seeds advanced with ease. The crossovers were all relatively uneventful with the closest battle having Canada squeaking a 51-47 victory out of the U of A.  It was great to see all of the young up and coming players making significant contributions to their squads.  The Cloutier brothers from the Canadian national team add an exciting spark for the crowd and are a terror for the opposition.  Indy got their lone “W” defeating Lakeshore 2, Emily Shryock was the star for the Brawlers, and as she develops more experience, look out Heartland!  The young Lakeshore 2 team finished without a victory but played with the heart and character of a champion.

     Sunday started with a bang as the Swiss handled their northern neighbors to advance to the 5th/6th game.  The Swiss and the young German team gained a lot of valuable experience. Look for both of them to be a factor in this year’s European Championships.  Bryan Barten had the University of Arizona tuned up on Sunday taking TNT by 8 to advance to rematch Switzerland where Arizona cruised to a 5th place finish.  In semi-final action, Sharp defeat London to advance to the final while Lakeshore discharged the Canadians to advance.

      In final action, Sharp Edge defeated Lakeshore Demolition for the championship in the 2009 Demolition Derby wheelchair rugby tournament. Both teams went into the game undefeated, but Sharp pulled ahead in the second half taking home the tournament championship.  Each team only allowed their opponent to get a point ahead, Sharp's 19-year-old man-child Batt, scored three points in a row at the bottom of the second quarter, giving them a 2-point lead over Lakeshore as they went into the half.  Demolition's fatigue became apparent as they were unable to stop Batt's dominating offensive ability. With 3:27 on the clock, Sharp ran away with a seven-point lead and Lakeshore was unable to catch them, closing out the tournament, 55-49.  Batt carried Sharp in scoring with an amazing 36 points.

     Special thanks to the Lakeshore Foundation, Rochester Medical and Eagle Sportschairs for their support of this year’s tournament.  The officials and volunteers made this a great tournament.  We are looking forward to next year. 

For information on next year’s event please contact Kevin Orr at (205) 313-7422.

The preceding article was submitted by Kevin Orr.