The Free Press Thursday, April 9, 2009 Mankato, MN by Jim Rueda

For 14 years, St. Peter native Jody Mines has been playing or coaching quad rugby at some of the country's highest levels.   Last weekend, Mines finally became a national champion as the Minnesota North Stars went undefeated in Louisville, Ky., to win the 2009 USQRA Division II national title.

Mines, a former standout for the St. Peter High School football team, was involved car accident in 1993 that left him a C-7 quadriplegic.  Rather than sit on the sidelines, Mines opted to stay active and has been playing quad rugby since 1995.

Quad rugby is a sport designed for quadriplegics, amputees or for people with diseases that would qualify them as quadriplegics.  Players are ranked in ability anywhere from .5 to 3.5, with 3.5 being those with the most function.  Teams are limited to a total of eight points on the floor at anyone time.

During his 14-year span, Mines, 39, has been to six national tournaments. This past weekend, the North Stars reached the top of quad rugby mountain for the first time in nearly two decades when they went 3-0 in pool play at Louisville's Broadbent Arena and then knocked off the Portland Pounders 49-48 in the championship match.

"We played very well," Mines said Wednesday. "We played well enough to have beaten at least four of the eight teams that made up the Division I bracket."

Typically, the Division I bracket is made up of the top eight teams in the country.  The North Stars have played in the Division I tourney in the past but were missing one of their top players this year so they were placed in Division II.

Mines became the team's player-coach four years ago.  He took over at a time when the numbers were down but some promising newcomers were beginning to show up to the twice-weekly practices at the Courage Center in Golden Valley.

"There were four of us older players left, and I just decided to take back off a little bit so I could teach these new guys the game.  We were lucky in that just about all of them were very good athletes."

Mines has been approached in the past about playing wheelchair basketball but said he was already committed to rugby.

"Besides," said the former fullback/linebacker, "those wheelcnair [basketball] guys are too worried about scratching up thcir chairs."

The 2009 version of the North Stars included Todd Kemery, who is retiring from the sport. He received the sportsmanship award at the national tourney.

Another North Star, Chuck Aoki of Minneapolis, was named the tournament MVP. The 18-year-old Aoki is now trying out for the national team, and Mines predicts he will become one of the best quad rugby players in the world.

"He's been playing wheelchair basketball since he was 6, so he knows how to handle himself on the court," Mines said. "I don't play as much as I used to, but it's still a blast. I'll probably stay on as player-coach for awhile."

Jim Rueda is the Free Press sporis editor. To contact him, call 344-6381 or email him at jrueda@mankatofreepress.com.

Download the original "The Free Press" article submitted by Paula Braaten of the Minnesota North Stars