What is Wheel Chair Rugby...
History:
Developed in Winnipeg, Canada in 1976, the sport's original name was Murderball. It was designed to allow quadriplegic athletes with a wide range of functional ability levels to play integral offensive and defensive roles in a fast paste full contact sport.
Where is it played?
Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court, the same measurements as a regulation basketball court — 28 meters long by 15 meters wide.
Who can play?
- It is a mixed gender sport, and both male and female athletes play on the same teams.
- Individuals must have a disability which affects the arms and legs.
- Most players have spinal cord injuries with full or partial paralysis of the legs and partial paralysis of the arms.
- Other disability groups who play include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputations, polio, and other neurological conditions.
Players are classified according to their functional level and assigned a point value ranging from 0.5 (the lowest functional level) to 3.5 (the highest). The total classification value of all players on the court for a team at one time cannot exceed eight points.
Developed in Winnipeg, Canada in 1976, the sport's original name was Murderball. It was designed to allow quadriplegic athletes with a wide range of functional ability levels to play integral offensive and defensive roles in a fast paste full contact sport.
Where is it played?
Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court, the same measurements as a regulation basketball court — 28 meters long by 15 meters wide.
Who can play?
- It is a mixed gender sport, and both male and female athletes play on the same teams.
- Individuals must have a disability which affects the arms and legs.
- Most players have spinal cord injuries with full or partial paralysis of the legs and partial paralysis of the arms.
- Other disability groups who play include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputations, polio, and other neurological conditions.
Players are classified according to their functional level and assigned a point value ranging from 0.5 (the lowest functional level) to 3.5 (the highest). The total classification value of all players on the court for a team at one time cannot exceed eight points.
History of Steel Wheels Rugby Club:
Located in the beautiful City of the Champions, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Steel Wheels Quad Rugby club was established in 2000 by a group of eager young quadriplegics, some of whom still plays today and remains to be the integral part of the club.
Today, our club plays not only against teams from across Canada at various club invitational tournaments, develop provincial players for Team Alberta, host our own yearly tournament: Capital City Showdown; we also have traveled across North America and played in cities such as Huston, Portland, Seattle etc.
In addition to playing at tournaments and practices, our club also volunteer our time at rehab hospitals and schools for disability awareness events, promoting disability sport as well as encouraging other persons with disability to look beyond disability with an "I can" attitude.
If you are interested in volunteer with our club or come out and try out this sport, please email (under the navigation panel) or use the contact forum. Thank you for your interest.
Today, our club plays not only against teams from across Canada at various club invitational tournaments, develop provincial players for Team Alberta, host our own yearly tournament: Capital City Showdown; we also have traveled across North America and played in cities such as Huston, Portland, Seattle etc.
In addition to playing at tournaments and practices, our club also volunteer our time at rehab hospitals and schools for disability awareness events, promoting disability sport as well as encouraging other persons with disability to look beyond disability with an "I can" attitude.
If you are interested in volunteer with our club or come out and try out this sport, please email (under the navigation panel) or use the contact forum. Thank you for your interest.