Squashing stereo types: quad rugby is the coolest game you've never heard about.

"Fiercely intense, highly driven, tough, competitive athletes engaged in a bone-jarring, hard-hitting, full-contact battle, fueled by only one desire-to win no matter what the cost." The definition for football? Hockey? An ultimate fighting competition? Hardly. Too many rules and too much protective gear.

Welcome to "Murderball," a fast and furious, action-packed sport featuring athletes who enjoy boasting about their broken ribs, jammed fingers, game scars and getting their "bells rung." Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the athletes are quadriplegic and play from specially designed wheelchairs.

Originally called Murderball because of the sport's aggressive play, most "quads" prefer the name "quad rugby," because it identifies quads as players. Yet others prefer the term "wheelchair rugby" asserting that it better represents the players in the sport, because not everyone is a quad in the true medical sense. Regardless of the name: Murderball = quad rugby = wheelchair rugby = Extreme!

Murderball is also the title of the recently released, award-winning movie. More than two and one-half years in the making, the film features the story of Team USA, the quad rugby team that took home the bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. Beginning from the 2002 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships, the film portrays the personal lives of the players as they interact with their families and friends, and reveals their fierce, competitive and patriotic spirit as they celebrate victories and agonize over defeats in their quest for gold.

The Battlefield

The game is played on a regulation basketball court with perimeter lines, a center line and circle. The goal areas are marked with lines and cones and are called the "keys." (See figure on page 104.)

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John Ershek, national treasurer for the United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA), has been involved with quad rugby for the last 12 years. He offers this advice for preparing the court, "We use blue painter's tape to mark the keys and goal areas. It's easier to apply and remove and is relatively inexpensive. Also, whenever possible, we ask that the basketball nets be moved out of the way. It's not uncommon for the ball to deflect off of the hoops during play, sending it out-of-bounds."

Jonathan Foster from the Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services Adaptive Recreation Division adds, "Initially, one of our concerns was that the chairs would mark or damage the floor, I've been here since 1996 and other than tire marks that are easily removed I have never seen any damage."

The Sport

Each player's degree of disability is rated on a point-scale from 0.5 to 3.5. The 0.5 players, or "low-pointers," have the greatest impairment and typically specialize in defense, picking and blocking. The 3.5 players, or "high-pointers," usually play offense because they have the least impairment and have the most hand/arm mobility and speed. No more than 8 points per four-man team are allowed on the court at the same time.

Looking like chariots of war, the athletes use specially designed chairs that take beatings beyond belief. Wings are featured on the high-pointers chairs, but for weight purposes and to keep the front bumper (also called a "pick bar") exposed, low-pointers usually don't have them. Low-pointers use the front bumper to ram, hook and topple their opponents. Wheel covers prevent body parts, in particular hands and fingers, from becoming tangled in the spokes. A wide base along with an anti-tipping device hopefully does as the name implies. Players are locked into their chair, which means if the chair goes down, they go down.

The game consists of four, 8-minute periods with 1-minute breaks between periods and 5 minutes at halftime. Teams are allowed four timeouts per game. In the event of a tie, 3 minutes are added to the clock and each team is given an additional timeout. A game cannot end in a tie.

The game begins with a "tip off" using a regulation-size volleyball. The strategies used are similar to football or hockey. Players move and position their chairs to pick defensemen off as they clear the way for their teammates to head for the goal. To score a goal, a player must have possession of the ball while crossing the goal line between the goal posts. The ball must be bounced or passed every 10 seconds or a turnover is awarded. Play is stopped only when a serious infraction or toppled chair Occurs.

Meet the Warriors

Formed in 1988, the USQRA serves as a governing body to regulate and promote the sport nationally and internationally. Since its inception, more than 45 teams exist in the U.S. with an estimated 20 teams internationally. Their Web site (www.quadrugby.com) offers an abundance of resources including free downloadable coaching tips, volunteer and marketing material. However, the growth of the association has stalled with some of the existing teams in jeopardy of dissolving due to lack of publicity and funding.

"I would love to see growth in the area of developing new players and teams for here and abroad," states USQRA President Joe Gumbert. Gumbert was recently named head coach for the U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby Team after serving as assistant coach since 2001. A competitor since 1993, he shifted his attention to coaching, becoming the head coach for the Texas Stampede team in Houston, which won its second straight national championship this past season.

Despite his team members' accomplishments, they still battle for space and practice time, he says. "I'd like to see equality for gym time," says Gumbert. "My team has to practice on Sundays at 7 a.m. or Saturday evenings when no one else wants to use the gym. Quad rugby is still not recognized as a sport, just a pastime. While there are those that do play for recreation, many teams are highly competitive, training and practicing to win."

While he feels the filming of "Murderball" may have distracted some of the Team USA players, costing them the gold, he is quick to say, "The movie is right on! I encourage everyone to go see 'Murderball.'"

"Quad Rugby is huge in Australia," Ershek comments. "At the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sidney, the games were played before a sold-out crowd of 9,000 fans. Here in the States, we have one of the best teams in the world and we can't even pay our athletes."

Eddy Crouch was also at the 2000 Paralympic Games. Playing for Team USA in a thrilling final match against the Australian host team, the U.S. came home with the gold, winning the final game with a score of 32-31. "After the win, we spent an extra week and toured Australia," Crouch says. "We headed to the North side and people would recognize us on the street, congratulating us and asking for autographs. Even at the airport people recognized us."

Crouch was also on the team when the U.S. won the gold medal at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., and the silver at the 2002 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. "I've always been very competitive and enjoyed 'physical' sports prior to my injury," he says. "Quad rugby allowed me to get back into physical and competitive sports." In addition to being an accomplished athlete and traveling the world with the U.S. team, Crouch was also vice president of USQRA in 1999.

As with his fellow athletes, Crouch would like to see quad rugby, for that matter all wheelchair sports, recognized as sports. "In Australia, their version of our ESPN televises quad rugby tournaments all the time. i would love to see that same popularity here in the States," he says. "The first step is recognizing quad rugby as a sport. These guys are top athletes training five to six days a week. Recently, an article was written for a local newspaper covering our team and quad rugby. We've had articles written before but they always wound up in the 'human interest' section of the newspaper as if to say, 'Here's an interesting story about a group of guys in wheelchairs.' But the editor of this newspaper placed the story where it belonged--in the sports section."

USQRA 1st Vice President Ed Hooper agrees. "The movie ["Murderball"] has brought new interest to the sport and already there are stories of new teams forming." Hooper was exposed to the sport in 1989 during an exhibition hosted by the Tampa Generals. He played 15 years prior to becoming a head coach for the Hoveround Gunners of Sarasota, Fla., who are currently ranked fourth in the country. "Prior to playing quad rugby, I'd try to push myself from one side of the mall to the other and finish absolutely exhausted," he says. "Now, I could do it for up to eight hours." He adds with a smirk, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I spend eight hours at the mall, but I could if I wanted to."

In addition to the physical benefits, quad rugby offers mental and emotional well-being for the player that should be promoted more often to people with newly acquired disabilities. "When I sustained my injury, I was in rehab for more than six months," Hooper says. "During this time, others would visit me and let me know that there were options and opportunities for me. But times have changed. Now, it's not uncommon for someone who has had a life-altering injury to be back in society and behind closed doors in as little as six weeks. That's just not enough time to get to them. Once behind their doors, they resort to a quality of life that includes drinking, watching soaps, gaining weight and slipping into a state of depression. They're not aware that options exist."

Joe Soares, the former Team USA player, who went on to coach for the Canadian team from 2001-2004, has a passion for promoting the sport. Under his leadership, the Canadians beat the Americans in last year's Paralympic Games capturing the silver medal, but losing the gold to New Zealand in the final minutes.

Portrayed as the anti-hero in the movie, an acute rivalry existed between him and some of the American players. "I help the Canadian team beat the Americans, and I'm called a traitor. If we lost, no one would think twice about it. I have a mortgage that needs to get paid and a family to take care of, so I went where the pay was."

Recently Soares has signed on as an adviser for Great Britain's team, ranked fourth in the world. He has been spending his time recently on the movie's publicity tour, visiting film festivals worldwide. But the recent change in his lifestyle cannot compare to when he discovered wheelchair rugby. "At that time, the Boston Pitbulls were just starting to form. I lived in Providence and commuted an hour to work, an hour to practice and an hour back home every day. I got to the point where I wasn't sure I wanted to continue anymore. Then one day they put me on the scout team and had us play against the team's starting line-up. We absolutely destroyed those guys. Following week I was on the starting line-up."

Conclusion

Quad rugby has changed the lives of men and women around the world, providing opportunity for participants to get back into competition, sports, physical contact, or to just have fun with a bunch of friends. In addition, the game provides a multitude of physical benefits as well as psychological benefits, rescuing many people from depression. When asked what can be done to further the sport, the three common responses were: exposure, volunteers and donations.

Asked what his "wish list" would be, Ershek is quick to respond, "To keep this sport going, we need to get the word out and find new players and create new teams. But in order to do that, we need gym time and volunteers. During a typical season the cost in gym time alone is around $15,000."

Besides cost, Gumbert points out, "Fifteen guys show up in wheelchairs and it's like, 'What happened? Did the bus break down?' Facilities with gyms don't know what to do with us. In addition, they see us in wheelchairs and get worried about liability. Our association has its own liability insurance. Everyone who belongs is insured. We're not asking for a whole lot: a court to play on and air conditioning. That's it. We'll take care of the rest."

Hooper also agrees, "I'm hoping the movie creates awareness and educates the public about the sport and [its] athletes. I hope it creates momentum and we grow to about 50 to 60 teams over the next several years. We need to get people participating in the sport. We have to get them out from behind their closed doors. Take Orlando for example. You know that there are people in wheelchairs in Orlando. Yet they don't even have a team! I have to ask why?"

Foster and his staff in Las Vegas "get it." They promote the events in their community, allow use of their gyms, have 8 to 10 chairs available for use and help in any way that they can. "By getting word out in our community, our hopes are that people in wheelchairs, or someone who knows someone in a wheelchair, will be exposed to the sport, altering their lives forever."

Liability is not an issue for Las Vegas' Leisure Services Adaptive Recreation Division because the city carries insurance from both USQRA and an independent insurance company. "We also have all the participants sign a standard release form prior to playing," he says.

To experience a quad rugby game is to fully understand the impact it has on the players' lives. Exposure will bring about education, which will hopefully bring about commitment.

"The USQRA has a slogan, 'Smashing stereotypes one hit at a time,'" Ershek says.

RELATED ARTICLE: volleying verses.

United States Quad Rugby Association National Treasurer John Ershek has a "Top Three" wish list on how to get involved. Jonathan Foster from Las Vegas' Leisure Services Adaptive Recreation division offers solutions.

Ershek: "Get the word out! Not only to educate the public, but to find more players and create new teams. We need to reach those that have no idea that wheelchair rugby exists."

Foster: "We market quad rugby tournaments by contacting local newspapers, TV and radio stations, and sending out press releases. We encourage our staff [members] to bring their family and friends to the tournaments to support the players."

Ershek: "We need more volunteers and assistance at the local and national levels."

Foster: "Our staff helps out at the tournaments by setting up the court prior to play and by cleaning up afterwards. We work with hotels to provide transportation using their shuttle busses not only to and from the airport, but to our facility for the tournaments as well. The hotels have been very accommodating."

Ershek: "We need donations. In addition to funds, we need donated gym time and personal time. There are many opportunities to help. Contact your local USQRA (see link below) team and find out how you can help. If there is no team, contact the USQRA to find out how to start one."

Foster: "Through generous donations, we are able to provide chairs for players that need them. In addition, we provide extra tire tubes, stock spare parts and have an ample supply of balls on hand. We even have a welder on staff that can repair or customize chairs. We also give use of our gym on Thursday evenings between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., and are starting a junior wheelchair program on Wednesdays. Businesses in our community have been generous with donations, in particular those in the medical field. Many doctors, therapists and pain management facilities have donated their time and monies for the sport. People are willing, you just need to go out and reach them."

For further information about the sport or how to get involved, visit:

www.quadrugby.com--The Official USQRA's Web site with resources and contact information.

www.murderball.quadrugby.com

www.murderballmovie.com

www.quadfather.net