Today was interesting. Eric and I watched our first wheelchair rugby tournament at Craig Hospital. I know many people view paralysis as a death sentence, but these athletes obviously didn't get the memo.
Wheelchair rugby is a hard hitting combination of basketball and football. The special rugby chairs are equipped for speed and even have wheel guards on them. The slanted wheels bear pits and pock marks from the intense contact. It was kinda fun to see these guys (and one girl) ramming into each other. There are four members on each team and cones set up on either end of the basketball court (like an end zone). The goal is to get a regulation volleyball through the scoring zone.
One of the commentators mentioned that 8 of the 12 para-olympians competed in the tournament this weekend. Yes, they are going to Beijing! Although, we won't be watching any of the events since the Paralympics aren't televised (these Olympics take place one week after traditional Olympics). Wow, these guys could be bringing home gold for USA and we got to see their moves first. Pretty exciting.
We met one of the guys, Jason Regier, at Eric's library program (please see http://ironeric.blogspot.com/ for additional details). He plays great defense and is nice to boot.
Did you know that other wheelchair sports exist? Imagine individuals bowling, playing basketball, pool play (?), softball, and rugby in a wheelchair. Pretty amazing stuff. Hopefully we'll get to see another wheelchair sport in the future.
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