“Aye, There’s the Rub!”

      The movie introduced viewers to the world of wheelchair rugby, a sport develped in Canada as a means for disabled athletes to stay active. The movie gave a really good overview on Cervical spine injuries and people classified as quadriplegics, the psycho-social aspects (including a very raw look on the subject of sexuality), the development of the sport and the rivalry between the US and Canada and the very competitive nature of these athletes. “Murderball” is an excellent movie, and I highly recommend it. The movie gives a glimpse into the specialized wheelchairs that these athletes use, with steel and metal parts welded onto the wheelchairs to make them look like something out of a Mad Max movie. The games are not for the faint of heart, as players are allowed to ram each other. These athletes are not looking for pity. One of the best quotes in the movie is by Mark Zuppan, the emotional leader of the US Squad, when talking about a former US player, who switched allegiances and decided to coach Canada: “I would not cross the street to piss on him if he was on FIRE!”

     At the Athens Para-Olympics, the US was knocked off by the arch-rival Canadians in the semifinals. (The Canadians lost to New Zealand in the Gold Medal match), leaving the US to settle for a bronze medal)

    The USA men’s basketball team team, called “The Redeem Team” was not the only American side in Beijing with a chip on its shoulder and something to prove-The American Wheelchair rugby team had something to prove as well. The Beijing Olympic web site gives a pretty good overview of the sport, as well: http://en.beijing2008.cn/paralympic/competition/sports/wheelchairrugby/

   At the recently completed Para-Olympics, the American Wheelchair Rugby team took the gold-but not after having had very close and emotional wins over Canada in the preliminary round, Great Britain in the Semi-finals, and Australia for the Gold Medal.  (The Canucks brought home the Bronze)

   The USA Eagles may be a minnow in the world 15 man game, but at least we are still top of the heap when it comes to quadriplegic rugby.