Watch above: Hundreds of athletes from across Canada are in Saskatoon competing at the National Wheelchair Rugby Championships at the University of Saskatchewan. Aaron Streck reports.
SASKATOON – “It’s the only real game in wheelchair sports where you can hit people,” said 2015 Coloplast Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships co-chair Andrea Muir.
The rules and playing surfaces may be different but rugby and wheelchair rugby share the same physical nature.
“Basically crash and bang and get a goal, that’s the rules … there’s hard hits and spills,” said Muir.
This weekend some our country’s best wheelchair rugby players are in Saskatoon for the national championships.
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“They all have different disabilities, they’ve all been injured in different ways so it’s a great way to bring everyone together,” said Muir.
Team Saskatchewan’s Mitch McIntyre suffered a broken neck and a spinal cord injury in a car accident. Wheelchair Rugby, a combination of basketball, handball and hockey, has changed his perspective.
“Mentally and physically, it just gave me such a big boost,” said McIntyre.
The 30-year-old man was told about the sport during his rehab.
“I waited about six months to get my neck brace off and as soon as the doctors cleared me to play I went down hopped in a chair and that was it … I was sold,” said McIntyre.
McIntyre’s teammate, Miranda Biletski, has been in the sport for almost the last decade. Competitions like this allows her to do what she loves best.
“I want to help people learn, I like to take that teaching aspect of it with my teammates, even people we’re playing against, I’ll be helping someone on the court,” said Biletski, who is also a national wheelchair rugby player.
“At the end of the day I still want to win but I think it’s a great time to teach people and help them gain some experience.”
Being the only woman on the national team, she’s hoping she can add Parapan Am Games to the list.
“All our players from our national team are here playing on their respective club teams and we’ll decide our Parapan Am team this weekend,” said Biletski.
Wheelchair rugby was invented in Winnipeg in 1977. This August in Toronto will be the first time wheelchair rugby has been a part of Parapan Am Games.
The 2015 Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships run through the weekend with the gold medal game Sunday at 2 p.m.
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