Crowds gathered at the Moncton Coliseum to watch teams from across Canada face off in the Canadian National Wheelchair Rugby Championships on Saturday.
“It’s a lot faster, a lot rougher than one would think,” spectator Merril Beach said.
Beach travelled to Moncton from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia to watch his great niece compete over the weekend.
“The plays are fantastic and they’re hard to catch on to. It’s quite an exciting sport!” he said.
It’s the first time New Brunswick has ever hosted the tournament.
Parasports NB Executive Director Sally Hutt explained that the game is played by people who have a limitation in 3 out of 4 limbs.
“It’s a 4 on 4 game played on a basketball sized court,” she said.
The game moves quickly, with athletes wheeling up and down the court and knocking into each other’s wheelchairs as they vie to bring the ball over the opposing team’s line.
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Three-time paralympian Patrice Dagenais was in Moncton on Saturday as part of Ontario’s team.
He said the sport gave him a lifeline after suffering a spinal cord injury at 18 years old.
“It made a huge difference just meeting some guys that had the same challenges,” he said. “It just allowed me to become independent to be able to travel around the world play in competitions, it just made a huge difference in my life.”
Dagenais has his sights set on competing the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Hutt said many athletes play for the sense of community.
“A lot of our athletes had a traumatic accident or a congenital disability…so it’s more than sport in our community,” she said.
There are currently two wheelchair rugby clubs operating in New Brunswick, one in Moncton and the other in Fredericton. There is also a provincial team.
Hutt said Parasports NB holds a road show each summer where they visit communities across the province so people interested in the sport can try it.
She said anyone interested in taking up the sport can contact the organization online.
“Having the opportunity for athletes to meet other athletes who have the same experiences or just to learn tricks of the trade…it’s a great opportunity.”
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