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'We called it murder ball' Wheelchair rugby set to be a smash in Sydney
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Rough and tumble wheelchair rugby is destined to be the biggest hit at the Sydney Paralympics. Wheelchair rugby debuted as a demonstration sport in Atlanta four years ago but has been elevated to full medal status in Sydney, where competition starts Wednesday. Make no mistake about it, says Reggie Richner, coach of the number one-ranked U.S. team, the game that was called "murder ball" in its original form is not for the faint-hearted. A man-powered version of demolition derby, wheelchair rugby is the only contact sport in the Paralympics. And Richner, of San Leandro, California, says he expects it will pull a big crowd in Australia, home to the world champions of able-bodied rugby. Duncan Campbell, a quadriplegic who devised the wheelchair version in the 1970s while messing about with three friends in a gym in Winnipeg, Canada, said it was a fluke that the game had taken off. "There was no team sports for (quadriplegics) so we used to lift some weights, but we got bored with that," he said. "We were in the gym one afternoon and started to throw things around -- that's where it started. "There were no rules really ... we called it murder ball," Campbell added. "But when people got together to define the regulations, we decided murder ball might not be the best name for a developing game." Wheelchair rugby is the fastest growing international wheelchair sport, with more than 22 nations competing regularly and others showing interest. Eight teams qualified for the Paralympics, with the United States going in as hot favorite after winning every major international tournament to date. Campbell, who now lives in Vancouver and works as a rehabilitation officer, is on the coaching staff of the Canadian team and says his national team is a serious gold medal contender. New Zealand, runner-up at the 1998 World Championship, is ranked number two in Sydney, while the Australians also expect to challenge for a medal. The United States opens against Switzerland. The other first round matches are: Australia vs. Sweden, Germany vs. Canada and New Zealand vs. Britain. The game consists of two teams, each of four players, competing on a wooden court with the same dimensions as a basketball court. The aim is to carry the ball, which is the shape and size of a volleyball, across an opponent's end line to score a point. Blocking and contact between chairs is legal, but physical contact between players is outlawed. All wheelchairs are custom made, most defined by big bumpers at the front to guard the feet in collisions. They're built to take a beating, says U.S. player Norm Lyduch, of Austin, Texas. Lyduch says the game could shock some spectators. "Some people have the wrong idea about quadriplegia - they don't know we can get in these chairs and actually hit each other and cause chaos," he said. Cliff Chunn, who was 15 when he started playing in 1993, is one of three survivors on the U.S. team from Atlanta. He said the sport grew in popularity as the Atlanta Games progressed until the final was sold out. The opening game had been played in front of about 20 players. "Everyone was talking about rugby later on in Atlanta -- I think it'll be even more popular in Australia because everyone seems to be into," the Paralympics, he said. Chunn, of Brentwood, Tennessee, usually plays as an attacker or ball distributor Others concentrate more on defense, setting blocks or screens so that the attackers can press forward. Ralph Shadowens fits that role, a position he likens to being a front-row forward in traditional rugby. "I'm the one getting right in there in the scrum, doing all the hard work ... the grunt," says Shadowens, who plays for San Diego in the domestic league. Richner says everyone has a particular job to do, and if Shadowens never touches the ball during a game, then the team is going well. Wayne Romero, of Pueblo, Colorado, says the opening hit can have a major impact on the outcome of a game. "Everyone wants to get in a big hit early on ... there should be some fireworks to start with." Each player can hold or carry the ball a maximum of 10 seconds before passing or rolling it to a teammate. There are 12 players on a squad -- all quadriplegics with varying degrees of dysfunction in all limbs. A game is composed of eight-minute quarters.
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