UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION

April 2002

USQRA Inducts two into Hall of Fame

This years National Championships were hosted with tremendous success in the “Mile High” city by the Denver Harlequins.  Perfect weather, a three court venue, fantastic organization and sixteen of the nation’s top teams provided the backdrop.  Add in three days of great competition topped off by the first ever live TV broadcast of our National Championship and no one would argue that Denver did it right.. 

While the focus of Nationals is always on the competition, this year’s dinner banquet allowed for a temporary distraction.  On Friday night the United States Quad Rugby Association inducted two of its longstanding members into the USQRA Hall of Fame.  This is a special honor that is reserved for those people who have excelled in the sport or have made significant contributions that helped to shape our game and organization.  On this particular evening there were nominees in both categories to be recognized.

In the Athlete category, Angelo Mongiovi was voted into the Hall.  Angelo was a leader and fierce competitor with the EPVA Strykers for ten seasons.  He was MVP of the 1992 USQRA National Championships.  He played on the 1994 National Team that won the Gold Medal at the World Wheelchair Games at Stoke-Mandeville and was captain of the US team that won the first IWRF World Championship in Notwil, Switzerland.  Angelo was always entertaining to watch on the court and a true ambassador of the game off the court. 

Joining Angelo in the Hall is Tres Smith.  Tres has been a referee in the USQRA since 1989.  Once he picked up the whistle, he was dedicated to the sport and to honing his craft as an official.  He has refereed at all levels of the game and reached the pinnacle of success at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia when he was selected as the Head Official.  Tres has approached every tournament and every game with a seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm.  His enjoyment of the game is always apparent on the court, but he has made a mark off the court as well doing clinics throughout the US and the world and serving as the IWRF Technical President. 

It is an honor to enshrine these two people into the USQRA Hall of Fame.  Congratulations Angelo and Tres!

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