UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION
February 2004
Wheelblacks finish US Tour on Top
Birmingham, AL--With 232 days until the opening ceremonies of the Athens Paralympic Games, Lakeshore Foundation hosted its 8th Annual “Demolition Derby” Wheelchair Rugby Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama. Held January 30-February 1, 2004 the Derby served coaches and athletes to assess where teams stand leading into the 2004 Games. The New Zealand, Canadian, Australian, Great Britain, Japanese and American National Teams and the Rebels from Germany along with Lakeshore, Frazier TNT and two at-large teams were poised to earn the Derby title.
The Aussies, Rebels and the British teams were looking to improve their showing from the previous week in Tampa, meanwhile Japan, USA and Canada brought in part of their National squads to stir up the standings. Australia, Great Britain and Canada cruised through the first round as expected. The US team played the WWG champs tough (29-31), but the Wheelblacks were confident after a strong showing at the Cooloplast International Tournament and at the World Wheelchair Games (WWG) in October 2003. The Rebels minus their star class 2.0, Salih, upset the Texas Stampede to begin a string of close battles and upsets.
Day two started with a great game, a rematch of the 2002 World Championships Final, which saw Canada prevail 28-27 over the USA squad. There were 5 one-goal games during the day, treating everyone in attendance to outstanding matches. Canada and New Zealand remained undefeated through day, looking for a rematch of the WWG final.
Super Bowl Sunday was a great day for Wheelchair rugby. The Wheelblacks cruised through to the final over the USA, while Canada squeezed out a narrow victory over Australia to clinch the final berth in the championship game. Lakeshore defeated Great Britain to gain a rematch with the TNT for 5th, but the TNT team edged out the hometown Demolition 35-31. In the Consolation, Australia defeated the American squad 35-24, lead by one of the youngest lines in the game. The Final was a dramatic conclusion of the US tour for all of the international teams. The Canadians were up by one in the 3rd Quarter, and they stole the ball, but they were called for a penalty, so instead of going up by two points, the Kiwis tied it up. The Wheelblacks ended up as the Derby Champions for 2004 winning the championship 31-29.
Special thanks to all of the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and to the Lakeshore Foundation who made this a great tournament. For information on next year’s event please contact Lakeshore Foundation at (205) 313-7400 or visit our website at www.lakeshore.org
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