By David Lavender
Published 7/9/2003 2:01 PM

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- It's kind of like demolition derby, only without the engines. Bodies hurtle across the court with stunning speed. Tires blow out, axels bend and spokes break as chairs slam into each other and topple over, spilling their drivers onto the floor. It's all part of the sport.

The USA Quadriplegic Rugby team is in full swing and training hard to defend their gold medal for the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. Having dominated the international quad rugby scene for years, it's fair to say that the world has finally caught up.

"Without a doubt Canada and U.S. will be the favorites," said Terry Vinyard, coach of the Australian Paralympic Rugby team. "But Great Britain, Belgium and Germany could be dark horses who foil someone else's bid to take gold or another medal."

"They're all going to be tough," agreed Cliff Chunn, five-time MVP of the United States Quad Rugby Association's National Championships. "Canada has a really tough team. Australia and New Zealand are always good, and Japan has really been developing."

After a week of tryouts in late June, 16 athletes were selected to the 2004 squad. Team USA's members will be announced officially later this month.

Played on a basketball-sized court, the sport is quite similar to its better-known namesake. In short, athletes attempt to touch the ball (similar to a volleyball) or both wheels of their chair across the goal line.

Team USA coach Kevin Orr likes to compare quad rugby to American football. Defenses will do anything to try to stop an offensive charge. The results can be shocking to spectators observing their first game.

"The first time they come in their perception is, 'It's going to be slow,' Orr said in an interview with UPI. "Then they see guys really banging into each other and say, 'Oh, wow.' They lose their stigma of quadriplegic ability really quickly."

"It's a reaction of disbelief when they (spectators) are informed that they (the athletes) are quadriplegics," said Vinyard. "They cannot believe the amount of contact rugby has."

Relatively new to the international scene, the sport is quickly growing in popularity. It first hit the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996 as a demonstration sport. The first matches drew fewer than 100 fans. By the gold medal round, which featured a North American showdown between the U.S. and Canada, the game had sold out.

The momentum carried into the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, where players enjoyed superstar status.

"It was unreal," Chunn said. "Everybody knew you. We would be on the street and people would say, 'Hey, you're Chunn, number 13 for USA.' The games were even nationally televised."

At least 10,000 fans attended the gold medal match of the United States versus Australia. "It sounded like there were twice that many people there. The fans were great," said Chunn.

The U.S. team took home the Gold in Sydney, extending its reign over the international scene. A loss to Canada in the 2002 World Championships in Sweden ended a 12-year international winning streak for the United States, which came away from the Championships with a two-seed for the Paralympics.

"Preparation leading into the World Championships was still in the developmental stage," said Orr. "We wanted to compete, but we were still developing."

In the North American Cup, held in Alabama last month, the U.S. avenged its loss to the Canadians. This was the first step for the 2004 U.S. team, whose sights are focusing on Athens. Over the next 14 months team USA will prepare for everything the world will throw at them.

"Other teams tend to have more speed," said the USA coach. "So we need to work on developing more team speed."

The U.S. team has started training camps and will be attending both national and international tournaments to sharpen its skills. Other teams are preparing in much the same way. The Australian team plans to compete in New Zealand three times and in the United States twice leading up to Athens. Athletes also lift weights in between competition to maintain the conditioning that such a physical sport requires.

Vinyard is humble about Australia's skill, but team USA knows what they are capable of. In the 2000 Gold medal match, the U.S. had to fight from behind to capture the gold by the narrowest of margins, 32-31.

"Australia is going to be our biggest challenge," said Orr. "They've got one of the best coaches in the world, and we'll be pooled with them."

Twenty-four countries now have quad rugby teams. Australia and the U.S. both have formidable national leagues. The U.S.Q.R.A. league contains no fewer than 45 teams.

"It takes good speed, good endurance and the ability to endure contact," added Orr. "When you think of the qualities of a good running back, that would make a good quad rugby player."

"Everybody wants to get the first big hit," said Chunn. Quad rugby is the only full-contact sport in the Paralympics. In a time when the world has more than its fair share of violence and aggression, it's good to see these athletes smashing each other in the name of healthy competition.