| USQRA inducts it's First
members into Hall of Fame
On Saturday April 4th, the USQRA inducted it's first
members into the newly established Hall of Fame. USQRA Commissioner, Brad
Mikkelsen was inducted first in recognition of his major contributions to the sport of
quad rugby both on and off of the court. Nils Jorgensen of Quadzilla and Steve Scott of
the Dallas Sidekicks were equally recognized into the Hall for their participation as
Athletes. Both Nils and Steve set standards that have been followed for years. The late Anne Marie Glenn, from Texas, was inducted into the hall in the
non-competitor category in recognition of her contribution to the sport in developing the
current classification system.
The occasion was a night to remember for all in
attendance. After the athletes, coaches and support staff were seated for dinner,
tournament director Art Berg gave a warm welcome and thanked the PVA and other sponsors
for their contributions in making the National Tournament a  success. Allen Seals, Chairman of
the Hall of Fame was then introduced and began talking about the first inductee.
Brad Mikkelsen, the first inductee, had no idea what was about to happen. He was
seated in front of the stage but with his back to the stage. As the accomplishments
of the first inductee were read 15 of Brads family members took the stage. After the
family members were in place the first inductee's most important contribution was
read. As Allen Seals said "He brought the sport of quad rugby to the United
States," the secret was revealed, Brad turned and then saw his family. In
attendance were all of his brothers and sisters but one, some nieces, nephews and Floyd
and Betty Mikkelsen, Brads parents. The family drove, some of them for 24 hours
straight hours to see Brad inducted. When the rest of his accomplishments were read
Brad then took the stage where his mother Betty read the plaque and then presented it to
him. With the family and Brad all in tears, he then gave a short acceptance speech.
Steve Scott of the Dallas Sidekicks was the second
inductee of the evening.  He was known for his speed and agility in a rugby chair.
In his time, he was able to make a rugby chair do what many thought was impossible.
Very few of his opponents ever saw his face during a game as Steve was always in front and
never looked back. He helped Rancho take 3rd place at the first Nationals and then was a
major part of the Dallas Sidekicks 1989 National Championship team. After these and
many more of his accomplishments were acnollidged Steve then took the stage to accept his
plaque. It was very emotional as he talked and thanked his teammates, family and
friends that helped him along the way.
Nils Jorgensen of the Boston Pitbulls/St. Mary's
Quadzilla's accomplishments were then read. Nils was known for his speed, defense
and intensity on the court. In his prime he was the fastest  player
on the court. His defense was relentless. If he got picked he had the ability
to go around the pick and could still catch his opponent. His intensity helped him and his
teammates make it to the finals 4 times at the national championships. After his
rugby and track accomplishments were read Nils took the stage for his acceptance speech.
Nils talked about and thanked those that had helped him accomplish his success. In his
speech, Nils was dressed in a nice suit and his bright orange rugby shoes. He had
planned to take off the shoes during the speech to donate them to the hall of fame but
forgot. The next day he gave the shoes to the Allen Seals to be displayed in the
USQRA Hall of Fame.
The late Anne Marie Glenn was the last inductee of
the night. Diane Bulger accepted the award and announced that the award would be
given to Anne's father. Anne Marie's bio along with the other inductees bios will be
posted on the web site soon....
Watch Quad Rugby Central for updates on the Hall of
Fame. Congratulations go out to Brad, Steve, Nils and Anne Marire for all of your
accomplishments in rugby. You are all truly worthy of being Members of the USQRA Hall of
Fame.
Story written by Allen Seals
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