Competition propels
quad squad
The Riptide ruggers don't let their
wheelchairs stand in the way of a good game.
 The competitive spirit in Ed Hooper and the
other six members of the Sarasota Riptide Quadriplegic
Rugby team cannot be conquered. They all face incredible
hardships. But rugby, even in wheelchairs, seems the
perfect sport for them to reclaim what they and others
feel is lost. "I love the game. I think it's an
incredible invention of a sport to satisfy the urge to
compete for those who have lost these abilities,"
said Hooper, 51, who broke his neck in an automobile
accident in 1978.
This weekend, the Riptide and six other teams from
around the world will compete in the annual Sarasota
Smash Tournament. All of the Riptide quads have use of
their biceps; some of them have use of their triceps. A
few have a bit of forearm movement and some
back-and-forth movement in the wrists. Few of them have
total use of their hands and fingers. Mostly, they move
from sheer will, forcing small groups of muscles to do
what, in other bodies the entire physiological system
accomplishes.
Hooper of Sarasota founded the Riptide after attending
an exhibition game in Bradenton in 1990 featuring the
Tampa Generals team. "Other sports don't offer the
competitive spirit that this sport does not for quads
anyway," Hooper said. ' It's the only sport as a
quad you can get out there and genuinely compete at this
level. It's no less competitive than a Bucs or Lightning
game.
"Quad rugby is generally played from mid-October
to March, a season in which the team attends four or five
tournaments. Two teams of four players each compete on a
basketball court using a volleyball.
The game has four eight-minute quarters. The object is
to get the ball and two wheels of a wheelchair over the
goal line. Players have 15 seconds to get the ball across
half the court and are required to dribble once every 10
seconds. There is full contact with the chairs, but
personal fouls send players to the penalty box. "The
chairs take most of the beating," Hooper said.
"Some people call it a racing demolition derby.
"People may think that those who come to watch a
group of quadriplegics play would be coming to gawk.
Hooper disagrees. "I don't see it that way. The
people who come out and watch don't come out because
they're fascinated by the fact that people with
disabilities in chairs are trying to play a game,"
he said. "Different people take different things
from it, But in now way, shape or form do people see it
as a freak show. "Just imagine yourself going to a
basketball game for the first time and you didn't know
what was going on. You'd be puzzled.
"The Riptide gets financial support from
HealthSouth, the sponsor of the Sarasota Smash
tournament. Volunteers attend practices, provide money
and even participate on occasion. "They play against
us at practice even though we beat them most of the
time," Hooper said. "That just goes to show
that simply because you are able-bodied, doesn't mean you
can function in a wheelchair."
Written by Amy Lowe of the Sarasota Herald
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