USQRA

President’s Message 

The rugby season is underway again and there have already been several fun and exciting events.  I expect the competition to stay hot and heavy right up until the USQRA Nationals, which will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. Both Division I and Division II National Tournaments will run simultaneously from April 23-25, 2004. 

The USQRA’s Annual General Meeting will be held prior to the start of Nationals on Thursday, April 22^nd. Any amendments to the USQRA Constitution and Bylaws must be submitted to me by February 1, 2004 in order to be brought up for vote at the AGM.  Each team is encouraged to have a representative at this important meeting so that you can have input into our organization.  This is your chance to be heard, don’t waste the opportunity. 

The preferred dates for Regionals and Sectionals will be added to the Rugby Calendar soon.  Several teams have already submitted bids to host them.  Anyone else who is interested in hosting one of these tournaments should contact Charles Ray so that we can finalize the post-season schedule.  This is a great opportunity to showcase rugby in your hometown and raise funds for your team at the same time.

We are always looking for motivated individuals who would like to serve on the USQRA board.  There are three positions up for election at this year’s AGM.  It’s never too early to think about helping our organization, please contact me if you’re interested.

I would like to remind everyone that we need nominations for the USQRA Hall of Fame.  There are some great players, coaches and support personnel deserving of recognition.  USQRA’s two annual awards, The Spirit of Achievement and the Athlete of the Year, also should be nominated by the membership.  The appropriate nomination forms can be found on the web page.  I encourage everyone to think of individuals worthy of these distinctions as the season progresses.

This season looks like it will be competitive and exciting. I wish everyone luck and look forward to seeing you on the court.

Ed Suhr, USQRA President

Letter from the Commissioner 

The 2003-2004 season is shaking out to be one of the most exciting on the court in years.  Half of the core of five-time champions Lakeshore has moved to Kentucky TNT, creating an instant second power in the Heartland; two members of the Tampa championship run are now members of the Hoveround Lightning; several Boston players have carried their NEPVA affiliation to Casco Bay in Maine; North Texas has become instantly better; and the San Diego Bushwackers have added two former Casa Colina players with national team experience.  A list of official transfers is below in the newsletter.  There are also rumors of exciting new players in Michigan and Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has joined the Jets and Bears in affiliating with the local NFL franchise, changing its name to the Magee Eagles.

Unfortunately, it appears that our base of teams is weakening.  Several teams that have suffered in both organization and on the court recently have not yet registered.  These teams must register by December 15 in order to be eligible for post season play.  Also, WSUSA insurance does not cover unregistered teams, therefore, members of those teams at a tournament do not have WSUSA medical insurance and those teams do not have WSUSA liability insurance for practices or tournaments they hold. 

Internationally, it's becoming obvious that we can no longer count on our player depth to carry our national program on the world scene.  The developmental national team at this fall's World Wheelchair Games finished only third.  Other countries are doing a better job of getting and keeping their best players together in anticipation of international competition.  If as the U.S.A. we want to remain the best in the world, we must find ways to raise money to help our athletes train together as often as their counterparts do in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The RAC’s and their e-mail contacts are listed in this newsletter.  With John Ershek taking over in the Heartland South and Mark Hansen taking over in the new Mountain West, we have a good mix of experience and newcomers in these positions.  These are your first contacts for information from the USQRA and questions about the USQRA.  Use them, as they are dedicated to the sport and anxious to help their local teams!  Talk to them about ideas how to keep our sport strong domestically and internationally.

And hey, the season has already tipped, let's get it on!

Tom Hamill

2002-2003 Post Season Top 20

2003-2004 Regional and Sectional Breakdown - (RAC’s in parentheses)

Atlantic North (Bill Bouffard)  wbouffard@unumprovident.com

Casco Bay Navigators                   

EPVA New York Jets                              

Magee Eagles                           

Atlantic South (Ed Hooper)   edandcindy@comcast.net 

CIR Carolina Crash                     

South Florida Rattlers*                

Hoveround Lightning                    

Tampa Generals                 

Heartland North (Bob Crandall)  crandall@rc.ipmail.att.net

Pittsburg Steelwheelers        

Chicago Bears                  

Great Lakes Storm                      

Milwaukee Iron                 

Minnesota Ice

Heartland South (John Ershek)  johnershek@comcast.net

Tentucky TNT                           

Lakeshore Demolition           

Jackson Jags                           

Mountain West (Mark Hanson)  markehansen@earthlink.net

APVA Phoenix Heat                       

Denver Harlequins                      

U of A Wild Chairs                     

Mountain Texas (James Gumbert)  coachgumbie@sbcglobal.net

Texas Ruff Ryders                      

Texas Stampede

North Texas Nightmare          

Pasadena Texans                 

Pacific North (Lynn Nelson)  pp3wb1@yahoo.com

Nevada Bighorns                

California Quake                       

Portland Pounders                      

Team Seattle                           

Pacific South (Terry Luxemburger)  tlux@earthlink.net

Southern California Plan B             

San Diego Bushwhackers         

*South Florida has exercised their option to withdraw from post season.

The following previously registered teams have not yet registered: Connecticut Jammers, Northridge Knights, San Diego Sharp Edge, Utah Extreme, St. Louis Rugby Rams, Indy Quad Squad, Shepherd Center and Augusta SEPVA Riverhawks.  Teams not registered by October 31 are subject to a $100 fine. Teams cannot be registered after December 15.

Constitution and Bylaw Changes

The following Constitution and Bylaw changes were passed at the 2003 AGM:

1) Change Article I “Membership” Section 2(d) to read:

d) All players must have played in two games with their rostered teams by December 15th, as well as two more games at a different tournament prior to February 1st.

2) Change Article V Section 1 of the Constitution “Eligibility for Membership to read:

The eligible members of the Association shall be the quad rugby teams with no more than one active player of citizenship other than United States. Additional teams may join the USQRA after a showing to the Commissioner of the fulfillment of the terms of membership as set out in the Constitution and By-laws of the USQRA.

3) There will be a "team fee" of $500.00 per international player for every USQRA team that rosters an international player. The money will go into a USQRA development fund that will assist new players with equipment and skills development.

4) Article VI, section 6

The rule that a transferring team cannot force a regional tournament shall be eliminated.
The rule that a transferring team may be seeded directly at a sectional tournament shall be eliminated.

5) Each team in the USQRA must submit at least one article per season to quadrugby.com for publication online and in other magazines such as Sports n' Spokes, etc.. Articles should be timely, and be 4 or more paragraphs long and include worthy information that promotes our sport to others (photographs are a plus). Copies of each article must be submitted to the Commissioner within a week of being submitted for publication to verify that team’s compliance. Teams not in compliance at the end of the season will be assessed a fine of $100 fine.

Rule Changes

The USQRA has adopted the IWRF wheelchair specifications passed at the 2002 IWRF AGM. All chairs are required to meet these specifications prior to 2004 post-season play, or by February 1, 2004. (Note: the IWRF chair specs have changed since the USQRA adopted them in April. While the new specs do not apply here (yet), you may want to consult the USQRA Wheelchair Specs Committee or a manufacturer before modifying your chair. The USQRA will more than likely propose to adopt the IWRF changes at the 2004 AGM so doing all changes at once may be most efficient cost wise)

The current USQRA rules requiring the submission for approval of new and/or innovative changes of equipment to the Wheelchair Specifications Committee will remain in effect.

Classification Change

Each region in the USQRA shall host at least one tournament per season prior to post-season play at which a classification panel would be present. The Classification Committee shall review all team rosters at the start of each season and make recommendations as to which regions most need to host a panel. Once these determinations are made, the USQRA Executive Committee and the Classification Committee will work with each region to determine tournaments that would be best suited to host a classification panel.

Tournaments chosen to host a classification panel should be one at which each team within the region will have the opportunity to attend if they so choose. No team will be required to attend a tournament where a panel is present, however if a team has players that are new or up for review they will be encouraged to attend.

Expenses associated with holding a classification panel shall be shared among all teams within the hosting region. If a team chooses not to attend said tournament they will still be liable for an equal amount of the expense. The USQRA will work to assist in procuring additional funds to help support these tournaments and reduce costs. Typical expenses would include the cost of transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and a possible cash stipend for those classifiers working the tournament.

Some regions may not have a need to host a classification panel in any given year due to the lack of new players or for other reasons.

Player Transfers

The Commissioner has approved the following player transfers for the 2003-2004 Season:
Ed Crouch, from Lakeshore to Kentucky TNT.
Wayne Romero, from Lakeshore to Kentucky TNT.
Cliff Chunn, from Lakeshore to Kentucky TNT.
Rob Krows, from Texas Stampede to North Texas.
Brad Updegrove, from Texas Stampede to North Texas.
Scott Stokes, from Atlanta to Lakeshore. This is a transfer to a higher ranked team, the player is ineligible for 2004 postseason.

Some question has arisen as to the former Boston players. The commissioner’s interpretation is that as they did not play in the 2003 postseason, they are free agents for 2004.

Award Nominations

Nominations for the USQRA Hall of Fame and post-season awards for Athlete of the Year and Spirit of Achievement should be submitted to any Board Member. Forms are available on quadrugby.com in the "File Library."

Post Season Hosts

None of our postseason hosts are set in stone for 2004, although several teams have expressed interest. These championship tournaments are great opportunities to showcase our sport and get local press coverage. Hosts will get a share of USQRA sponsorship funds to help with tournament expenses and have a portion of referee fees reimbursed by the USQRA! Contact Tom Hamill at dragonsedge@juno.com if your team is interested in hosting a postseason tournament.

Player Eligibility

Players and teams should remember that the following changes in player eligibility were enacted as of the 2003 AGM:

• Teams may only roster one international player.
• Teams’ rostering an international player must pay the USQRA a $500 fee, which will be used for domestic development.
• All players must play two games before December 15 and two more games at a different event prior to February 1st.
• All chairs must comply with IWRF Article 13 by postseason.
• New interpretations were announced by the IWRF in New Zealand. These will be distributed through the RAC’s.

Athlete Development Fund

Teams and players interested in obtaining a grant for new player development should submit a proposal to a Board Member stating who the grant will help and what it will be used for. It is anticipated these grants will be used for equipment or clinics, but all reasonable proposals will be considered.

Upcoming Rugby Calendar

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Report from the IWRF General Assembly

Highlights of the meeting that are immediately relevant to the USQRA are as follows:

• Bids for the 2006 World Championships will be accepted for 6 more months. Location will be announced at General Assembly during Paralympics in Athens. The bid process will be considerably easier since new competition regulations were passed.
   
• Players with a permanent IWRF classification may not be protested unless their medical condition has changed or the classification system has changed. Although the classifiers reserve the right to call anyone in for a reevaluation if they deem necessary.
   
• Rule changes include (not exact wording as official rules will be issued in couple weeks) :If teams can not agree on bench and goal, the highest seeded team (in that tournament) may choose, overtime is same as regular time, second overtime teams exchange goals.
   
• Art.13 preamble. A chair must conform to specifications for duration of game.
   
• Art.13E. Maximum distance from bottom of anti tip wheel to floor is 2 cm.

• Art.13H. A chair may be fitted with a device to prevent tipping forward. The device may be lower than 3cm. But not the most forward projection- contact with the floor will be governed by the physical advantage rule (art.50)
   
• Art.26F. It is now the duty of the penalty keeper to indicate when a player may return to the game, player does not have to wait for referee to wave player in.
   
• Art.44. Internationally, it is now a loss of possession to call a time out when non remains.
   
• Art.61. The cylinder in the principal of verticality now stops at the top of the head.
   
• Art.72. Is intended to mean that an offensive player, with the ball inside the cylinder of verticality, could be called in violation of illegal use of hands if the contact is the result of movement not normal to the protection of the ball or passing.
   
• A trap rule was added: A player with the ball, who can not move their chair ½ a chair length, must pass the ball within 10 seconds, the count starts after the bounce that ends the 10 second dribble count. The 10-second count continues if the ball is passed to a player also trapped.
   
• Denise Anderson was elected President of the IWRF Classification Commission.
   
• Brad Mikkelsen was elected President of the IWRF.
   
• Dan McCauley remains as President on the Americas Zone.

Quad Rugby Central

Thanks to John Bishop and the writers who contribute articles and pictures from their tournaments and the world of rugby. We need everyone to continue to contribute material so that we can share our sport with others both online and in printed publications.  You can submit your stories to John Bishop

Note: A new USQRA rule requires that ALL USQRA registered teams submit at least one article per season for publication or be subject to a $100 fine.  Check out http://quadrugby.com

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