2011 Coloplast Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Championships to take place at the University of Saskatchewan from May 13 - 15
The sport of Murderball will be taking Saskatoon by storm this weekend at the 2011 Coloplast Wheelchair Rugby National Championships. From May 13 – 15, eight of the top teams from across Canada will battle it out for gold at the Physical Activity Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.
Wheelchair rugby – originally known as Murderball – is an aggressive, full-contact sport for athletes who have a mobility impairment in at least three limbs. Athletes play in "Mad Max"-style wheelchairs and often crash into one another at high speed. This uniquely Canadian game -- which was invented in Winnipeg in the 1970s -- first garnered major media attention when it was the subject of the 2005 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Murderball.” Several athletes featured in that documentary will be competing this weekend.
Team Saskatchewan, which stars current national team athletes Miranda Biletski and Cory Harrower as well as former long-time national team athlete Mike Bacon, will be relying on support from the home crowd in their quest for the Division Two Championship title. Last year, Saskatchewan lost to Manitoba by just one point and this year’s final promises to be just as exciting.
Games will begin Friday at 9:30 am and run until Sunday night. Saskatchewan’s first game will be at 11:15 versus the Alberta Roughnecks. At 2 pm on Friday, there will be a media event with an alumni/All-Star showcase.
The Division Two gold medal game will be held at 1 pm on Sunday, May 15th and the Division One gold medal Game will take place at 3 pm.
For full schedule and team rosters, please visit www.cwsa.ca/en/site. To schedule an interview, please see the contact information below.
To view the video “trailer” for the event, please visit: http://youtu.be/PUxxxKeyQuQ
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About Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair rugby is a team sport for male and female athletes with a mobility-related disability in at least three limbs. It is a unique sport created by athletes with a disability that combines some elements of basketball, handball, and ice hockey. The object of the game is to carry the ball across the opposing team's goal line. Two wheels must cross the goal line for a goal to count, and the player must have firm control of the ball when he or she crosses the line. All wheelchair rugby players compete in manual wheelchairs. Players must meet the minimum disability criteria of the sport and must be classifiable under the sport classification rules.
About Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association
The Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association was incorporated in 1977 by five of its founding members, to provide an opportunity to lead a physically fit lifestyle. Since then SWSA has evolved from an informal volunteer-based organization to an organized and professionally run association with a highly skilled Board of Directors and staff.
Over the years our mandate has changed to that of “promoting sport, recreation, leisure, fitness training, and healthy lifestyle activities for individuals with mobility impairment”. In keeping with this change, SWSA supports many different areas of activities. Currently the involvement includes athletics, basketball, rugby, shooting, skiing and tennis, but the areas of slow-pitch, racquetball and golf are being investigated. Our Association works with several national and provincial able-bodied sport organizations in program delivery, such as Athletics Canada, Saskatchewan Athletics, Tennis Canada, Tennis Saskatchewan, and Disabled Skiing Association.
We also provide programs such as training camps, junior sport camps, coaching clinics and competitions. We have an awareness program that promotes injury prevention, focuses on ability rather than disability and promotes wheelchair sports.
For more information or to schedule an interview contact:
Arley McNeney
Communications Coordinator – Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association
1-778-788-9091
