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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 8, 2005 Quad rugby is a ’70s transplant from Canada By Chris Honore Tidings Correspondent Quad rugby was created in the 1970s by Canadian Brad Mikkelsen and his colleagues. Mikkelsen introduced the game to the U.S. in the 1980s and the United States Quad Rugby Association now boasts some 65 club teams. It was included as a demonstration sport in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Quad Rugby is played with a volleyball on a regulation-size basketball court. Squads are composed of eight players, four per team, competing on the court in eight-minute quarters. Substitutions are permitted. Scores, worth one point, are obtained by athletes carrying the ball in a controlled fashion over the goal line and into the end zone. They must bounce the ball every ten seconds; the ball can be thrown, rolled, batted or dribbled, or carried up field. Occasionally chairs crash to the floor and trainers must rush to upright the player who is strapped in at the waist, knees, and ankles. The competitive season runs from October until national championships in April. Regional playoffs determine which clubs will vie for the national trophy, and potential U.S. squad players are viewed throughout the season. Players must have a combination of upper and lower body extremity impairment, but not necessarily total paralysis. Most have suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury that results in some form of paralysis to all four limbs, hence the term “quadra,” derived from Latin, meaning four. “Plegic” is derived from the Greek word “plegia” meaning paralysis. “Para” is derived from the Greek word for “two.” The exception is Bob Lujano of the U.S. team, who is a quadruple amputee, having lost his limbs below the elbow and above the knee due to a rare form of meningitis. Damage to the spinal cord is known as a lesion and the resulting paralysis is known as quadriplegia if the injury is in the cervical (neck) region or paraplegia if the injury is in the thoracic, lumbar or sacral region. Individuals who are paraplegics and have full upper body use cannot qualify for quad rugby. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a paraplegic. The spinal cord does not have to be completely severed for there to be a loss of function. In fact, the cord remains in tact in most cases of spinal cord injury. It is most common for the injury to result in swelling, which in turn results in nerve damage causing scar tissue to form, which inhibits the formation of new nerve pathways making the resulting paralysis permanent. Generally, a paraplegic will be in the hospital for some five months, whereas a quadriplegic can be in the hospital for six to eight months; all must undergo extensive rehabilitation. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams