Sportable Hosts First-Ever River City Rumble July 14-16
RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, June 15, 2023) – Sportable, Central Virginia’s premier adaptive sports club, is proud to host the first-ever River City Rumble Wheelchair Rugby Tournament July 14-16, 2023 at Highland Springs High School. The United States Wheelchair Rugby Association (USWRA) sanctioned event will feature six low point wheelchair rugby teams from coast-to-coast, including the Richmond-based Sportable Possums.
“We are thrilled to host the region’s first-ever wheelchair rugby tournament,” commented Hunter Leemon, Sportable CEO. “Wheelchair rugby is one of the most entertaining sports to watch. It’s a tough, high-octane, exciting sport experience that is certain to change perceptions about athletes with disabilities. I strongly encourage the RVA community to save the date for the River City Rumble.”
The River City Rumble will kick off with a Low Point Wheelchair Rugby Clinic on Friday, July 14. Led by former Paralympian and World Champion Steve Kearley, USWRA Low Point Team Head Coach, the clinic is designed specifically for low point wheelchair rugby players. River City Rumble participants will have the opportunity to train alongside Kearley, a wheelchair rugby veteran with over 31 years of playing and 10 years of coaching experience.
Originally called “Murderball” due to its aggressive nature, wheelchair rugby is a fast-paced, full-contact Paralympic sport developed in the 1970s for athletes with quadriplegia. The rules combine elements of rugby, basketball, and handball. Collisions between the specially crafted rugby wheelchairs are a key part of the game as athletes in teams of four carry a round ball across the opposing team’s try line.
Low point wheelchair rugby is based on the principles and rules of the Paralympic discipline where the maximum classification points of any individual athlete must not exceed 1.5 and the total number of classification points on court at any one time must not exceed 3.5. This version of the sport allows athletes who normally compete in a defensive role the opportunity to handle the ball, work in an attacking role, and score tries against other low point teams.
Established in 2019, the Sportable Possums Wheelchair Rugby Team trains year-round in Richmond, VA. The Possums compete in tournaments against other wheelchair rugby teams throughout the country as members of the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Association.
To learn more about the River City Rumble, visit Sportable.org/River-City-Rumble or contact Tournament Director Matt Lowery at matt@sportable.org.