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U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby National Team in Final Preparations for World Championships
By Susan Katz
// Lakeshore Foundation
// August 11, 2006
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The U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby National Team is gearing up for next month's World Championships.
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - With just one month left until the start of the 2006 International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) World Championships, the U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby National Team is in its final stages of preparation for the big tournament. The team returns to the Lakeshore Foundation U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site for a two-week training camp, August 11-27. This is the last opportunity for the team to train together prior to their departure for Christchurch, New Zealand on Sept. 5.
"We need to take this opportunity to correct and understand the miscues that happened at both the North American Cup and Canada Cup, the two tournaments we played in earlier this summer," said U.S. head coach James Gumbert (Austin, Texas). "This extended period of time together also allows us to continue to develop our line-ups and spend a significant amount of time reviewing game film and learning more about the opponents we'll see at Worlds."
The team will have several on-court training sessions, but athletes will also have the opportunity to participate in fitness and strength and conditioning training throughout their two week stay. Intrasquad scrimmages will be open to the public at the following times:
Sunday, August 13: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Monday, August 14: 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Friday, August 18: 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 21 - Friday, Aug. 25: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Sunday Aug. 27: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
While the U.S. team played to a perfect 10-0 record in two international tune-up tournaments earlier this summer, there is still a lot of preparation to be done before World Championships, which will feature the top 12 teams in the world. The United States is currently ranked third and is defending silver medalists from the 2002 World Championships.
"We made a lot of strides and took a lot of big steps this summer," said U.S. veteran Scott Hogsett (Phoenix, Ariz.). "But, there is still a lot of work to be done in this last month. The competition between the top 5-6 teams is going to be so close, we have to be meticulous in our preparation for this tournament and make sure we have thoroughly covered every aspect of the game."
Coaches and athletes will be available for media opportunities throughout the two-week training camp. To arrange an interview in advance, please contact Susan Katz, Communications Coordinator, at (205) 313-7434, (205)
381-0600 (cell), or susank@lakeshore.org.
2006 U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby Team Roster
NAME (HOMETOWN)
Andy Cohn (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Will Groulx (Portland, Ore.)
Scott Hogsett (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Bryan Kirkland (Leeds, Ala.)
Norm Lyduch (Austin, Texas)
Seth McBride (Juneau, Alaska)
Steve Pate (Kalispell, Mont.)
Justin Patterson (Salinas, Calif.)
Jason Regier (Denver, Colo.)
Nick Springer (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Chance Sumner (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Mark Zupan (Austin, Texas)
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