We’ve started the Blue Badge Style Sports Blog to help advise less able people on how to get into sports. Each week we feature a different Paralympic athlete writing about their own sport.
This week, GB Paralympian, Myles Pearson has written an interesting and informative article on what goes in to being a wheelchair rugby star:
My name is Myles Pearson and I play wheelchair rugby. My career highlight to date is representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where I was the youngest member of the squad. During the games our sport gained a bit of a cult following due to its fast paced and all action nature. Ours is also a physical game, with collisions common as we seek to gain and retain possession.
I first started playing the game of wheelchair rugby to maintain my fitness. My sporting career began in wheelchair tennis and I got quite far up the rankings, peaking inside the world top 25. Once I had started playing wheelchair rugby though, I was hooked and didn’t look back. I love the energy of the game and the way it gets your adrenaline flowing. The team part of the game is also a great part of it, as you form a really close bond with your team mates, on and off the court. Tactically, wheelchair rugby can be a demanding sport too, so it is not all about brawn but brains too. I have to be particularly switched on to the tactical side of the game as I primarily have a role as a playmaker in my side, whose job it is to create scoring opportunities for others.
Whilst our game is a physical one and thus not for the fainthearted, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Go along to a game and speak to your local club to get involved and I’m sure you’ll love it too. All you need is a willingness to learn, maintain your fitness and a positive attitude. The rest comes with time and practice!
In a training session we will work on a range of things, from physical fitness, to tactics and practice matches. At a GB level we are full time athletes so a typical week will consist of a good few sessions in the gym and a lot of training time on the court. We also have sessions with a sports psychologist and support from dietitians and other specialist staff so that each aspect of our preparation or performances are maximised.
The rules of the game are fairly simple. The game is played on a standard size basketball court with two teams of four players with the objective being to score more points than the opposing team. Points are scored by crossing the opposing team’s goal line. The duration of a game is 32 minutes played in four eight minute quarters. To find out more about wheelchair rugby, you can visit the International Wheelchair Rugby federation webpage at http://www.iwrf.com/ or the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby webpage at http://gbwr.org.uk/. You can find out more about how to get involved in wheelchair rugby on those sites too.
2012 was an amazing year, with it being such an honour to compete for Paralympics GB in front of a home crowd. I am now looking to build on my experiences in London as Rio 2016 is the target, with lots more competitions in between. My closing message would be to get involved in sport, be that wheelchair rugby or another Paralympic discipline. Opportunities are out there and getting involved in sport will have a really positive impact on your life, so give it a go!
Thanks for contributing Myles! Next week we’re featuring a post by Naomi Riches including her experiences at London 2012 where she won a gold medal.
You are great. Your strong willpower is admirable.