Smith , Funk Lead 76ers into Another Wheelchair Rugby Season It ’ s the 40th Anniversary of “ Winnipeg ’ s Game ”
By Scott Taylor , Photos courtesy of Jared Funk
Jared Funk is a bit of a legend in the sport of Wheelchair Rugby . Arin Smith has been around even longer . This month , the players on the Winnipeg 76ers wheelchair rugby – or Murder Ball – team get back to practicing and preparing for the 2017 Western Canada season . The 76ers play in a loop with Saskatchewan , Calgary and Edmonton and while Smith says their first league tournament will not be until February , that doesn ’ t mean they won ’ t get back to work .
“ This is a big season for us here in Winnipeg ,” Smith explained . “ It ’ s the 40 th Anniversary of Wheelchair Rugby and it was invented right here in Winnipeg in 1976 . In fact , Duncan Campbell , one of the inventors , still plays to this day . He ’ s in his early 60s and it ’ s been a lifelong game for him .”
When it was started back in the mid- 70s – yes , right here in Winnipeg – the game was known as Murder Ball and for many of the athletes , it still is . By definition , it is “ a rough and rumbling sport for men and women , most of whom have quadriplegia .”
The game is played on a regular basketball court ( a wooden gym floor ) and the objective is to fully cross the opponent ’ s goal line to earn a
34 / sportslife point . The appeal for the players is pretty simple : It is non-stop action with passing , ball carrying and of course wheelchairs crashing into each other .
It ’ s a sport that combines the elements of basketball , football , handball and even hockey , in all its forms . Born in Winnipeg , it is now played in more than 40 countries .
While the object of the game is to carry the ball across the opposing team ’ s goal line ( just like rugby ), the rules state that two wheels must cross the line for the goal to count while the player has “ firm control of the ball ( a standard volleyball ) when he or she crosses the line ,” just like football .
The game consists of four eightminute quarters . There is a two-minute break between quarters and a fiveminute break at halftime and like basketball , there is a time clock . Teams have 40 seconds to score on each possession . After a goal or stoppage of play , the player has 10 seconds to inbound the ball . The action is , indeed , non-stop .
And also like basketball , a player whose team has control of the ball cannot remain in the opposing team ’ s key for more than 10 seconds and like both handball and basketball , a player must dribble the ball once every 10 seconds . The defending team , meanwhile , can have no more than three players in the key .
Wheelchair rugby is a full-contact game and chair contact is actually encouraged . To ensure player safety , however , players cannot strike another player ’ s wheelchair anywhere behind
the axle of the rear wheel if it causes the chair to rotate horizontally or vertically . Physical body contact is also not permitted .
For athletes like Funk and Smith , falling in love with the game was not at all difficult .
“ I got hurt in a car accident in 1989 and I ’ d played basketball , baseball , hockey , all the school sports at Reston Collegiate ,” said Smith who has also participated in wheelchair basketball , shooting and table tennis . “ I was also a badminton player and back then , I was the only person who had won the high school provincial badminton championship three years in a row .
“ I was in rehab in the hospital and Trish Klassen from Manitoba Wheelchair Sports came to visit and told me there was a sport I could play as a quadriplegic . When I first went out , I fell in love with the game immediately . I loved hockey and it was easy for me to compare this game to hockey . It ’ s really an awesome game .”
Smith has been part of the Murder Ball scene for 26 years while Funk , a national legend , has been at it for 23 years . While Smith was in the national team program from 1993-96 but eventually decided to concentrate on the game at the provincial level , Funk stayed with the national team program through the 90s to last year and has won three Paralympic medals – a silver