What is it?
- Originally called Murder Ball
- Cross between Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Soccer
- Played on regulation sized basketball court
- Four players compete on each side
- Mobility classifications
- Class sum <or= 8 points
Who Can Play?
- Must have a combination of upper and lower body extremity impairment
- Classification ranges from 0.5 to 3.5 with (0.5 being the highest impairment)
- Coed play
- Developed in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Brad Mikkelson through the University of North Dakotas Disabled Student Services, bought the sport to the USA in 1981
- The Mikkelson Cup – North America Quad Rugby Championship
- USQRA – formed to regulate and promote the sport both nationally and internationally
- Formed in 1998
- Debut 1996, Atlanta Paralympics
Equipment
- Regulation size basketball court
- Volleyball
Classification
- Quad rugby point system
- Most players have sustained cervical level spinal injuries (Quad)
- Class system 0.5-3.5 where 0.5 is the most serious disability
- 3.5 is a typical classification for a C-7/8
Rules
- A player has 15 seconds to advance the ball into the opponents half court
- Fouls are assessed, and penalties can include the warding of a goal, a timed penalty, or a turnover
- A player the ball has unrestricted pushes or dribble the ball every 10 seconds or a turnover is awarded
- National Governing Body – United States Quad Rugby Association
- International Governing Body – International Paralympic Committee
- Goal zone – 8 X 1.75 meters
- 1 goal = 1 point
- Full contact but no physical contact
- Time in penalty box is given for penalties
- Games are four 8-minute quarters
- 4 timeouts for each team, plus 1 extra for each overtime played
- One point is scored when the goal line is crossed with any two wheels of the ball carrier’s wheelchair with possession of the ball
- 10 Seconds: Players must dribble or pass or it’s a turnover
- 12 Seconds: Ball must be advanced over half-court or it’s a turnover
- 10 Seconds: Ball must be inbounded or it’s a turnover
- 40 Seconds: Teams must score after the ball is inbounded or it’s a turnover
- 10 Seconds: Offensive player cannot be in the key longer or it’s a turnover
- Only three defenders are allowed in the key at one time or it’s a penalty. (There is a penalty box. Generally, players are released when the opposition scores a goal or when one minute served.)
- Hitting an opposing player’s chair behind the axles (a spin) is a turnover or a penalty.
