Lakeshore Foundation welcomed developmental teams from USA Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Rugby Canada and Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Nov. 7-9 to compete in the USA Developmental Wheelchair Rugby Invitational.
Athletes traveled from their respective countries to Lakeshore’s campus for the competition, which totaled nine matches over the course of three days. Lakeshore Foundation, a noted U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, has hosted numerous international competitions and training camps since its designation in 2003. Lakeshore is also home of the Lakeshore National Adapted Sports Organization, which serves as the national governing body for USA Wheelchair Rugby and Boccia United States.
The Invitational allowed athletes to fine-tune their skills before the teams’ national roster selection camps, as well as participate in classification procedures that affect teams’ strategies and lineups. An athlete’s classification is determined by his or her level of impairment.
While the Invitational had no direct impact on the countries’ international standings as determined by the international governing body for wheelchair rugby, World Wheelchair Rugby teams gave it their all, with the USA team remaining undefeated throughout the tournament. Great Britain and Canada finished 2-4 and 1-5, respectively. Replays of all matches can be viewed at youtube.com/lakeshorefoundation.
“Development events like the one USA Wheelchair Rugby hosted last week are pivotal to the growth of our sport,” said Meagan Rowe, USA Wheelchair Rugby high performance manager. “With classification events at an international level being few and far between, establishing an opportunity to get some of the up-and-coming athletes plugged into the pipeline early in the new quad is priceless. Creating space for development athletes to have time on the court against strong new talent from Wheelchair Rugby Canada and Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby is equally as important. It’s the perfect time to focus on building as we work hard to assemble the best team for LA 2028 (Paralympic Games).”
