Wheelchair rugby teams battle for nationals

MERIDIAN - The action was intense at the Meridian YMCA this weekend. Seven quad rugby teams from across the region battled for a chance to go to the national tournament.

The sectionals tournament featured teams from Boise, Portland, Seattle, Reno, and California.

"It's a post-season tournament so it's great to be able to host a bunch of players that come in from all over," said Josiah Sullivan with the Boise Bombers. "It's just great to bring a bunch of people in here and show 'em the town."

The top four teams in the tournament get to move on to nationals.

"It's really fast paced, hard hitting, and a blast," said Sullivan. "You just gotta get the ball in up and down the court. Usually it's 50 to 60 points per team, so it's really fast, lots of goals scored."

Sullivan equates the athleticism required to play wheelchair rugby with sports like rugby or full-contact basketball.

"We love this sport," said Sullivan. "It gives us great exercise and a lot of people don't realize how fit we get and how athletic this sport is, and so we get to kind of break stereotypes of people in wheelchairs, it's great."

The Seattle Slam ultimately came out on top of the three day tournament.

To find out more about the Boise Bombers, check out their Facebook page.