It took breaking his neck for Will Doggart to see himself as a capable athlete. In 2009, the man from Bangor broke three vertebrae after diving into a sandbank on a Spanish holiday. Now, he’s a part of his country’s wheelchair rugby team.
Causing upset
The ‘Wheels in Green’ are taking part in the GIO 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship for the very first time after upset victories against teams such as Poland, Brazil, and New Zealand, to win April’s qualification tournament. They were the lowest-ranked team before the tournament started. After their successful run, however, they were awarded a place in Pool A, along with Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Japan, and Australia.
Qualifying was just the start for the team, having been in fundraising mode when seeking to cover the £4,000 per player cost needed to finance their trip. Doggart, 27, sought the help of his family when they all took part in an abseil of Belfast’s Europa Hotel to earn money through sponsorship. For him, personally, it was worth making the constant effort for sponsorship and other funding sources. After having watched a documentary called Murderball in 2010, Doggart decided to make it his mission to find a local team. He was travelling to Dublin on a weekly basis out of rehab and trying to be involved with the sport. He hasn’t looked back since, having travelled around the world for eight consecutive years.
Four-on-four
The game features teams comprised of four players each competing against each other in an indoor court the size of a basketball court. The objective is for each player to avoid opposing blockers and get the rugby ball between the pylons at the end of the court within 40 seconds.
Rugby has always been a popular sport in Ireland, so it only makes sense that those with disabilities would want to get (or remain) involved, and wheelchair rugby provides them with the opportunity to do just that. Aside from the Murderball (2010) documentary, there have been numerous movies based on the sport, such as Forever Strong (2008) and Invictus (2009). There have also been countless rugby-based video games, including Jonah Loma Rugby (1997), Rugby Challenge 3 (2016), and Rugby Stars slot. The last one is aptly available at www.mrgreen.com, Gaming Awards Winner for five years in a row. Rugby and gaming fans can use the €100 in matched bets and 20 free spins in a bid to win. Doggart and the boys will undoubtedly be demonstrating the same determination for victory throughout this competition.
High-speed collision
The sport of ‘murderball’ was likened to wheelchair rugby due to the range of abilities on the team, as well as the high-speed hits, with players crashing their chairs into one another. As a sport with players from a range of various disabilities, including spinal injuries, polio, cerebral palsy, and amputations, wheelchair rugby ranks among the world’s most inclusive disability sports.
Ireland lost to Japan 57-37 in their first game on Sunday, the 5th of August at the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship.
Feature Image: via GIO 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship on Facebook
