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Thursday, January 1, 2009 - 12:00am
Indoor wheelchair soccer is a fast-paced, action-packed sport. During this championship tournament, teams were ready to rumble.
View ForumThe 2008 BlazeSports Indoor Wheelchair Soccer (IWS) National Championships kicked off October 31-November 2, 2008, at the University of Georgia-Athens. The event, now in its twenty-sixth year, brought together the top four teams in two separate divisions—Open and A—to battle for the top spots in the country.
The Open Division, consisting of elite teams, included the Georgia Blazers, Houston Challengers, New York Chariots, and the Houston Toros. The A Division, comprised of developmental squads, featured the DeKalb Blazers, New York Strikers, San Diego Heat, and C&R Medical of Pasadena, Tex.
Trying to stay away from defenders, Christian Ekunwe (center, New York Chariots) lets the ball rip toward the goal.
The tournament format consisted of round-robin group play for each division in order to seed medal competition. After the prelims, teams faced off in single-elimination semifinal and championship matches.
Read more to find out who came out on top in the two divisions. The article also contains an article on the specifics of indoor wheelchair soccer, printed below in its entirety.
What is it?
Indoor wheelchair soccer, also known as wheelchair team handball, is a competitive team sport, governed by BlazeSports America, for people with a variety of physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spinal-cord injury, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophy, amputation, and other physical disabilities. It combines aspects of team handball, basketball, soccer, and hockey to create a fast-paced sport that integrates athletes, including those who use power chairs, with different types and levels of disabilities to compete together.
Indoor wheelchair soccer takes place on a regulation basketball court with teams of six that include a goalie and at least one athlete who uses a power wheelchair. Players must dribble or pass the 10" rubber playground ball once every three seconds in order to advance up the court. The entire court may be used during an offensive possession, with no time limit requiring the team to attempt a shot on goal.
A 10' semi-circle "crease" extends from the center of the goal line of the 5' x 5'5" goal and designates an area only the goalie can enter. If the offensive team enters the crease, it loses possession of the ball. If the defensive team enters the crease, a delayed penalty (similar to hockey) is called, and the offense continues with possession until it scores or the defense gains possession. At that time the play is whistled dead and the ball returned to the offense with a throw-in from the sideline.
Throw-ins must be made with both hands over and behind the head, with exceptions made for a player's functional ability, and must be executed within five seconds of receiving the ball from the referee.
A penalty shot line extends the width of the court, parallel to and 12' from the baseline. If a personal foul is committed by the defense below the penalty line, the offensive player is awarded a penalty shot that must be taken from behind the penalty shot line. Personal fouls, similar to wheelchair basketball, include ramming, hooking, and holding.
Plans for next year's tournament include expansion to a junior division. For more information on the sport and tournament, contact BlazeSports America, telephone 770-850-8199, e-mail info@blazesports.org, or log on to www.blazesports.org.
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