ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis area is certainly not short on producing some of the best athletes on the planet.
You know the big names like Jayson Tatum in basketball, Max Scherzer in baseball and Josh Sargent in soccer.
But there is another group of athletes who have been making their own mark on the national stage.
Their domain is the wheelchair rugby court.
The tools of the trade may look a bit different in wheelchair rugby than other sports you're used to. But the bumps and bruises acquired on the court are second to none.
“I’ve had to have surgery to get my thumb put back together...torn labrum in my shoulder...chip fractures in my elbows...I blew my kneecap off...I'm missing a tooth on this side...Got a lot of 'em," USA Wheelchair Rugby athlete Eric Newby laughed, recalling his injuries said. "I’ve been through the ringer.”
In a lot of ways, the physicality is what stands out when it comes to wheelchair rugby.
“I think that physicality and slamming into each other is what draws us to the sport. Having an opportunity to show people that just because we have a disability doesn’t mean we’re fragile...we’re going out and competing just as any athlete would," USA Wheelchair Rugby athlete Sarah Adam said.
St. Louis has turned into a sort of hotbed for the sport.
Just at one particular practice for the St. Louis Wheelchair Rugby squad, three players in attendance have experience on the U.S. National Team.
St. Louis' Sarah Adam, Godfrey's Eric Newby and Freeburg's Jake Daily just got back from a trip to Denmark with the U.S. National Team where they returned with silver medals at the Wheelchair Rugby World Championships.
“It’s pretty crazy, and when you’re working out by yourself you don’t really think about it. But when those big events finish and you’ve got a silver medal, it stings at first and then you’re like, 'Ok I’m second in the world at something.’ So, it’s pretty awesome," Newby said.
As you may have already suspected, the bond goes far beyond the court for these teammates. Wheelchair rugby has helped player after player adapt to new circumstances they could face in real life.
“I started playing right after I broke my neck, and at that time it was just a cool way to get some exercise and hang out with other people in wheelchairs and kind of learn a little more about this new life and after a couple months, maybe a year or so it developed into something I wanted to be competitive with," Daily said.
“Just learning about how to manage aspects of your life, how to get in and out of a car, how to make a trip to the bathroom more efficient, how to take a shower in a hotel room that’s not accessible, how to get over a lot of obstacles life throws at you. My first year, people walked me through how to get a vehicle adapted, how to get back into school, just countless things that have been given to me through this sport," Daily said.
“It’s everything. To be around people that are going through a similar experience as a person with a disability and also as an athlete. We learn a lot when we’re in our inpatient rehab and initially injured. But being around people who have figured out how to live successfully with a disability, they have jobs, families and are living life independently, learning through that and having that kind of camaraderie is huge," Adam said.
“When I first started playing, I was 18, I had just gotten hurt the night of high school graduation and I was kind of lost. I came here and it turned into a room of friends in similar situations. There [are] guys who have been here a lot longer than you, and when you start talking to them about everyday life you pick up a lot of tips and tricks. It’s a lot of camaraderie in that aspect of it on and off the court and you get to play a fun sport. It’s awesome," Newby said.
Wheelchair rugby has given these athletes friendships and memories to last a lifetime. But like any sport, there’s always that next goal.
The 2024 Paralympics in France are circled on the calendar.
“For me it’s continuing to build relationships and meet new people and obviously a gold medal in Paris would be pretty great," Daily said of where he would like to go with the sport.
If you want to see this intense sport in person, then you can check out the wheelchair rugby tournament coming up at Parkway Central High School the weekend of Dec. 10.
You can find more information on the DASA website.