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Denver hosts USQRA Mountain Sectional Playoffs

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Contributed by: Mike Wheaton on 3/2/2008

What:	NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS The 2007 national champion Denver Harlequins wheelchair rugby team will play host to the United States Quad Rugby Association's (USQRA) Mountain Sectional Playoffs at Craig Hospital in Englewood, on March 14-16, 2008. The Harlequins hope that this home field advantage will help them in their quest to qualify for a chance to repeat in 2008. The event will attract the top six teams in the region and will feature a total of five elite athletes which part of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team that will represent our country in Beijing this September. Wheelchair rugby or quad rugby as it is more commonly known is the only sport designed specifically for athletes with quadriplegia (a disability affecting all four limbs). Like the able-bodied sport it shares a name with, wheelchair rugby is a highly-competitive and a full-contact sport imploring rules derived from basketball and hockey. The game is contested on a regulation-sized basketball court and the object is to advance the ball past an opponent's goal line. Defending players will attempt to block offensive players from the goal line by delivering blocks, hits and ramming their sport-type wheelchairs into one another. Hard-hitting action and front-end collisions are just as much a part of wheelchair rugby as in standard rugby. "We are looking forward to seeing Texas (Stampede) on our home turf," says tournament director and Harlequins player Ron Bolseth as he commented on the rivalry of the two teams. The Harlequins upset the heavily-favored Stampede at last year's sectional tournament sending their rivals into the consolation bracket commonly referred to as Division II. That win ultimately gave the Harlequins the momentum they needed to win it all last year. This year it's a bit different as the Harlequins lost their number one seed to their archrivals but plan on facing them at the final game at Noon on Sunday, March 16th. Winners will advance to the USQRA National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, in April. The event is open and free to the public who wish to come and witness the great sport of wheelchair rugby in action. The tournament will take place in the gym located in the west wing of Craig Hospital from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 14, 15 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday March 16. Come support your local Denver Harlequins in their quest to repeat in '08! The Denver Harlequins wheelchair rugby team is part of a 501(c) 3 non profit organization and represents the only program of its kind in Colorado. For more information, visit the team's website at http://quadrugby.harlequins.org/. Tournament Schedule: 10:00 San Antonio vs. Utah 11:30 Texas vs. Phoenix 1:00 Denver vs. Pasadena 2:30 Texas vs. Utah 4:00 Denver vs. San Antonio 5:30 Pasadena vs. Phoenix 10:00 Denver vs. Utah 11:30 Texas vs. Pasadena 1:00 San Antonio vs. Phoenix 2:30 Pasadena vs. Utah 4:00 Texas vs. San Antonio 5:30 Denver vs. Phoenix Sunday 9:00 Phoenix vs. Utah 10:30 San Antonio vs. Pasadena 12:00 Texas vs. Denver
Where:	Craig Hosptial
When:	10 a.m to 7 p.m.
Event Dates:	This event takes place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 3/14/2008 through 3/16/2008.