Team USQRA held their first mini-camp, May 21 – 24 at the home of US wheelchair rugby – the Lakeshore Foundation in Alabama.
Surrounded by legends past, present and future, the team tackled the immense job of being game ready in a short amount of time. Assistant coach Sue Tucker described the task as “daunting” but felt the team and staff were up to the challenge.
With lines being developed and strategy quickly employed it took time to see the benefits of the classroom and 3 session days. However by Saturday leaders were starting to emerge and take the reigns from the coaches. Strong areas of performance were noted in all areas of the game. “I feel a lot better about the team after the camp”, said Head Coach Troy McGuirk on his assessment of the teams progress.
Saturday night was capped off with the selection of team captain’s. Gabe Nyrkkanen and Eric Newby were selected by their team mates to represent them in meetings, competitions, and to work with the staff to ensure clear lines of communication.
As Sunday afternoon approached the final touches were added to the team including a debriefing of what the team could expect traveling, how to prepare for the demands of being an international athlete, and of course international competition. Many questions were asked during the 4 days of work but as the camp closed, all agreed the Team had many more answers and were ready to test their talents on the international stage.
[Team USQRA will play in the Maximus Quad Rugby Open in Rio de Janiero, Brazil]
Team USQRA is a player-funded team. If you are interested in sponsoring or become involved with the Team, contact TeamUSQRA@gmail.com