Kristen McBride is one of Squamish's best-kept secrets on four wheels, but she's hoping to get the secret out.
McBride is one of the organizers of 麻豆社国产Wheelchair Rugby (SWR) but she said it's been a struggle trying to field enough players to practice and scrimmage regularly.
"We need people," she said. "I'm not really sure why there's a lack of people coming out, it could be a lack of letting people know about us, or maybe there's just not many people in 麻豆社国产with spinal cord injuries."
Whatever the case, McBride and the SWR practice every Wednesday at Brackendale Elementary School from 7 to 9 p.m. but she said usually there are only five or six regulars.
"It's really hard for us to play because for a real game you need at least eight players, or four-a-side," she said.
McBride was involved in a life-altering car accident in 2003 and became immersed in the world of wheelchair rugby in 2005. She went on to compete at the 2011 Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Nationals and has led the charge locally to get the sport going.
In that spirit, McBride and the SWR are putting on a fundraiser to help support the club at the Ruddy Duck on Saturday (April 27). It all gets underway at 6 p.m. with a special beer-and-burger combo. There will also be a 50/50 draw, games, prizes and the wheelchair-inspired documentary Murderball will be shown on televisions inside the bar.
McBride said able-bodied people are invited to drop in on Wednesdays and they can even rent chairs if they're interested in taking part.
"If able-bodied people want to come, we're open to it and if they were dedicated to coming, I think we could get B.C. Wheelchair Sports to help us by donating a few chairs," she said.
She said a typical session includes conditioning, drills, skill development and a scrimmage. The game may be known as rugby but McBride said it's more similar to basketball or floor hockey than rugby.
"We play with a volleyball and every player needs to either pass or bounce the ball within 10 seconds of receiving it," she said. "To score, you need to get at least two of your wheels over the line while carrying the ball."
Games are four-a-side, with each athlete given a different point value from 0.5 to 3.5 based on function. Teams are not allowed to have more than eight total points on the floor at once. Special chairs are used due to the constant collisions between competitors.
"We smash and it's not something you can do in normal chairs," she said, noting the chairs can cost several thousand dollars.
McBride added that she hopes to put together a "have a go day" where anyone can try out the chairs and the sport. To help support the SWR, head to the Ruddy Duck this Saturday at 6 p.m.
