Wheelchair rugby players from across Alberta were in Red Deer this weekend to compete in the Red Deer Reapers' first-ever multi-day tournament.
The Reapers welcomed the Edmonton Steel Wheels and two Calgary Inferno Squads for the Vesta Energy Wheelchair Rugby Tournament from Friday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 24. Each game was played in the gym at Red Deer Polytechnic's main campus.
"It's been an exciting weekend, that's for sure," said Gerald Kress, Red Deer Reapers head coach.
"We've been able to host a few one-day events, but this is our first three-day tournament. ... It offers a good experience for the fans and for the players. It's really good."
The Red Deer Reapers incorporated in December 2022.
"We're just getting started. It's kind of an expensive sport because the wheelchairs are specialized. It's a full-time sport and takes a bit of time to raise the money to do these kinds of things," Kress said, adding the sport is meaningful to the athletes.
"Wheelchair rugby is for athletes who have an impairment in at least three limbs. ... There's a classification system, where athletes are classified from a 0.5 to 3.5, with a 0.5 being a lower-function athlete and 3.5 having more upper strength and hand function. You can only have four people on the court at a time and the points can only add up to eight.
"Its a sport that everyone can play — you can't just have high-functioning athletes out there. The low-functioning athletes have a purpose as well. They serve more as a picker than a ball carrier. It's a great overall sport. It's a multi-gender sport as well. Everybody gets to play."
Kress said the sport has been growing nationally and internationally over the past number of years.
"We're trying to grow it in Alberta," he said.
"We've got three clubs in the province and we're hoping to expand a little further north. Having a league in Alberta makes it easier to get athletes involved in the sport."
Kress added that he expects to see Red Deer host more multi-day wheelchair rugby tournaments in the future.
Fore more information on the Red Deer Reapers, visit the team's Facebook page.