Murderball Reflection

Wheelchair rugby, formally known as Murderball, was developed in Canada in 1977 by quadriplegic athletes (International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, 2014). Quadriplegia is more commonly known as tetraplegia, this is where all four limbs are paralysed and most commonly as a result of a neck injury (Disabled World, 2010) Wheelchair Rugby was created as an adaptation of wheelchair basketball, by reducing the amount of hand and arm actions to make the game inclusive for quadriplegic athletes; this was done by removing dribbling. Athletes were classified on their medical diagnosis, in relation to the level of their spinal injury. In 1991 this was changed to a functional classification specific to wheelchair rugby, in order to include those with polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and amputations. According to Sport England (2010) 68% of wheelchair rugby participants have a spinal cord injury, compared 6% with cerebral palsy and 4% with muscular dystrophy. It’s also estimated that 40,000 people are living with a spinal cord injury in the UK (The Backup Trust, 2014). Rugby is one of 11 out of the 23 Paralympic sports

The featured film documentary called ‘Murder Ball’ directed by Dana Ruben and Alex Shapiro focuses on Mark Zupan and Joe Soares life of a Quadriplegic person. I have responded to the main characters and their situations including how they make me feel about the lives of Quadriplegic people and how they deal with it during their lifetime. My overall impressions about Mark Zupan and Joe Soares lives as a quadriplegic has encouraged me to respond not to feel sorry for them but to gain respect and be inspired .I will be discussing the film techniques to support my ideas in the documentary.

So, 2015 AEP was no different in the fact that I meant some really exceptional people. I meant a couple and the wife grew up in Costa Rica. This is significant because I want to retire in that region. I meant a lady from Grenda, she made me this bread for Thanksgiving that was delicious. I meant another couple that I can not say enough about because it seems they have lived all over the world and they have these amazing pieces in their home with history and the depth the kind that you have lasting conversations over.

Murderball was a movie made back in the early 2000 about the USA team men’s quadriplegias rugby team and former teammate Joe Soares coaching the Canada team. The movie also focused on a few players from the USA team but mainly it focused on Mark Zupan. The movie follows around team, showing how they became a quadriplegias, some did riding dirt bikes, and some were just bore with disability. The movie also shows new people who had just been in an accident and now don’t have function off all body parts. Shows how some of the rehabilitation is to get into normal living again.

The first video I watched was entitled “Murderball”, which documented the lives of the members on the United States wheelchair rugby team. It began with an introduction of each of the players and the stories of how they became quadriplegics. During these introductions, the players also talked about the stigma that comes along with their handicap and how able-bodied individuals treat/talk to them. The video then shows the team playing in the world championship for wheelchair rugby against several other countries but particularly the U.S.’s rival, Canada. Watching this video further addresses the difference between being impaired and handicapped. These individuals do not consider themselves handicapped but see that they have an impairment that

Wheelchair technology has greatly advanced through the years. Like St. Germaine, paraplegics can do about any sport! Tennis, football, and basketball are just a few of the games that can be played from specially-designed wheelchairs. There are certain features that make these sport chairs possible.

Before I went to watch the, I didn’t think that people with disabilities would be able to play sports as well as those without disabilities because of the complex nature of sports. Seeing

This semester, I completed my service hours with the Special Olympics where I kept score and ran the scoreboard for basketball games. The most important thing I learned from the articles I found was that athletics play important roles in people's lives. Athletics help build self-esteem and promote physical and mental health. Special Olympics connects with the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes because helping the disabled athletes is doing God’s work through including people into the sports community who normally discluded from life in general. I’ve had some life changing experiences through sports like when Nate Trevino ran a football for a touchdown at my freshman football game. Moments like those where people allow disabled athletes to

Disability sports, also known as adaptive sports or parasports, are sports that are strictly for those with disabilities, whether it be physical or mental. These sports were originally used as a means to rehabilitate veterans (Disabled Sports USA); the organization in particular that I am going to focus on is the Lakeshore Foundation.

What is the reason behind the ice bucket challenge? No one really knows of ALS, yes it is heard about around the world but do not pay much attention to it but ever since the ice bucket challenge promoting the research of ALS and the awareness and then people got to know what ALS is and what affects it has towards athletes. Affects today’s generation because now more than ever sports is such a big thing in today’s society. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy are the two most common diseases that athletes will get by the sports they play. Once the athlete has been diagnosed with ALS or CTE the athletes lives are no longer normal. In the sports world there are consequences to playing

The documentary is biased source of information because it only pertains to those who are paraplegic, and not to others who may be quadriplegic. One bias that should be made aware, is that not everyone who has a disability or physical impairment, will be able to engage in athletic events. The documentary may give off the impression that one may still be able to engage in physical activity, yet it may not be applicable to everyone, especially those who are quadriplegic. Another biases that may form, may be that people who are quadriplegic or paraplegic suffer from the same type of health issues. Although both types of people may rely on wheelchairs or a tool to assist in mobility, there is a major difference between the two. First, paraplegic and quadriplegic injuries both affect the spinal cord, yet those who are paraplegic are paralyze mainly from the waist down. Quadriplegics do have the ability to move all four limbs of the body as those who are paraplegic. By understanding these differences, one may be more aware of the different types of disabilities that are prevalent in our

The author states in (S1) that "former players say that they suffer from memory loss and several other brain disorders". So people would play this sport even when they know all the risks. We are basically setting ourselves up for any life harming injury that comes our way in this sport.

Cue the sad soundtrack, get the tissues out, because it’s going to get emotional up in here for those who are unaware of the harsh consequences when it comes to playing high-contact sports. Many people know the names of these deadly diseases that end up killing off the beloved athletes around the world, but not everyone knows why more and more athletes are dying at such a young age with diseases such as ALS, Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s. No one can seem to make the ties and connections to why these once perfectly sane athletes are doing some very drastic things like causing fiascos in public, or committing suicide. The little help the sports world is trying to do isn’t enough to save these young athletes from receiving

To truly understand Deadman, you must be able to understand how the movie is set up. It is common to not be able to understand many concepts in life from one person’s point of view. Lucky for the viewers of Deadman there are multiple ways to map the movie. In the following paragraphs I will fully explain one way to map out the movie Deadman; by just watching the train ride in the beginning of the movie views will learn to understand what is going to happen throughout the whole movie without even watching the movie. I will also go over some very important concepts that are done in Deadman that some without prior knowledge would most often not understand.

The documentary, Murderball, takes its viewers on a journey through the masculine mind as the men struggle and come to grips with the permanent changes from their disabilities. The stereotypical male aggression is first and foremost paraded as remaining constant, even after the loss of physical function. Unabashedly, the men discuss their sexual excursions, explaining in detail how they are still able to perform, and even how easy it is to line up new conquests. While dispelling many of the myths associated with disability, it also focuses on the exceptional amount of time it takes to do what seems insignificant in the lives of the fully abled. Simple things that are taken for granted, such as changing one’s clothes, driving, or simply grasping an object require relearning and training to remaster. Interestingly, none of the men shown were born with their disabilities. At some point in their lives, the ability to live a normal full functioning life was stripped from them either by disease or by an accident. The psychological ramifications from the loss appear to be the most difficult issues to overcome. For most people, change is one of the hardest things to deal with. The men in the film deal with the change in an aggressive, but successful way.