Four-play!, an Ohio University group of physical therapy students, hosted its sixth annual wheelchair rugby event at Ping Center Saturday, raising money for their undefeated opposing team, the Buckeye Blitz.
The Quad Rugby Association event ran all day, with each game lasting about 30 minutes. The Blitz consists of players of all ages with physical disabilities. For many of the players, a wheelchair is their primary means of mobility, said Jodi Krause, senior and Four-play! advertising manager.
After the fundraiser, Four-play! will donate $13,000 to the Blitz, $4,000 of which was raised Saturday.
Any OU student was eligible to play against the Blitz after paying $100.
It can be tricky to learn how to play wheelchair sports, said Donny Owen, a Blitz team member who recalled the difficulties of playing in his first tournament without practicing first.
Owen started playing about seven years ago, when the Blitz had few team members. After recruiting more players, the Blitz held a few annual fundraisers to offset the hefty costs of equipment and traveling. Since they are not professionals, the money comes out of their own pockets.
“We do three or four fundraisers (per year), and we’ve got some sponsorships,” team manager Brett Harbage said. “We spend about $20,000 a year just traveling. That doesn’t include buying (equipment like) a chair. Chairs are $5,000 to $7,000 apiece. It can get kind of expensive, but it’s all worth it.”
Four-play! tries to help the Blitz raise money for their various tournaments at each Quad Rugby event.
“This (was) kind of a learning year because the switch to semesters has been a challenge,” said Derek Steele, a graduate student and Four-play! president.
Four-play! hopes to continue to support the Blitz in the upcoming years, Steele said.
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