Wheelchair Rugby: Fast, Intense and Life-Changing
March 4, 2024By: Kim Shopper
Categories: We are NKCH and MH
Director of Clinical Operations Thom McCulloch, BSN, RN, CCRN, and his childhood friend, Tony Durham, both survived horrific car accidents. Thom’s broken bones healed from his 2006 accident, but Tony’s accident a year later left him unable to walk. In 2015, Tony started a wheelchair rugby team, the Kansas City Revolution Rugby Club. Thom joined as a coach two years later. “It was an opportunity for me to still play sports with my childhood best friend,” Thom recalled.
Wheelchair rugby is a full-contact sport for anyone with a permanent disability in at least three extremities. Each team comprises four players in specially designed wheelchairs who work to maintain possession of the ball and reach the goal line. The sport combines rugby, basketball and handball.
“At first, I was really bad,” Thom laughed. “The more I played and the more time I spent in a wheelchair the better I got. It helps the other athletes to play against someone with higher function who pushes them. They also push me mentally and physically.”
Men and women of all ages can play wheelchair rugby, with each player rated with a score that accounts for age, ability and other factors. That rating must stay under eight points for each team. No personal contact is allowed, including hitting or punching, but chair-to-chair contact is highly encouraged.
Thom has traveled with the team regionally and internationally. Kansas City Revolution had two players qualify this year for Team USA’s Paralympic rugby team. Last year, the team ranked sixth in the country out of 35 teams.
“Wheelchair rugby is unlike any sport I’ve played before,” Thom said. “It’s given me an appreciation for the capabilities of athletes who compete in adaptive sports, and I feel lucky to be part of that community.”
Kansas City Revolution plays September through March and posts their schedule on Facebook at “KC Revolution Wheelchair Rugby Club.” Thom invites anyone to watch the team practice at 7 p.m. on Mondays at HyVee Arena.
Thom (in red shirt) has coached wheelchair rugby for seven years. He uses a wheelchair in practice to prepare the athletes
for competitions. Far left is his friend Tony who started the Kansas City Revolution Wheelchair Rugby Club.
