Team USA wheelchair rugby league trains in Wilmington ahead of World Cup in Australia
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The road to the Rugby League World Cup runs through Wilmington as Team USA prepares to compete in the tournament’s wheelchair division for just the second time in history. The USA Wheelhawks are training in the Port City before heading to Australia later in October, where they will compete against some of the world’s top wheelchair rugby league teams.
“It’s like bumper cars meets rugby,” USA wheelchair rugby league athlete Jesse Lind said.
The sport features five-on-five competition, with athletes using specialized wheelchairs on a basketball court. Players advance the ball through passes and laterals, while defenders make tackles by pulling flags from their opponents’ shoulders.
“You start off the game by hitting it with your hand, kind of kicking the ball down the field. The team that catches the ball then tries to advance. The object is to get a try, which is like a touchdown, except you’ve got to put the ball down over the line.” said USA wheelchair rugby league Head coach Geoff Mason.
For Lind, the sport provides an outlet for competition and a sense of camaraderie.
“It’s fast paced its aggressive its stamina required you know.. its just a fun sport.”
Lind said his teammates have become like a second family, and he looks forward to competing alongside them.
The Wheelhawks are no strangers to adaptive sports. Team members also compete in wheelchair basketball, football and softball. Half of the team is made up of military veterans, and one player is a recreational therapy professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The 12-player roster includes 10 athletes with disabilities ranging from amputations and spinal cord injuries to visual impairments.
“Ultimately, it will be a fabulous experience for these guys, and obviously they work very hard. And it’s a humbling thing for a coach to coach them because they are in chairs, most of them, but they work very hard. But they are as good an athlete as you and I walking around.” explained Mason.
The Wheelhawks last competed in the Rugby League World Cup in England in 2022. This year, they will face Ireland, England and Wales in pool play. Beyond competing on the international stage, the team hopes its World Cup appearance will help grow wheelchair rugby league in the United States. Lind said he hopes the sport gains popularity and that more domestic teams will form, giving athletes additional opportunities to compete and improve.
“We hope that with the World Cup we’ll get some more people interested,” added Mason.
The Wheelhawks will open World Cup competition against Ireland on Oct. 29, with the championship round scheduled for Nov. 11-13.
