Philadelphia (February 2003)—The Rolling Rebels, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital’s wheelchair rugby team, will host the United States Quad Rugby Association’s Atlantic North Regional Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23, 2003. The tournament will take place at Widener University’s Schwartz Center, 17th Street and Melrose Avenue, in Chester, PA. All games are free of charge and the public is invited to attend.

Besides the Magee Rolling Rebels, teams in the tournament include: the Casco Bay (Maine) Navigators, the Connecticut Jammers, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association New York Jets, and the Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers.

The Rolling Rebels schedule is as follows:

Saturday, February 22
11 a.m. - EPVA New York Jets
3:30 p.m. - Casco Bay Navigators

Sunday, February 23
11:00 a.m. - Connecticut Jammers
2 p.m. - Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers

Wheelchair Rugby is played by quadriplegics on a basketball court. The rules and strategies are similar to both hockey and basketball. The game emphasizes speed, stamina and key skills, and features a great deal of exciting action and contact. Magee’s team, the Rolling Rebels, has been competing nationally for more than 11 years. The team includes wheelchair athletes from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Magee is the leading sponsor of wheelchair sports in the Philadelphia region, and recreational therapy is an important part of Magee’s comprehensive rehabilitation program. Competing against physical equals enables participants in wheelchair sports to improve their overall health and fitness, and increase personal confidence. Besides wheelchair rugby, Magee sponsors teams in wheelchair basketball, softball and tennis, and offers training in martial arts.