TAMPA, Fla. — The Warrior Games is home to many firsts: This is the first time Tampa Bay has hosted the games, and it is also the first time wheelchair rugby has been an event.
For many athletes, it's the perfect return to the competitive arena.
"So the sport is made for quads, those with broken necks. And when I am on the court, I don’t feel like I have any impairments," Joel Rodriguez said. "I play just hard as I played basketball before my injury."
Rodriguez joined the Army in 2009 with a goal to serve his entire career there, but a car accident in 2014 cut that dream short. His car flipped three or four times -- leaving him with a severed spine -- and no feeling at all below his chest.
The change was immediate.
“I went from running five miles in the morning to not being able to move anything before the end of the night,” Rodriguez said.
Wheelchair rugby helped him get back to normal: “It’s an outlet. You know when I have a rough day or a rough week just get in my chair, just kind of push it out. Bang it out."
Army won their first game of the tournament but lost the second. Wheelchair rugby finals will take place June 27.
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