Maybe I didn't take the field at Paul Brown Stadium. However, I feel as if my upper body has been attacked by defensive linemen. After an intense two-hour workout of wheelchair football, three things come to mind — a dose of Ben Gay, a hot shower and a massage.

        Watch out Bengals, there is a winning football team in town. The S.S. Express has taken over the Pleasant Ridge Community Center.

RESOURCES

• John Kraimer, director Office of Disability Services, University of Cincinnati, 792-8625.   • Sports 'N' Spokes online magazine: www.sns-magazine.com

        S.S. Express is a wheelchair football team associated with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. This unique sport has been actively played in the local area since 1991.

        The team takes the “field” in area gymnasiums and parking lots throughout the year. It is composed of both disabled and non-disabled athletes.

        I have trouble catching and throwing a football while standing. The element of trying to do that in a wheelchair did not help my game.

        On several occasions my teammates would demand that I get behind the line of scrimmage. I was trying, but reversing in the wheelchair was not my specialty. At times I had to do a forward lap around the gymnasium to get in position.

        My flailing arms, pushing the wheels as fast as they could, proved not fast enough. “You are really slow,” are the truthful words spoken by a supportive teammate in a motorized wheelchair.

The game

        Wheelchair football follows the same rules as standard football — offense, defense, rushing, downs, scoring. However, accommodations are made for the players and their disabilities.

        A “tackle” occurs by tagging an opposing player, not the wheelchair. In this sport athletes carry the ball between their legs, leaving their arms free to wheel. Kickoffs and punts are simulated by throwing the football downfield. If a player has limited use of upper body muscles, the football must only hit the athlete in the upper body for a pass to be completed.

        Because of this forceful contact, a Nerf ball is used.

        John Kraimer, director of the Office of Disability Services at University of Cincinnati, refers to wheelchair football as “the world's most inclusive sport.” Mr. Kraimer, wheelchair-bound for 10 years, has been participating in the sport for nine years.

        Anyone can enjoy wheelchair football. With player classification levels, the game is adaptable to everyone. Depending on your degree of disability, different rules apply.

        Level 1: Full function of arms, hand, and eyes (paraplegics, amputees, non-disabled). Players must catch and hold onto the ball. In order to tackle another player, a one-hand tag must occur.

        Level 2: Limited arm and hand movement (quadriplegics) or visually-impaired. The ball must hit players between their hands and elbows. Defensive players go after the player, not the ball.

        Level 3: Minimal or no arm movement (high quadriplegics) or blind. Same rules as level 2 players are followed with pass completion exceptions. A complete pass only requires being hit by the ball in the front or side of the body from the waist up or in the back of the head.

Other wheelchair sports
        The CRC offers a number of sports programs modified for disabled athletes. Basketball, tennis and waterskiing are among the favorites. Jill Farmer, a recreation therapist, says that any sport can be wheelchair adaptable. Exercise rooms at Corryville and Pleasant Ridge Community Centers provide specialized weight equipment for people in wheelchairs.

        This year in Sydney the Paralympics were a huge success, with more than 125 delegations represented.

        Wheelchair football offers great benefits for both disabled and non-disabled players.

        It is physical cardiovascular exercise. For non-disabled players, it targets muscles that are not commonly used in daily activity. This would account for the intense soreness in my shoulder blades.

        Physical exercise is especially important for people in wheelchairs.

        “They need to continue to develop the muscle use they have,” says Ms. Farmer.

        There are also many mental benefits to wheelchair football. The World Wheelchair Sports organization believes that participation in healthy activities often brings about other positive improvements in life.

        The interaction of disabled and non-disabled bodies has had great benefits concerning attitudes.

        "There is a common thought that all people in wheelchairs must also have mental involvement,” says Ms. Farmer. “This is not the case.”

        Attitudes concerning people with disabilities have also improved after the American Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.

        Non-disabled athlete Joanie Maynard, 22, of Milford, participated in her first game of wheelchair football. “It was rough,” she says. “It gave me just a small glimpse of life in a wheelchair.”
       

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