The difference a chair makes…

 

Wheelchair Rugby chairs are specifically measured for each individual player. As in any sport the right equipment can make a substantial difference to an athlete’s performance both physically and mentally. In wheelchair rugby there are a lot of aspects when it comes to equipment. There are all the variations of gloves, straps, glue and we haven’t even got onto chairs yet. Hopefully you’ve seen the sport, if you haven’t check out our YouTube channel. There are two types of chair but what a lot of you may not have thought about are the minor details. Manufacturer is the first choice, then comes the nitty gritty. Wheel size, spoke guards, frame adjustments, just to mention a few choices. The point is nothing feels better then equipment made just for you. Especially in our sport, any experienced wheelchair rugby athlete will tell you their chair is part of them. That's only after months of mind boggling upholstery adjustments. When you’re on court you need the chair to move with you without causing too much friction. You also need to hit hard and recover fast which requires a snug fitting chair so you’re not shaken to your bones.

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The problem comes to expense, each individual item might not sound expensive but when you add it all up, playing this sport, even at domestic level isn’t cheap by any means. There’s nothing standard about these chairs so even the starting prize will leave a sizeable whole of over £5000. Add that to all the other expenses and it becomes obvious that running a club such as ourselves rely heavily on sponsor funding and charity donations.