Team USA faces Japan in wheelchair rugby at Lakeshore Foundation

Team USA wheelchair rugby team takes on Team Japan at Lakeshore Foundation from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
James Gumbert lives in Austin, Texas, but the coach of the USA Wheelchair Rugby Team said there’s no place like the squad’s “home away from home” to get ready to reclaim the top spot in the world.
Team USA is in Birmingham the next few days to take on Japan in five friendly games today through Monday at the Lakeshore Foundation Fieldhouse. The contests are part of the Americans’ preparation for the Parapan American Games Aug 7-15, 2015, in Toronto, and ultimately the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Since wheelchair rugby became a Paralympic sport, the United States has been on the podium in every competition, earning gold, silver or bronze.
“The last time, Canada got us in World Championships in Denmark,” Gumbert said. “This is an opportunity for redemption for us. These guys have been waiting a year to get back on the court. They have all circled this upcoming competition – both with Japan and the upcoming PanAms – as the chance to redeem themselves.”
Eric Newby, 27, of St. Louis, talks about the Americans getting “our spot back on top.”
“We think that we are the best team in the world,” he said. “People might get the best of us every once in a while but we’ll get it back.”
Team captain Joe Delagrave said the Americans bring a sense of urgency to the court. “This sets the tone for the next 12-month cycle,” he said.
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
- USA Wheelchair Rugby Team in a friendly match against Japan at Lakeshore Foundation. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
And there’s no place better for the team to prepare than the Lakeshore Foundation Fieldhouse, where the team trains once a month on average during the international season.
“It is our home away from home,” Gumbert said. “The facility Lakeshore provides for us in being our national governing body is really one of the foundations of success for us. Very few teams in the world – if any – have the setup that we do.”
Dormitories, dieticians, and strength and conditioning training are among the advantages that Lakeshore, a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Facility, provides for the team.
“Having a gym is great. Having dorms is great,” the coach said, “(but) it’s the people that make the difference, and just the support from the Birmingham community. One of our keys to our success is that.”
Japan has consistently been ranked in the top four or five in the world the past six to eight years. After the Americans face Japan today at 3 p.m., the teams are set to play at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, at 7 p.m. Sunday and at 2 p.m. Monday.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Team USA includes Clayton Brackett, a native of Irving, Calif., who lives in Vestavia Hills as he studies business management at UAB.
“I’d love to have all friends, family and anybody who’s interested in seeing wheelchair rugby,” he said. “Especially some UAB students would be awesome.”