Online Newsletter 
First Edition,  Spring 2017 
USAWR Newsletter

Welcome to 2017, an exciting time for our sport! Lakeshore Foundation, a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site serves as the High Performance Management Organization for USA Wheelchair Rugby under contract with the USOC. Lakeshore is proud to be the "home" of the team! 

This year we are embarking on a new endeavor to keep everyone more informed about things going on with the national team.  We hope that that this newsletter, which will be published quarterly, is a great addition to your inbox!
January Camp 
January marked an exciting beginning of the next chapter for the national team.  Coming off the silver medal finish in Rio, the work has now begun to build toward Tokyo2020.  The first step in that journey was the selection of the 16 athletes who currently represent the U.S. as part of our national training squad.  More than 30 invitations were issued nationwide for this incredibly competitive opportunity.  Over three days, the athletes were evaluated in a number of different areas including physical, tactical and technical skills. Click here to see the full team roster.
 
Next Up?
 
Next up for the training squad?  Athletes are back on the court at Lakeshore April 5-9th for training camp.  They will return to Lakeshore in May for a camp and the Tri Nations Tournament with Canada and Japan, May 10th - 13th.  Be sure to check our website and social media for schedules, scores and highlights.

The team will then travel to Japan for the Japan Para Wheelchair Rugby Championship May 25th-28th. This all leads up to the 2017 Americas Zonal Championship, set to take place in Asunción, Paraguay, September 3-10th.  The zonal competition will be the only opportunity for the top two finishers to earn an automatic qualification to World Championships in 2018.  

GO USA!

Aoki Named to AAC

In November, USA Wheelchair Rugby's Chuck Aoki was elected to serve on the USOC's Athlete Advisory Council.  As a result of a recent change to the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) Athletes' Advisory Council (AAC) bylaws, there will be increased Paralympic representation on the AAC.  This change will result in a representative on the AAC from each sport organization recognized by the USOC on the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American or Parapan American Games program with a four-year term beginning January 1, 2017.  This is the first time an athlete from our sport has served on the AAC.  We thank Chuck for his service on this important committee at the USOC.  Joe Delagrave will serve as the alternate.


International Impact

Recently retired USA Wheelchair Rugby athlete Jason Regier has been selected as the new head coach for Denmark and former U.S. coach Kevin Orr has been tapped to take the helm for the national team of Japan.  It is exciting to see the continued growth of our sport nationally and internationally.

Congratulations also go out to USA staff member Gary Pate who was recently named to the IWRF board! 
Did you Know? 

In each issue we will try and answer some of the most commonly asked questions from athletes and fans.
 
Who picks the team?
While it always feels like an honor to be asked to serve on the selection committee for a team with that honor comes some tough responsibility.  Many have asked how is the team actually picked?  Does just one person get to decide? The national team selection process is outlined here.  The committee who makes the determination is comprised of the coach, assistant coach(es), high performance manager, an athlete representative and a representative from the USQRA.  The high performance manager does not participate in the decision process but does sit on the committee in an administrative role.  In addition, the athlete rep and USQRA rep provide feedback and input but do not have a final vote.  The entire committee meets prior to camp to review the selection procedures and criteria as well as the schedule for the selections at each camp. 
Get to Know USA Wheelchair Rugby's Jeff Butler
 
Jeff Butler's new telehealth venture

Wanted to share a great recent article about USA Wheelchair Rugby's Jeff Butler.  We'd love to hear from you, please share articles and news from your community we can share via this newsletter and our social channels!
 
Speaking of Social....like us, love us,be our fan! Be sure to follow all of the USAWR social channels for all the latest.
USA Rugby 
 
USA Wheelchair Rugby and USA Rugby are proud to partner to grow awareness for and fans of the sports of rugby and wheelchair rugby.  Recently, USA Rugby's Screaming Eagles have welcomed USAWR Eagles to be at their events in Austin and Las Vegas. Judging by the pics, we were definitely a fan favorite! 
   
Want to learn more about the Screaming Eagles fan club and get the inside scoop on USA Rugby?  Visit their facebook page and become a fan!

Leadership Contacts:
Lakeshore Logo

Lakeshore Foundation, High Performance Management Organization,  USA Wheelchair Rugby. 


President 
Jeff Underwood 

Chief Program Officer 
Beth Curry [email protected]

Team Leader/High Performance Manager
Mandy Goff   [email protected]

Press Officer
Jen Remick [email protected]


Check us out online! www.usawr.org