North Georgia Screamin' Eagles
Power Soccer is the first competitive team sport designed and
developed specifically for power wheelchair users with various types of
disabilities. The chairs are regulated to the same top speed (6.5 Mph)
and outfitted with custom foot guards attached to the front of the chair
which protect the players feet and legs, and used to kick the ball. The
game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation size basketball court by
two teams of four power chairs each. Each team uses their chairs to
attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in an attempt to
score goals by advancing the ball into a goal about 20 feet wide at each
end of the court.
Participants include folks with quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, head
trauma, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other disabilities. Some
maneuver their chairs with a joystick, others with a puff of air or even
their chins. Like regular soccer, the game rewards agility, passing,
imagination and proper spacing. And, again like regular soccer, there is
contact, this among 350-plus-pound power chairs. The will to win, the
competitive challenge, teamwork, and the total competitive spirit of the
athlete are in no way limited or diminished because of their use of a
wheelchair. As in all sports - win, lose, or draw - the thrill and joy
is in playing the game.
Each athlete is expected to have an adequate level of control of their
power wheelchair to assure safe play and navigation during the
fast-paced action of a power soccer game. To be competitive and field a
good team, practice is extremely important. For more information
about Power Soccer, USPSA, and organizational initiatives visit the
About USPSA page (Information is from the Screamin' Eagles Webpage)
Two residents of Randy's House are members of the Power Soccer Team, the
North Georgia Screamin' Eagles. The sport has been played for more than
20 years, but the North Georgia Screamin' Eagles wasn't formed until
2006. The team won their first tournament in Alpharetta, defeating
Chattanooga, and the Shepherd Center Strikers.
Visit the Webpage of the Screamin' Eagles
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