Announcing Wheelchair Softball on Xable.com!

Watch the big hits of wheelchair softball this summer on Xable.com! We'll be bringing you several exciting upcoming tournaments. Xable.com is proud to announce that it's the official online broadcaster of the National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA).

The NWSA was founded in 1976 and serves as the governing body for wheelchair softball in the U.S. Rules are primarily based on 16-inch slow pitch softball, tailored to wheelchair athletes. The NWSA has more than 30 teams nationwide. Many teams are allied with Major League Baseball (MLB) teams like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies.

Check back for exciting coverage of NWSA wheelchair softball events. Our first broadcast will be the Rays Tournament, May 17-18, in Tampa, Florida. Watch as top teams from around the country crack some bats.

Sarah Castle : NWWBT 2008 Reflections

Champaign, IL - May 2, 2008 - One of the many challenges of being a student-athlete and the tournament director for a national tournament is returning to the roll of the student, when it is all said and done. At the close of the 2008 National Women's Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, I was quickly reminded of the challenges of being a graduate student and the demands placed on my schedule. However, despite this reminder I was more than excited to help the Women's Division and to host the 2008 tournament. This article is my account for the tournament and the events leading up to it.
When the University of Illinois received the bid for the 2008 Women's Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NWWBT), I had no idea what I was getting myself into as a tournament director. Training for the season is easy by comparison...the plays are easy to call...you wake up every morning, you push, you shoot...it's routine.
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Quad Rugby Comes to India

Hamden, CT - May 2, 2008 - Rugby Enthusiasts, do you have any old rugby chairs you'd be willing to donate to a brand-new Quad Rugby movement in the world's second most populous nation? On May 11 we have an opportunity to ship some chairs to India from New York. You can see a six-minute video about the quads in India, who are really hoping we can bring them some chairs... Read Article

Power Soccer Match :
Vaucresson vs Atlanta Synergy

Tampa, FL - April 26, 2008 - Watch as the Atlanta Synergy (winners of the 2008 Eastern Regionals - and one of the best power soccer clubs in the world) takes on French club - Vaucresson. These two clubs both bring excellent passing technique and teamwork to the field. Check out this excellent matchup from Tampa, FL. View Webcast

USQRA Quad Rugby National Tournament

Louisville, KY - April 11-13, 2008 - Watch the best Quad Rugby teams from Division 1 and 2 take the floor in the quest for a National Title. In a Paralympic year, top U.S. players like Mark Zupan and Bryan Kirkland, are poised to deliver their best performances yet... en-route to Beijing. xAble.com will be there as the exciting season-long rivalry of the Lakeshore Demolition and Texas Stampede heats up and several other big-time contenders vie for the 2008 National Championship. As the Official Online Broadcaster of the USQRA, you can only watch these games exclusively on xAble.com... so stay tuned and watch all of the hard-hitting, fast-paced Quad Rugby action direct from Louisville, Kentucky to your computer at home - starting April 11th! View Webcasts & Results

Florida Open International Wheelchair Tennis Championships

Boca Raton, FL - April 9-13, 2008 - The Florida Open International Wheelchair Tennis Championships features top ranked tennis players from around the world. There are more than 175 participants from 26 countries. This tournament will be crucial to qualifying for the Paralympics.

The Florida Open takes place in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S., at the Patch Reef Park Tennis Center from April 9-13, 2008. View Webcasts & Results

In Episode 5, xAble.com interviews Team USA Head Coach, James "Gumby" Gumbert, and Team USA players, Chance Sumner and Nick Springer. These Quad Rugby Stars give a great inside look into this exciting sport right before the biggest tournament in the country - the 2008 Quad Rugby National Championships. Watch Episode 5

National College Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

Stillwater, OK - March 13-15, 2008 - Watch the eight best intercollegiate wheelchair basketball teams take the floor in the quest for a National Title. This is March Madness, wheelchair basketball style. xAble.com will be there as the exciting season-long rivalry of University of Wisconsin - Whitewater and University of Illinois heats up and six great contenders try to upset the Warhawks, defending 2007 champions. xAble.com will be the exclusive webcasters of this exciting wheelchair basketball tournament, so stay tuned and watch all the action from the comfort of your computer - starting March 14th! View Webcasts & Results

USPSA Eastern Regional Tournament

Atlanta, GA - March 7-8, 2008 - Watch the 18 best teams in the East battle it out for Power Soccer supremacy - 9 from Division 1 and 9 from Division 2! xAble.com will be there as Circle City tries to continue its dominance of U.S. Power Soccer - led by Michael Archer, arguably the best player in the world today. Atlanta's Synergy team hopes to avenge a last second loss to Circle City in the recent Autumn Cup tournament - while 5 new Division 1 teams hope to earn some respect and a place in Power Soccer's top ranks. xAble.com will be the exclusive webcasters of this exciting power soccer tournament, so stay tuned and watch all the action from the comfort of your computer - starting March 7th! Watch Webcasts & Follow Results

LA Marathon Winner - The Comeback Kid

Los Angeles, CA - Mar 6, 2008 - Winning a marathon is nothing new to Cheri Blauwet. But somehow, this win is different. Having taken the last few years off from full-time training in order to finish medical school, the 2008 women's wheelchair division winner of the Los Angeles Marathon has shown that she's back, and a force to be reckoned with.
"In many ways, in 2008, I'm the comeback kid," says Blauwet. "I felt a great deal of positive pressure to come through strong and prove myself early in the season with a win in Los Angeles." Read Article

Basketball Star Wins Women's Title

Champaign, IL - Mar 1, 2008 - Today, 12 all-female teams from around the U.S. completed the ultimate battle of the season - the National Women's Wheelchair Basketball Championship. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted this year's Championship and its Fighting Illini showed its home crowd what winning is all about with a repeat first place performance! Tournament Organizer and Team Captain Sarah Castle explains, "Our team didn't lose a lot of players in the last year, but what makes us so strong is the team chemistry." She continues, "3 of the starting 5 have played together for the last four years, and all 5 of us have [been together] for three years." The chemistry paid off... Read Article

Quad Rugby : A Newcomer's View

Tampa, FL - Feb 14, 2008 - Robert Rowen shares his view as a newcomer to the sport of Quad Rugby. After recently covering 3 major Quad Rugby tournaments as xAble.com's Official Play-by-Play announcer, Robert writes about how Quad Rugby has impacted him. Before becoming the "Voice of xAble Sports", Robert was simply a big sports fan...calling games "unofficially" from the sidelines. However, over the last couple of years he has also become an "adaptive" sports fan by watching Elio Navarro, xAble.com Founder, on the Power Wheelchair Soccer court. Without a doubt, Robert is chompin' at the bit for some more Quad Rugby action and can't wait to get behind the microphone to call some more great games. Read Article

Quad Rugby - Demolition Derby International Tournament

Birmingham, Alabama - Jan 27, 2008 - The Lakeshore Demolition win in a resounding sweep of top U.S. club teams and international teams. They were the hometown favorite, and they gave crowds of cheering fans something to scream about.

The championship game was a hard fought battle between the Texas Stampede and the Demolition. The Texas team, known by their tagline "Fear the Stear", put some early fear in the Demolition by forcing two quick turnovers in the first period. But the Demolition played hard, eventually overcoming the turnovers to lead at the first half. The Demolition extended their lead by four points late in the fourth period, and the game looked sure in hand. However, with minutes remaining in the game, two quick turnovers put Texas back within two.

The Demolition refused to give up their lead. The four man wrecking crew of Kirkland, Lujano, Wilmoth, and Crouch fought hard in the final two minutes to solidify their victory. Bryan Kirkland threw his hands up in the air to rejoice after three days of intense action. The hometown fans went wild. It was a great tournament and the Lakeshore Demolition proved why they were the number one ranked team.
View Webcasts | View Results

Quad Rugby - Coloplast International

Tampa, Florida - Jan 20, 2008 Exciting division two quad rugby action was in full force at the Coloplast International tournament. xAble was there to webcast the final two games of the tournament, with the champion being determined in the Michigan Storm vs Magee Eagles (Philadelphia) game. Michigan played tough from the start, going up 15-12 in the first period. After two periods, Michigan stretched the lead by six points, 29-23. At the end, the Storm looked like a category five Florida hurricane, rolling over the Magee Eagles 57-49. Brian Sheridan, playing for Michigan, was named MVP of the tournament.

In the Tampa Generals vs the Texas Stampede game, the Generals fought hard and won a decisive battle, 44-38. Tampa finished the tournament in third place and Texas ended up in fourth. Many tournament accolades went to players in this game, including Steve Servis (Tampa-0.5), Brad Schramel (Texas-1.5), Jace Beck (Texas-2.0), and Jesse Honi (Texas-2.5). Other All Tournament Team players were Scott Stokes (1.0) and Marshall Hamilton (3.5) of Shepherd and Joy Rondeau (3.0) of Denver.

Thanks to Ed Hooper (Hoveround Gunners coach and president of the USQRA) for color commentating, Justin Stark for directing a great tournament, the All People's Life Center for hosting the event, and Coloplast for their sponsorship.
Watch the final two games of the Coloplast International Online!

Quad Rugby - Lakeshore Demolition wins Knock 'n Roll

Lake Worth, Florida - Jan 13, 2008 - The wrecking crew came in full force to southern Florida on the weekend of Jan 11-13, 2008. The Lakeshore Demolition went 6-0 in an undefeated victory over six other strong division 1 teams from around the world.

Star players including Bryan Kirkland, Bob Lujano, and Joel Wilmoth put the demolish in the Demolition. Lakeshore beat most teams with ease, winning by 7 points or more in games against South Florida, the Hoveround Gunners (Sarasota, FL), Team Germany, and Team Canada. The toughest games were put up by the Denver Harlequins, losing by 5 points, and the Texas Stampede in a close game with Lakeshore winning 46-45. USQRA president, Ed Hooper, color commentating with xAble in the Lakeshore vs Texas game said "Lakeshore has been a power house, 10 years in a row they've been in the national championship game."

The second place team, the Texas Stampede, lost only one game to the Lakeshore Demolition. Texas is the 2007 National Champions. They have one of the arguably best high pointers in the game, Mark Zupan (3.0). Zupan, and team member Norm Lyduch (1.0), are also members of the 2008 U.S. Paralympics team. The Stampede fought hard in the game against Lakeshore, but their efforts came up short. We're looking forward to a great re-match at the Demolition Derby in Alabama.

It's also a great honor to announce that this was the first ever webcast of a quad rugby tournament in North America. We had a lot of help from great people to make it possible. Rob Rowen, the voice of xAble sports, managed to keep his voice after calling 11 games! xAble wishes to thank John Bishop for directing a fantastic event and color commentating for two of the games. Our thanks also go out to Marco Dispaltro, Dave Willsie, Jason Regier, James Gumbert (Coach Gumby), Ed Hooper, Joe Soares, and Kevin Orr for their great color commentating.
View Complete Coverage of the Knock 'n Roll!

Tokyo, Japan The stakes were high at the World Cup. Not only were the teams competing for the title of World Cup champion, they were also raising the profile of the sport, not just in Japan, but internationally. Officials of FIPFA, the international power soccer association that sponsored the World Cup, hoped the tournament would set the stage for power soccer to become a Paralympic sport.
Read More...by Heather Appel
Watch the xAble.com Webcast of the World Cup Online!

A show that follows the world of Disability Sports and its star athletes. View All Shows

Episode 2 with BlazeSports

Episode 1 highlights Quad Rugby