On a roll: Mike Schamburg plays wheelchair sport with the St. Louis Rugby Rams

Perryville, Missouri, native Mike Schamburg has loved the thrill of competition since he was a little boy. He played football at Perryville High School alongside his twin brother, Matt, until he was paralyzed in a car accident during his junior year in 2004.

Mike, now 29, never has let his injuries limit him. He continued to train after the accident, lifting weights and exercising regularly. After being part of team sports his whole life, though, Mike began to feel a void that needed filling.

"After I had been hurt for a while, I was watching TV, and I seen a trailer for a movie called 'Murderball,' and I just seen a bunch of guys rolling around in chairs smashing into one another, and that was something I always -- I always played sports in high school and growing up and stuff, and after I got hurt, that was one thing that was kind of missing, that kind of competitive nature in me," he said. "I seen that and I was like, 'I think I can do that.'"

After noticing his brother's interest, Matt began to research quadriplegic rugby, or quad rugby, a team sport for athletes who have paralysis or some loss of function in at least three limbs. He found there is a national league for the sport called the United States Quad Rugby Association. With a little more digging, he found a club team in St. Louis called the St. Louis Rugby Rams and thought Mike would be interested.

"He actually emailed the coach and got a hold of her and kind of set up me going to practice. I didn't even really know about it," Mike said. "And I went up there, and the coach ended up being one of my occupational therapists that I worked with when I was in therapy. So I just went to practice, and I've been going ever since, eight years now."

Perryville, Missouri, native Mike Schamburg refreshes during his workout inside the Perry Park Center on Monday. Schamburg has been playing rugby for eight years with the St. Louis Rugby Rams, a team in the United States Quad Rugby Association.Laura Simon

Typically, the club team competes in roughly five to seven tournaments per year, from around October to April. This year, the season ended with the National Championships last weekend in Texas, where the Rams came in sixth in their division and were ranked 14th in the nation among the 50 teams in the USQRA.

Within the league, Mike said players are given a point classification based on their functionality and muscle strength by physical therapists, occupational therapists and doctors. Mike is a defensive player and holds a 1.5 ranking.

Players can be classified anywhere from 0.5 to 3.5, which is the highest class. This system also allows for team strategy, considering each team only is allowed to have four players on the court with rankings that amount to eight or fewer points.

The Rams are part of the Heartland South region, which also includes the Kansas City Revolution and the Lakeshore Demolition from Birmingham, Alabama, but they compete with teams from all around the country.

Within the league, Mike said most teams host their own tournament throughout the year. The other teams are able to pick and choose the tournaments they would like to participate in, which has allowed him to travel throughout the United States and beyond.

"It's awesome. I've been to 30-some states, been to Canada, Mexico City, Brazil to compete," Mike said.

Each game starts with a tip-off with the volleyball-like game ball, and the four-on-four melee ensues.

"It's kind of a combination of hockey rules, basketball rules, soccer rules," Mike said.

Swift back-and-forth court movement often leads to a score of around 60 points per team per match, and Mike said the competition can get aggressive, especially at larger competitions.

"When you get to the higher level, like when you're representing your country, it can get pretty heated. And the USA has got a pretty big rivalry with Canada, so some of the games get pretty heated for sure," he said.

And the Rams' tight-knit team mentality brings a distinct level of camaraderie among players, which Mike said is one of the biggest draws to the league.

"I've made some of my best friends since I started playing, and you learn -- of course, you've got your friends, but they can't always relate to what you're going through," he said. "It's just different, and you learn so much from these guys, because when you're in the hospital or whatever, your doctors, your [physical therapists], they're telling you, 'Oh, you're not going to be able to do this, you're not going to be able to do that,' but then you get around them guys and you see what they're able to do, and it just motivates you to want to be independent on your own, and you know, you just strive to do so much more."

With the regular quad rugby season ended, Mike traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday to try out for the USA Wheelchair Rugby Rio Paralympic Team. He will know whether or not he made the team later tonight.

lyoung@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632