Rocking the wheel

Wheelchair fencing, audible balls, tandem cycling and more to watch at Montreal's disabled sports mega-competition, the Défi Sportif

by MATTHEW WOODLEY

Intense as it may be, it's not cool to yell during a goalball game. This is because goalball players can't see, and if they can - even traces of light - darkness is ensured by eye patches and a great big pair of opaque goggles. Think of it as somewhere between soccer, bowling and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Two teams of three take turns firing a basketball-esque sphere filled with jingling bells back and forth across a court lined with textured tape for orientation, trying to get it across their opponents' goal line. Hearing is golden, and broken noses aren't uncommon.

North American teams dominate in international goalball competition. The Canadian women's team took gold at the Paralympics last September in Athens, a title they're looking to defend this weekend at the Défi Sportif, the 22-year-old Montreal disabled sports mega-competition you probably haven't heard of.

That's not to say you shouldn't have. Over 2,700 athletes from at least nine countries are competing at the Défi this year, many of whom are as high-calibre as it gets - just not qualified for Olympics and World Cups for lack of one or more fully functional body parts. Another chunk of competitors are amateurs from across Quebec, coming from schools, centres, even mental institutions to break a sweat in events adapted for them in some form or another. This vast range of people is what makes this competition stand out in comparison to the Paralympics, Deafalympics, Special Olympics and others of the sort.

"The particularity of the Défi Sportif is that we have the five types of disabilities - auditory, visual, physical, psychiatric and intellectual," explains competitions assistant Laurence Tétrault. This year, five days of sports will see people with severe depression face off in badminton matches, international boccia competitions for people with cerebral palsy, soccer for children with various disabilities, the World Cup of wheelchair fencing and more. And with growing government funding and ever-increasing attention, the five-day event keeps getting bigger. "Our principal goal is to make it a more known and international event," says Tétrault. "We don't have much of a crowd except on Sunday for the finals, besides family and friends. Usually the basketball and rugby is the most popular. But I can tell you that we have 1,300 athletes for the Défi in school sports alone. It's a very popular event for children, and what we like is that they can see from the high-calibre events what they're capable of."

Here then, for the kids, the sports buffs, Expos-withdrawal-symptom suffers and anyone else looking for some high-velocity action this weekend, is a quickie on the seven events in which the international stalwarts come to compete.

Boccia

Geared for people with motor disabilities, the goal is to get six leather balls as close to the "jack" (a white ball) as possible. They can use their hands, feet or, if needed, a ramp that can be manipulated by an assistant who is required to turn their back to the playing area - only fair.

Goalball

This is the only sport at the Défi specifically designed for the disabled. Visually impaired athletes, split into two teams of three, roll a bell-filled ball down the court trying to get it in the opposing team's net. The defending team tries to stop the ball by diving in front of it. Players then re-assume their positions with the help of textured tape on the floor, reverse and repeat. Canada looks pretty hot in this one - both men and women.

Fencing

This is the first time the World Cup wheelchair fencing circuit will stop in Canada, bringing together 50 swordspeople from France, Germany, Italy, the U.S., here and China. It's much like traditional fencing, broken into the disciplines of foil, sabre and épée, except competitors engage in their graceful hacking in anchored wheelchairs, and the target area is relegated to the upper body. The two Canadian fencers are both Québécois, and China's the team to beat.

Wheelchair racing

Athletes try to reach the finish line first in aerodynamic three-wheel rides custom formed to fit the shape of their riders. Competition is broken into paraplegic, quadriplegic, junior mixed and a Sunday road race. The fastest rollers rock speeds up to 30 kilometres per hour.

Cycling

Bicycling adapted to varying needs of athletes and broken up into eight classes: four cerebral palsy and four locomotor disability groups. Men and women compete against each other on bicycles adapted for various needs. Amputees figure prominently.

Hand Cycling

This became an official Paralympic sport in Athens last fall. Pedal power comes from the upper body, of course, and competition is divided into three classes: HCA for quadriplegics, HCB for paraplegics and HCC for double amputees.

Tandem cycling

On a bicycle built for two, a pilot who can see takes the front seat and a visually impaired rider the back. Since pilots aren't disabled, they're only eligible to compete in tandem if their national federation hasn't picked them to compete in the International Cycling Union in the past three years. Speeds can get up to a whopping 50 kilometres per hour.

THE DÉFI SPORTIF CONTINUES UNTIL SUNDAY, MAY 1, AT THE COMPLEX SPORTIF CLAUDE-ROBILLARD, DÔME MICHEL-NORMANDIN, COLLÈGE DE MAISONNEUVE, CENTRE PIERRE-CHARBONNEAU AND THREE ROAD COURSE LOCATIONS. SEE WWW.DEFISPORTIF.COM FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE