Allison Qualls

RMP 912
Professor Maryellen Burke
Grant Application
May 2, 2024
 TURTLE RIDGE FOUNDATION APPLICATION
Name: Allison Qualls
Organization: Northeast Passage
Email: Allison.qualls@unh.edu
Phone: 907-631-2143
Dollar Amount Requested: $10,000

Grant Money Intent

Currently the Northeast Passage Wheelchair Rugby program serves up to 12 athletes at a

practice with a retention of one new athlete per year. With being the only type of sport for

athletes who are considered quadriplegics, continuing to do outreach clinics is one of our

primary goals. This year we are losing 3-4 athletes who are looking to further their skills as

athletes at different wheelchair rugby programs. These programs offer better funding to the

athletes and higher competition. Along with those athletes we unfortunately had an athlete who

was a pillar in this community pass away. If we were able to provide athletes with better funding,

our ability to be competitive would increase.

Our program goal is to bring in new athletes with the understanding that adaptive sports

are expensive. A new chair for wheelchair rugby costs around $10,000 and currently takes 2-3

years for athletes to receive their chair. Also taking in the cost of going to tournaments, athletes

are looking at anywhere from $500 to $700 for one tournament which includes air travel and

food cost. For this past spring athletes that traveled to every tournament spent anywhere from

$1,500 to $3,000 out of their own pocket. For newly injured athletes this is a large expense and

may make the sport inaccessible. Depending on the level of injury athletes may have family or

caregivers come with them to tournaments, which also increases the cost.

Our goal for the next season is to provide support for at least four to six new athletes to

go to one tournament over the next two years for free. To work towards this goal, we hope to

host a clinic in September to keep building interest and connections in the community. Our first
tournament is in October, and it is our home tournament. While this tournament is important, we

unfortunately do not have any classifiers come to this tournament. A classifier is a Physical

Therapist or Occupational Therapist who determines the level of function an athlete has. In

wheelchair rugby an athlete cannot be over 3.5, which is the highest level of function in this

sport. The lowest level of function is an individual who is classed at a 0.5. Function is defined

trunk control, and muscle function in the arms and hands. An athlete cannot compete until they

have been classified. The next tournament with classifiers is in Philadelphia in November. This is

an excellent tournament for new players to go to and get classified.

A long-term goal for the program would be to provide at least 8 athletes to go to 3-4

tournaments without any cost to them. While this type of funding is something we hope to

provide in the future. Taking a small step to provide a scholarship to four or six athletes per

season to go to tournaments for no cost or reduced cost would be a great first step.

How would this grant money improve opportunity and well being for the adaptive

community and/or youth sports?

Northeast Passage is the only adaptive organization in the New England area that

provides Wheelchair Rugby to athletes who are considered quadriplegics which includes spinal

cord injury, amputees, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries, spinal muscular atrophy, and other

disabilities that affect three to four limbs. While this is a small community, connection to others

who have similar experiences is incredibly important. Acquiring a disability from spinal cord

injury can be devastating and being able to get new athletes connected to Wheelchair Rugby is

important. A large part of our new athletes hear about wheelchair rugby through word of mouth.

This grant would serve as an opportunity to experience the fullness of the sport and hopefully

share that experience with others as well.

If you receive grant money, is there a long-term impact on your community, and if so,

describe what that looks like?

The long-term impact on this community looks like growth in the sport. Growth only

comes from including new athletes in tournaments to build their experiences with the sport.

There is little awareness about this sport in able-bodied spaces and disabled spaces. When the

movie “Murderball” was released, it increased awareness about the sport, but there is little

understanding about the sport. The majority of our practices take place at the University of New

Hampshire which has about 20,000 students. There is a small portion of those students who

know about Northeast Passage and the programs that they offer. While we do get student

volunteers at practices, they only hear about our program through class volunteering

requirements. However, having student volunteers leaves an impact on their experiences with

individuals with disabilities and being able to understand disability more. Having the wheelchair

rugby program on campus has impacted protocols around emergencies such as fire alarms and

how campus staff react to those situations. Our program has open opportunities to have

conversations about disability and sport which impacts the college community, professional

communities, and individuals with disabilities. We want to keep providing opportunities of

impact and we can do that by growing athletes and spreading information about the sport and

program.

What are the long-term benefits of receiving grant money to your community or youth

sports?

The long-term benefits of receiving grant money has an individualized impact that then

translates into community benefits. While having a disability can encounter barriers, being

involved in adaptive sports creates access in different ways. The biggest way is teaching new
athletes, new ways to access their environment that lends to them becoming more independent.

Traveling to tournaments creates more opportunities to be independent which improves

confidence in themselves and shows that athletes with disabilities have a part in society. Another

benefit of receiving this grant money is ensuring that there is a place for athletes to have a sense

of belonging. Our program thrives off of including new athletes in practices and tournaments.

While practices are great, getting to experience a tournament with 100-200 athletes with similar

disabilities is life changing.

At Turtle Ridge Foundation, we look for forward thinkers who want to make an impact. Do

you have any innovative ideas that you believe will enhance your community, or society in

general?

In February 2024, Northeast Passage hosted a clinic for new and interested athletes to try

the sport of wheelchair rugby. At this event we had 17 participants including current athletes. The

event was four hours long and gave new athletes time to get fitted into a chair, learn how to push,

warm up drills, skill drills, and a scrimmage. Current athletes helped to teach the rules of the

game and tips on different skills. This event was free to anyone who wanted to come. We

provided simple snacks and drinks including fruit snacks, Gatorade and cookies. At this event,

staff saw a change in demeanor from the new athletes from being anxious to joy that came from

feeling confident in their pushing ability and the community. From this event we have seen

involvement from 3 new athletes who have shown interest in sport by applying to grants for

chairs that would fit them better than our current program chairs.

Changes that we are looking to make for future clinics are hosting this during the

preseason of wheelchair rugby, ensure that our coach and main players can be there, and train

more volunteers in transfers. When we hosted this clinic, there were no tournaments for new
athletes to go to as we were headed into post-season. Post-season typically takes place between

March and May, while pre-season is during September through January. Hosting a clinic like this

in September allows athletes time to learn more about the sport and more opportunities to go to

tournaments and get classified. Due to scheduling conflicts, we were unable to host this clinic on

our typical practice day which made it difficult for our coach and one our captains to be present

during this clinic. Due to the large number of new participants and participants who needed

transfers, the next clinic we host it would be beneficial to teach the volunteers how to do the

transfers properly and safely.

With being the only wheelchair rugby program in the New England area, it is important

to host these clinics to reach individuals with spinal cord injuries, amputees, and disabilities that

effect all four limbs. In order to reach these individuals, we plan to reach out to rehabilitation

centers, the VA, physical therapists in the area, schools, and organizations who work with this

population in hopes of building a partnership. With this partnership we could host

demonstrations or bring our equipment to these organizations in order to spread more

information about opportunities for this population.

Have you been influenced by any new trends? If so, describe them and how they’ve

influenced you or improved some aspect of your life. This could be emotional or physical.

Currently in the United States there are 38 teams in the US Wheelchair Rugby League.

There use to be 42 teams, but due to developing and funding issues those teams no longer exist.

Wheelchair Rugby provides a care continuum after the rehabilitation services that can improve

an athlete’s everyday fitness functionality, self-resiliency, and self-confidence. We constantly

meet new athletes who are missing that connection piece after rehabilitation. When they meet the
team or see other athletes with similar disabilities be independent, they are getting to see that

continuum of care.

Please see the attached file for the Wheelchair Rugby Program Logic Model. This model reviews

the reason for the grant, input, output, outcomes, assumptions and external factors.