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Shryock leads Wonder Women in Paris

By Emily Shryock, 12/07/17, 7:30AM CST

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Stampede athlete competes in historic tournament

On December 2nd and 3rd women from  around the world came together in Paris France for the women's cup 2017, the only competition specifically for women in wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby is a co-Ed sport but women make up a minority of the athletes who compete in this full contact sport. This unique tournament provided an opportunity for competition and comraderie among women who are often the only women who play for their home teams. Six teams, made up of 32 women from 12 different countries, competed in three games over the two days. 
 
Team Americas, made up of 4 women from the USA and 1 from Brazil, won 2 of their 3 games, including a one point win over Team France who had a large home crowd in attendance. "Bringing individuals together to play as a team is always a challenge, especially when you don't share a common language," said Emily Shryock, who coached Team Americas. "But it was very rewarding to see our progress as a team throughout the tournament and to come away with a winning record."
 
The first Women's Cup in 2015 had 12 athletes which grew to 32 athletes in 2017. Many of the women at the tournament compete for their national teams or development team. "It's exciting to see more women not only getting involved in wheelchair rugby but also reaching higher levels in the sport" said Emily Shryock who will be trying out for Team USA in January.  The intense competition at the Women's Cup 2017 proved the future is bright for women in wheelchair rugby. 
 
Building on the success of US women at the Women's Cup, an all women team will be competing at the Metal and Muscle tournament in Houston. This will be the second year the all female "Wonder Women" team will
compete at a US tournament.