We talk to Mike Kerr, Vice Captain of the GB Wheelchair Rugby team about his London 2012 debut, the media attention that ‘Murderball’ has received and what appeals to him about this brutal sport.
How did you get involved in Wheelchair Rugby?
I got involved after I had an accident, while I was in rehab in the spinal unit the physio’s told me about wheelchair rugby and when I got discharged from the unit I went along and gave it a go and that was me hooked.
It was 2000 I had my accident so it would have been 2001 I started.
What did you like about it?
I think first and foremost the fact that it was full contact, I’d always played contact sports before my accident. I liked the fact that it was a team sport as well, so those were the two big draws for me.
Was there a club close to you?
At the time there was a club in Falkirk but that’s now closed so I moved to play for a club from the North East of England, Middlesbrough area. I’ve been playing with them ever since, the North East Bulls.
How did you get involved with the GB Team?
Well I’ve sort of been on and off the GB team since 2006, I just went along for a trial, not really in the hope of getting selected ,just really for the experience. But then I got a call telling me I had been selected so I’ve been on and off the squad ever since.
When did you know you were picked for London?
Well I made the 12 man team about 18months ago and I’ve just stayed in ever since.
How was the training for London?
Very intense, we spent a lot of time at a training camp in Norfolk, that was our holding camp so we spent a lot of time there. You got some down days but it was pretty much full on everyday.
How was your first Paralympic experience?
Absolutely amazing! I think what made it, was the fact that it was a home Games and the British public really bought into it, the atmosphere around the Olympic Park was absolutely incredible.
How was the crowd?
Absolutely amazing, most of our games were sold out so to play in front of that crowd, the noise was unbelievable. There was about 10,000 people in that arena, it was so noisy, on court you couldn’t hear what anyone was saying! It was that loud, it was really incredible.
It gives you that extra lift, when the crowd are cheering predominantly for you.
Are you surprised by the media attention that Wheelchair Rugby/Murderball has had?
I’m not really surprised because it’s an amazing sport, for me its actually more interesting than most able-bodied sports! I knew that if we could get it in the public eye that people would take to it. And they have big time.
I think they love the contact because there isn’t really any other full contact sport in disability sport – especially not in wheelchair sport.
Do you think the public are fascinated by it in some part because they didn’t know you were allowed to push someone over in a wheelchair?
Yeah I think it is! It’s everything that goes against the politically correct – when do you ever see people in wheelchairs smashing against each other with the sole intention of knocking each other over?
Were you pleased with your performance?
I wasn’t pleased with how our team performed, I was pleased with my personal performance but I wasn’t pleased with how the squad performed collectively.
Do you think you guys could have secured a medal?
I think if we played the way that we could play we would have been on contention for a bronze.
On our day we are one of the good teams, but that just didn’t happen.
What’s next?
Have a bit of a break, but then we’ve got the European Championships next year and the World Championships the year after so its still pretty much full on for us.
Do you think there will be a big uptake in wheelchair rugby?
I think so, I know the Scottish club have had a few phone calls from people interested in playing so I’m hoping it will be a real snowball effect getting people interested.
Do you think public perception of disability has changed?
Yeah I think it has, just from my own experience, the way the public were to me, you couldn’t go anywhere in kit because people wanted photos and autographs signed. And I have been out and about in Glasgow and people are recognising me and it’s weird because we are not used to that, it just doesn’t happen normally. I have had neighbours who have never known what I have done and since then they’ve spoken to me, asking for pictures, its just crazy. Its nice that we are actually getting the respect and recognition that we deserve. I hope that goes on to be the same for, not just sports people but for everybody who has a disability, because at the end of the day we are just normal people but we are living with a disability.
In the Paralympics, the disability is second, the sport is first and I think that’s one of the things that people see with wheelchair rugby, they don’t see the chair they see it as part of the equipment.
By Rosalind Tulloch
