Twelfth Local Legends Grant Winners

Congratulations to our Twelfth Local Legends Grant Winner the BOP Steamrollers Wheelchair Rugby Team!

You could say that the members of this group have already overcome a lot of adversity, but these battle hardy players remain steadfast and focused on their goals which is extremely admirable and has resulted in them being voted the recipient of our $5,000 Local Legends Grant. We decided to ask them some questions about their journey and what being voted the recipient of our grant, means to them:

Tell us a bit about the BOP Steamrollers:
The Bay of Plenty steamrollers are a wheelchair rugby team based in Tauranga. We have 13 committed members, nine of whom are permanent wheelchair users, and four support staff. Wheelchair rugby provides so many positive opportunities for our team – camaraderie and a sense of belonging, as well as increased physical and mental benefits which leads to a greater sense of control over our lives and bodies. This sport lets us push back against dominant ideas about disability being weak, passive, inactive and dependent. We are fierce, committed, and competitive!

What does our $5,000 grant, mean to the team?
Tino pai! We are absolutely blown away to receive a windfall like this. Given that four of our players and our coach require support to participate in wheelchair rugby, and attending tournaments is expensive. We have been holding regular sausage sizzles at Mitre 10 and Bunnings, which covers some of our costs but funding like this means that it will be possible to achieve all this season’s goals.

What will the team use this grant for?
Disability sport receives less funding than able-bodied sport so money like this is a game changer; especially when a wheelchair rugby chair costs $12,000 and wheels are $1000 each. This grant gives us an incredible boost to attend national tournaments and the opportunity to get some vital maintenance and repairs done to our chairs.

What would you like to say to everyone that voted for the BOP Steamrollers Wheelchair Rugby team?
We are so grateful to all those who voted for us. We can now firmly set our sights on attending all of the New Zealand wheelchair rugby competitions. We love our sport and want to showcase it to the world. Ngā mihi and thank you so much Tauranga Crossing and the incredible Bay of Plenty community. Steamrollers all the way!

The BOP Steamrollers are always looking for more players to join them. If you would like to get involved in wheelchair rugby, the team would love to hear from you. Contact them via their Facebook page.