Joe Soares
Encyclopedia
Joe Soares is a former all-star wheelchair rugby
player for the United States
who later went on to coach the Canadian paralympic
team after he was cut by the U.S in 1996. This episode figures prominently in the 2005 documentary film Murderball
.
Soares was born into a poor family in Portugal, and moved to Providence, Rhode Island
at the age of 11. Soares lost the use of his legs after contracting childhood polio at the age of 9 years old. He used crutches until he was in high school when he switched to a wheelchair because he says it gave him greater mobility and he said the girls liked it.
Soares began playing rugby in 1989 and, as of 2005, was the only player to have participated in 13 consecutive United States National Championships. He was a member of the champion U.S. wheelchair rugby team at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
in Atlanta, Georgia
. He was also a finalist in singles and a champion in doubles at the 1996 U.S. Open
for wheelchair tennis
in the Quad "A" Division.
Soares was cut from the U.S. team in 1996 and lost a lawsuit in an attempt to make a point soon after. Soares then applied to coach the United States team, but politics were against him and he was denied the opportunity. Due to wishing to continue with rugby Soares led the Canadian wheelchair rugby team to victory against the until then-undefeated United States team in Gothenburg
, Sweden
.
Soares was fired by the Canadian wheelchair rugby team in 2005, and moved on to coach the British team. Soares was then released by the Great Britain Team in June 2008.
In 2010 Soares began coaching the German national team.
Soares and his wife, Patricia, have two sons: Joseph and Robert. Through the time that he coached Team Canada, he resided in the United States.
Wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair rugby, , is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is currently practiced in over twenty countries around the world and is a Paralympic sport....
player for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who later went on to coach the Canadian paralympic
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
team after he was cut by the U.S in 1996. This episode figures prominently in the 2005 documentary film Murderball
Murderball (documentary)
Murderball is a 2005 American documentary film about tetraplegic athletes with partial arm function who play wheelchair rugby. It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games. It was directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, and...
.
Soares was born into a poor family in Portugal, and moved to Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
at the age of 11. Soares lost the use of his legs after contracting childhood polio at the age of 9 years old. He used crutches until he was in high school when he switched to a wheelchair because he says it gave him greater mobility and he said the girls liked it.
Soares began playing rugby in 1989 and, as of 2005, was the only player to have participated in 13 consecutive United States National Championships. He was a member of the champion U.S. wheelchair rugby team at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. He was also a finalist in singles and a champion in doubles at the 1996 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
for wheelchair tennis
Wheelchair Tennis
Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
in the Quad "A" Division.
Soares was cut from the U.S. team in 1996 and lost a lawsuit in an attempt to make a point soon after. Soares then applied to coach the United States team, but politics were against him and he was denied the opportunity. Due to wishing to continue with rugby Soares led the Canadian wheelchair rugby team to victory against the until then-undefeated United States team in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Soares was fired by the Canadian wheelchair rugby team in 2005, and moved on to coach the British team. Soares was then released by the Great Britain Team in June 2008.
In 2010 Soares began coaching the German national team.
Soares and his wife, Patricia, have two sons: Joseph and Robert. Through the time that he coached Team Canada, he resided in the United States.
External links
- Murderball player profiles (murderballmovie.com)