Quad rugby Paralympian named Disabled Athlete of the Year in Colorado

From KUSA-TV in Denver:

What could you do with only 10% use of your body? For Jason Regier (left in the picture) the answer is simple: win a gold medal.

Regier started playing wheelchair rugby two years after suffering a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident in 1996.

"I got into [rugby] originally when I was in Craig Hospital," said Regier. "They had the tournament the last week I was in the hospital so I saw it and I thought 'these guys have the same injury as me' but I could barely push a chair and I kind of thought 'I don't know if I could play this game, it looks a little too crazy for me.'

Regier began playing on the Denver Harlequins practice team in 2004. Two years later he was named president of the professional quadriplegic rugby team, and went on to win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

"It is one of the hardest hitting sports out there played by people with the most severe injuries," Regier said.

On April 14th, more than 10 years after his start in quad rugby, Regier is being honored as the Disabled Athlete of the Year by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

"This sport really gave me my life back," said Regier. "It was the driving factor that allowed me to get back to who I am."