Everton relishing her role at Paralympics (From Worcester News)

Everton relishing her role at Paralympics

4:00pm Thursday 16th August 2012 in Sport

WORCESTER’S Bev Everton will be playing a vital role at the Paralympics in London next month, as nurse to the Great Britain wheelchair rugby team.

The Claines resident will be on hand to tend to athletes in what she insists is a “full contact, fast and furious sport.”

Wheelchair rugby is an indoor sport, containing four players-per-side allowed on the court at any one time and each player being classified by their level of disability.

However, these four players cannot total more than eight ‘points’, which are graded from 0.5-3.5, with the more able athletes having a higher classification.

Goals are scored by reaching the opponents line but teams have to get past the half-way line in 12 seconds and then have 40 seconds to score.

“It’s quite similar to basketball in many ways. The game comprises four quarters totalling 32 minutes, although with stoppages, matches often take around 90 minutes to be completed,” said the Team GB nurse.

“I’m very excited about the games and hopefully it will raise the profile of the sport.

“We are just finishing training in Norfolk before heading home and then down to the Olympic Village on Monday August 27.”

The opening ceremony is on Wednesday August 29 before Team GB face the USA on September 5, France (September 6) and Japan (September 7).

“Usually the team play twice in a day so their schedule is relatively slow,” confirmed Everton.

As for her work, she admitted: “It is a contact sport so we often get some minor injuries, especially shoulders, because of all the pushing and shoving, and occasionally trapped fingers. They also get knocked over so we are on hand to help them back up.”

Ranked fifth in the world, Team GB have finished fourth at the previous two Paralympics and Everton added: “We are definitely hoping to get a medal. The first match against the USA is massive and however that goes will set us up going into the crossover.”