Feature, January 4, 2007
A shining light: I just wanted to thank the Riverfront Times for Kristen Hinman's article, "Ready to Rumble," about the Rugby Rams and Kerri Morgan. It is truly an amazing sport and as an able-bodied athlete, I am amazed at the stamina. I have so much respect for these athletes. They push themselves every day to become better players.
My brother is Eric Newby, who is quoted in the article. His accident was only seven months ago, and I truly believe that quad rugby has been a shining light in a very long recovery. We saw Murderball two weeks after his accident, and from then on he was hooked. He would go to therapy all day and talk about how he couldn't wait to play. As soon as he was released from rehab, we went to see Sue Tucker and she welcomed him with open arms. The team has really pushed him to become more independent, and his love for the game has kept depression away. Thank you again for seeing how important this sport is!
Sara Davis, Bealeton, Virginia
Remembering Jason: Excellent article! Wheelchair rugby is a sport that is definitely overlooked. What an awesome workout and boost to the self-esteem of the players. It should be marketed more. Hopefully articles like this will open the eyes of some local sponsors so that the players don't have to fork up their own money to play. Since the team travels, the only tournament I was able to attend was the Halloween Havoc this past October. What an inspiration these people are. This team did wonders for my brother, Jason DeSalvo (number 8). He was so proud to be part of the St. Louis Rugby Rams. That's all he talked about. For his type of injury, he should not have been able to push himself in a manual chair. But with working out and the encouragement of his fellow Rams players he did it! We are so proud of what he accomplished! The Rugby Rams were Jason's second family and to that we thank them. This team should be recognized for their perseverance, ambition, love for one another and the courage and dedication to overcome.
Joshua J. Marine once said, "Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." Thank you for including Jason in this article. We miss him very much. He loved quad rugby.
Andrea (DeSalvo) Stephenson, St. Charles
Beyond words: "Ready to Rumble" was so well written. Kristen Hinman did a very good job. I am not good at words — "great" and "good" seem too ordinary. We are proud of that team; they are a great bunch of athletes. Our son, Jason DeSalvo, was so proud to be a member. But my reason for this note is to tell you how much I enjoyed the article and how well it was done.
Sharon DeSalvo, St. Louis
B-Sides, December 21, 2006
Pink-ish Floyd: I am a three-year veteran of El Monstero [Kristie McClanahan, "Some Kind of Monstero"]. I missed 2005, so I'm not sure when the group lost its hold on the true sound. We were very disappointed this last year compared to 2004, when you would swear it really sounded like the real Pink Floyd. Yes, they were good, but not to the purists who knew them back when. I was always sure I would go again, but now I'm not so sure. I feel a real loss for something that used to be great but now is so-so. I'm sorry if I've offended any first-timers, but the magic has gone away.
Mary DeGonia, Sullivan
