by Kevin Ruiz Rodriguez
The Story of Seattle Slam’s Head Coach, Jeremy Hannaford
Upon entering the gym at Renton Community Center, one hears the crashing sounds echoing across the tall ceilings. As one steps in to see what is going on, they see these mad-max-esque wheelchairs gliding across the gym floor with all eyes centered on a volleyball. That was the sight at the 2026 “Slam on the Sound” Tournament held October 2nd through 4th, with teams across the country competing for 1st place.
“It looks like absolute chaos,” Jeremy Hannaford admitted when describing the complex sport. Hannaford is the Head Coach of Seattle Slam, a local competitive Wheelchair Rugby team in Seattle, Washington, and host team for this year’s tournament.
Wheelchair Rugby is a paralympic sport open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities ranging from amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injuries/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/strokes. Hannaford suffered a major injury in a motocross accident 23 years ago that led to a broken neck, changing his life forever.
“When I first got hurt, I had a family friend that played on the US National Team, and he brought in this video of Wheelchair Rugby and it looked like ants on the screen. I said this looks stupid man I ain’t going to play this,”
It wasn’t until watching a 2005 documentary called “Murder Ball” that Hannaford’s perspective about the sport shifted. Murder Ball documented the sport and history of Wheelchair Rugby as well as the life of people in a wheelchair. Hannaford decided to give the sport a chance.
“I went to one practice and I’m still here,” Hannaford said. Joining the team gave Hannaford a chance to shift his competitive spirit from Motocross to Wheelchair Rugby, though the community helped him learn how to move forward with his life.
“I met all these guys that were in the same situation as me and when you first get paralyzed, you’re a child again,” Hannaford said. “I didn’t know how to put my socks on at first and one of the guys showed me how to do it, simple things that you take for granted everyday.”
In 2014, Hannaford took over as the Seattle Slam Head Coach and he’s been running the organization since. Hannaford loves the camaraderie and relationships that this sport has helped him build. As well as showing that even if you have a disability, it shouldn’t stop you from being competitive.
In Wheelchair Rugby, Defense Wins Championships
According to the official USA Wheelchair Rugby Site (USAWR), the sport’s main objective is to score a goal (1 point) by crossing the goal line with possession of the ball while the opposing team is defending that goal. The team with the most points when time runs out wins.
With just a 40 second shot clock and 12 seconds to get the ball over half-court, teams emphasize this relentless pressure to force turnovers but leave room for opportunity towards the end of the court if not executed properly. Players are also classified based on their abilities from 0.5 to 3.5 points with only four players allowed on the court per team and the classification total cannot exceed eight points. Rules such as the as a shot-clock rule have helped make the game more enjoyable for spectators.
In its early days, the game was called “Murder Ball,” mainly due to the emphasis on Impact and Collision involved. This specific part of the game requires each player to have a cage at the front of their chair and a customized chair built to their specific measurements that allows them to hit, turn, and move freely.
The saying “Defense wins championships” is one that remains close to Hannaford. As a local Seattleite, Hannaford’s philosophy for winning is like many other Seattle Sports Teams, it revolves around defense.
“Defense always wins games. Scoring goals is the easy part. Stopping the other team from scoring and forcing turnovers is huge. You’ll see a lot of pressing and contain,” Hannaford said.
Certain players are designated to crash into other players with their sole purpose being to act as a barrier and clear lanes for their teammates. Similar to offensive lineman in football, a position Hannaford takes pride in as the players doing the “dirty work.”
Steel Roses creates a space for Women in Wheelchair Rugby
In 2012, Allison Merriam experienced a horrid car accident and sustained a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Merriam wasn’t interested in sports before her injury, never considering the idea of becoming an athlete. Five years ago, she took notice of Wheelchair Rugby and now is helping get more women into the sport.
“Get women in chairs more, on the court more, more confidence, so that they can develop with their team and help get women out and in the sport,” Merriam said.
Now a player for the Las Vegas High Rollers and the Steel Roses, Merriam competed at the 2026 Slam on the Sound Tournament. As a part of an initiative to get more women more playing time in the sport, female athletes like Merriam participated for their home team and an all woman’s developmental team, Steel Roses.
For Merriam, winning and losing isn’t the end all be all, she wants to make sure women are built up through this program and she’ll be the first and last person cheering for them no matter the result.
“The score does not matter. It’s about getting women out and giving them confidence. Whenever you start, a lot of times you don’t get a lot of court time. It takes time to learn. I want to make sure all these women are trying, even if they make a mistake, ” Merriam said.
Women in the sport are continuing to break barriers. In 2022, The Wheelchair Rugby World Championship featured 13 female athletes, a record number for the sport. And In 2024, Sarah Adams became the first woman named to the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team.
Steel Roses finished in 6th place in the Tournament with many players like Minnie Addison competing for the first time. Addison spoke about her experience on Instagram. And While the team didn’t perform as expected in the tournament, the attitude has remained the same for Merriam.
“I want to be the cheerleader, I don’t care what the score is, I’m not going to let that negativity out there, 100% every time. If you want to go for it, go all the way,” Merriam said.
In its early stages, Wheelchair Rugby and the organizations surrounding it are providing pathways that are founded on diversity and inclusion to help everyone enjoy and participate in the sport. Female athletes are able to compete with male athletes as there is no gender rule in Wheelchair Rugby. Although these pathways exist, it does not mean the sport is perfect, with teams like the Steel Roses showing that there is still a gap to be addressed.
Wheelchair Rugby is a Full Complete Life
What makes sports amazing is often the stories outside of the actual playing. Wheelchair Rugby is no exception. The sport creates a space for the disabled community and its members to learn from one another and enjoy a good time together. No matter who you are, wheelchair rugby invites you to be apart of their community to figure out this whole life thing together.
“It’s an amazing community, it’s not even about the sport, it’s about the people that are out here. Everyone has decided that they are going to go til the wheels fall off, everyone here has different backgrounds, different jobs, different sports that they play. Everything is a full complete life,” Merriam said.
Disabled athletes like Hannaford and Merriam show that their disability hasn’t stopped them from pursuing full lives. Whether it’s someone like Hannaford who found an outlet for his competitive spirit or Merriam who discovered her role in boosting women’s confidence, they are proving that these athletes are more than capable of achieving great things every single day.
Tournament results:
Hannaford and the Seattle Slam team ended their tournament with a 2-3 record across the three days, even defeating their I-5 South rival, the Portland Pounders along the way. The team finished in fourth place and the overall tournament was won by the BC Bushwackers.
The Las Vegas High Rollers and Steel Roses finished the tournament 3rd and 5th respectively. Merriam participated in both teams, alternating between teams and playing up to four games a day.
1st: Team BC Bushwackers
2nd: Denver Barbarians
3rd: Las Vegas High Rollers
4th: Seattle Slam
5th: Portland Pounders
6th: Steel Roses
Best Low pointer: Josh O’Neil, Denver
Best Mid pointer: CJ Brown, Seattle
Best High pointer: Justin Beavers, Portland
MVP: Austin Maclellan, BC
Learn more about Seattle Slam and Wheelchair Rugby at SeattleSlam.org.
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