Throwback Episode: Paralympic Rugby Star Mark Zupan leads US Team to Olympic Gold and so much more!

Mark Zupan's mental toughness and a competitive drive to be his best self helped his overcome a broken neck and end up being the best quad rugby player in the world in 2008.   Grit is the word that best defines the journey of Mark Zupan.  An eighteen year old collegiate soccer player who played hard and partied harder got throw from a truck and ended up waking up in a ditch  hanging on to his life by a branch.    His paralyzing neck injury forced him to start his life over and literally learn everything over again:  how to eat, pee, and get around in a chair.  He recounts how he  was surrounded by great friends, loving parents  who helped him overcome the rehabilitation process.  And it was his mental toughness  kept him fighting for the opportunity to get his life back.  And then he found Quad-Rugby.   His world changed when he had a competitive outlet for his will to be his best.  Mark's live is all about pushing the limits and in doing so, he led the USA Men's Quad-Rugby team to win a bronze medal in 2004 and Gold in 2008 in Beijing, China. 

About Mark Zupan:
After his accident, Zupan graduated from Georgia Tech, became a two-time quad rugby national champion, the 2004 quad rugby player of the year. He was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 2004 Paralympic Games  and the gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Games. He is a resident of Dripping Springs, TX.

When asked if he would "turn back the clock on that day", Zupan answered "No, I don't think so. My injury has led me to opportunities and experiences and friendships I would never have had before. And it has taught me about myself. In some ways, it's the best thing that ever happened to me."

After a soccer game on October 14, 1993, Zupan got drunk with teammates at a bar and then crawled into the back of friend Chris Igoe's truck to sleep. Some time later Igoe left the bar unaware that Zupan was asleep in the back. Driving drunk, Igoe spun out and Zupan was thrown from the pickup bed, over a fence, and into a canal, where he held onto a branch for 14 hours until being discovered by a passerby.[1] He went into hypothermia and became paralyzed as a result of the accident. Zupan has incomplete quadriplegia and is able to walk for short distances with crutches.[2]

He was also in the movie Jackass II in a skit called "Lake Jump", where his wheelchair was rigged up with carbon monoxide tanks and pushed off a ramp by Chris Pontius.  Before taking off, the tanks triggered, launching him off of the ramp and into the lake.

 About Murderball: 

Murderball is a 2005 American documentary film about athletes who are physically disabled who play wheelchair rugby.  It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S Teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games.

Links:
(Mark is not on Social Media)

Murderball Trailer: https://youtu.be/AmvXbrrOAkU
Mark's Book "Gimp" https://bit.ly/30PsqX0

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