Fred Piegonski, Executive Assistant to the President  
               Los Angeles City College, 855 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029 
                           (323) 953-4000  ext. 2243      piegonfg@lacitycollege.edu                            

                      For Immediate Release:  May 22, 2006

 News Advisory—Photo Opportunity

Mark Zupan, wheelchair-bound spokesman for the U.S. Quad Rugby Team, will meet with LA City College students, many of them wheelchair-bound, to provide them with inspirational message.  

When: 11 a.m., Wed., May 24 

Where:  Special Student Services Office, Clausen Hall 109, 855 N. Vermont, in East Hollywood   

Why:  Mark Zupan will be on LACC’s campus to provide keynote speech at the afternoon’s award ceremony. 

Who:  Mark Zupan, star of movie “Murderball” and LACC students, many of them wheelchair-bound.

Background
A screening of the film "Murderball" (2005), a documentary about quadriplegic rugby players, will be screened in the communications building screening room (176) at noon on Wed., May 24. Prior to the screening, Mark Zupan, a paralympic rugby athlete featured in the film, will meet with LACC students at 11 a.m. in the Office of Special Services which assists LACC disabled students. He will also be on hand to answer questions after the screening. Mr. Zupan is a spokesman for the U.S.’ Quad Rugby Team and the film depicts his team’s journey to the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The film exposes the fast-moving competitions as they grapple, defend, and attack each other on the courts, and the challenges and accomplishments of their disabilities off the courts. Mr. Zupan is a formidable competitor and a hard-edged motivator who destroys the stereotypes about people with spinal cord injuries. Presented by the Special Student Services office, the event is free.

“Murderball” screened at LA City College on May 24 to Raise Awareness of Special Student Services Program
Los Angeles City College’s Special Student Services Program will present a screening of “Murderball,” which focuses on the successes of wheelchair-bound rugby team, at noon on Wednesday, May 24, in the Communications Building 176 on the campus at LA City College at 855 N. Vermont Ave. in East Hollywood. The film is free and the community is invited to attend. After the screening, Mark Zupan, a member of the rugby team who is featured in the movie, will be on hand to answer questions.

LACC is hosting this event to raise awareness of the special services available to assist the disabled student population at Los Angeles City College. Currently LACC assists approximately 1,800 disabled each semester with specialized instructional support, including tutoring, a computer lab, testing accommodations, and embossing for Braille students. The film “Murderball” is also being screened as part of LACC’s Cinema program documentary class.

Mark Zupan Biography
Mark Zupan is a civil engineer from Austin, Texas, who has become one of the premiere quad rugby players in the U.S. He has captured four Most Valuable Player awards at tournaments held around the country, and was named the U.S. Quad Rugby Association’s Athlete of the Year.

Mark decided to pursue his engineering education at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It was here that he first suited up and wheeled onto a rugby court. No stranger to athletic spots, Zupan quickly took to the game's hard-hitting action and, after graduating in 1999, he relocated to Austin, Texas, with hopes of joining the number-two-ranked Stampede--and one day, the USA Paralympic Team.

Mark officially began playing the sport of Wheelchair Rugby in 1996. His training paid off. He became one of the most feared players on the Stampede, and was subsequently chosen for three national teams. In 2002, he was voted Quad Rugby Player of the Year, and in 2004, he was a starter for Team USA at the Paralympics in Athens, Greece, where he led the team to a Bronze medal. He continues to compete and train, preparing for the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing.

Recently, Mark was the featured subject of a documentary titled Murderball (July 2005). The film is a chronicle of quadriplegic rugby on and off the court. It features Zupan, spokesman for the United States’ Quad Rugby Team, and his team’s journey to the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The film exposes the fast-moving competitions as they grapple, defend, and attack each other on the courts, and the challenges and accomplishments of their disabilities off the courts.

The sport of Murderball (aka Quad Rugby) combines the finesse of soccer with the bone-jarring collisions of a demolition derby. The athletes use custom wheelchairs that look like something out of a Mad Max movie. Players careen around the court with reckless abandon, like a rock-em-sock-em NHL on wheels. They smash. They spill. They swear. They score. Zupan, one of the most feared players in the sport, is also a hard-edged motivator who destroys the stereotypes about people with spinal cord injuries.

Scholarship Awards Ceremony on May 24
The Special Student Services Office will hold a Scholarship Awards Reception from 3 to 5 p.m. on the afternoon of Wed., May 24, in the Faculty and Staff Center. Six students will receive scholarships of $500 apiece and a number of faculty, staff, and community members will be honored for their support of LACC’s disabled student population.

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