'It's intense': Disabled athletes compete in international Wheelchair Rugby Tournament in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - Navy Veteran Ryan Lindstrom was an absolute force on the court Saturday, while representing Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch in their international Wheelchair Rugby Tournament in Tampa.

"It's intense, its very intense," Lindstrom told FOX 13. "We're out there to hit hard and play rugby, we're not out there for hugs, we're out there to go after each other."

READ: Two Dunedin World War II veterans celebrate 100th birthdays

That feeling of moving fast and competing, is something he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to experience again, after a tragic car crash confined him to a wheelchair while he was home in Tampa on leave more than 20 years ago.

"That night, actually, I opened my eyes, laying there on the ground, and I was trying to get up, and I knew I couldn't get up. And I was like, oh," Lindstrom recalled.

But, it was only a year after he was injured when he became determined to join a team.

READ: Plant City veteran gifted new, mortgage-free home for his family

"My rec therapist from the VA brought me out to a tournament, and I was sitting there still in my neck brace like, yeah, I'm playing this," shared Lindstrom.

Now he's playing against other disabled athletes who came to the Bay Area from places like Canada, France and across the U.S. While wheelchair rugby may have been created for inclusion, therapy and stress relief, it's grown tremendously over the years.

Commissioner of the US Wheelchair Rugby Association, Bob Lopez, said their league has 36 teams - and as the pool of competitors and level of play has risen - the sport has even become a centerpiece of the Paralympic games, and life-changing for these athletes.

"Seeing the difference when I see an athlete when they first start, and maybe they don't get around that well - they're not that mobile - and then all of a sudden they're much more independent, seeing that difference in their day-to-day life means more than any game does," Lopez stressed.

This tournament is being used by teams to train for the Paralympics in Paris 2024, and to qualify for the U.S. nationals tournament that will be hosted in Pasco County in May.