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Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience

Joe Stone sits for a portrait before a Sunday morning practice with his wheelchair rugby team on February 22, 2026. His team, the Gaylord Warriors, travels across the country to compete.
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
Joe Stone sits for a portrait before a Sunday morning practice with his wheelchair rugby team on February 22, 2026. His team, the Gaylord Warriors, travels across the country to compete.

Joe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed.

Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his chest again. But five weeks after leaving the hospital, Joe found wheelchair rugby. This violent, fast, full-contact sport helped him rebuild strength, process anger, and feel alive in a changed body.

In this conversation recorded at a live tournament in New Haven, Joe talks about the crash, falling in love after paralysis, being a father, faith, adaptive sports, and what people misunderstand when they assume athletes with disabilities are fragile.

Suggested episodes:

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  • Joe Stone: Wheelchair rugby player and adaptive athlete who became paralyzed after a 2012 car crash fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae. He plays with the Gaylord Warriors

Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, and Robyn Doyon-Aitken contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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Jessica Severin de Martinez is a producer for Audacious with Chion Wolf.
Meg Fitzgerald is the senior manager of projects and radio programming.
Robyn Doyon-Aitken is the Deputy Director of Audio Storytelling and Talk Shows
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.