"Fucking hit me. I'll hit you back."
These are hardly the words one would expect to hear from a quadriplegic. But they embody the personality and attitude of quad rugby player and documentary film star Mark Zupan.
At 7:30 p.m. tonight, Zupan will speak at the Ohio Union East Ballroom. The program, titled "Murderball: Smashing Stereotypes One Hit at a Time," is sponsored by the Ohio Union Activities Board.
Zupan is one star of the 2005's critically acclaimed film "Murderball." The Academy Award nominated documentary follows the 2004 U.S. Quadriplegic Rugby Team's training and competition in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece.
"Murderball" received the Documentary Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Following the success of "Murderball," Zupan made an appearance on "Larry King Live," and was even featured in one of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" commercials which have profiled celebrities like Allen Iverson and Jay-Z. Zupan also participated in some barroom antics alongside Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O of "Jackass" in an MTV special on the film, which appears on the "Murderball" DVD.
"Mark Zupan is a badass, plain and simple," said Jacob McKim, OUAB Lectures Chairman.
McKim said Zupan is a perfect example of how inaccurate preconceptions about people in wheelchairs are. "He'll smash your stereotypes, all right, and he'll probably smash your face if you look at him the wrong way."
Zupan became a quadriplegic at age 18 when a friend lost control of his truck. Zupan was sleeping in the bed of the truck. After being thrown over fences and trees into a canal, Zupan clung to a branch for more than 13 hours until help arrived.
After the incident, Zupan realized that he would never be able to return to the sport of soccer. He was introduced to quad rugby while studying engineering at Georgia Tech, and by 2002 he was the Quad Rugby Player of the Year.
Zupan's visit is sponsored by OUAB and Ohio State's Office for Disability Services. Zupan was the committee's first choice for a speaker for April which is Disability Awareness Month.
"Students with disabilities are a part of the Ohio State family that we hadn't really catered to specifically in the past," McKim said. "People in wheelchairs are people, with problems and goals and body odor and attitudes like you and me."
"Murderball" was taught this past winter quarter in English 579: Disability Memoir and Documentary by Brenda Brueggemann, English professor.
"I enjoyed the way Mark Zupan was portrayed in 'Murderball,'" said Dinah Thornton, a senior in English who also said Zupan sent an important message to viewers of the film.
"You are not only your disability," she said. "You are also a person with feelings and thoughts like anyone else."
"It's time to put the stereotypes and misconceptions to rest," McKim said. "So if you think that quadriplegics are 'special' or 'breakable,' check out Mark Zupan on Thursday night."
The program is free for students with BuckID. Doors open at 7 p.m.
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