Michelle Stilwell Named BC Athletics Female Para-Athlete of the Year

For the eighth year in a row, Michelle Stilwell has been named the BC Athletics Female Athlete with a Disability of the Year. The wheelchair racing powerhouse was awarded the honour for winning three gold medals and setting one World Record at this year's 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships.

"Michelle shows no sign of slowing down," said BC Wheelchair Sports Association Executive Director Gail Hamamoto. "She's an excellent role model for up-and-coming wheelchair athletes in BC."

This year was one of many milestones for Michelle Stilwell both on and off the track. Despite winning a seat as the Parksville-Qualicum MLA, Stilwell had a stellar performance at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France. She set a world record in the 800m (2:14.79) and a championship record in the 200m (25.71) for the T52 classification. In all, Stilwell finished with gold medals in the 200m, 400m and 800m and regained her position as the most dominant athlete in her class after losing the 100m at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

In addition to her World Record performance at the World Championships, Stilwell also set a World Record in January this year in the 200m at the Summer Down Under in Canberra, Australia with a time of 33.19. In that series, she won gold in the 100m, 200m, 400m and even the 10k.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Arley McNeney
Communication Manager
BC Wheelchair Sports Association
Cell: 778-788-9091
Email: arley@bcwheelchairsports.com

Help Neil Squire Learn How People With Disabilities Handle Their Banking Needs

The Neil Squire Society would like to gain a greater understanding of the way people with disabilities handle their everyday banking and payment needs. As part of this project we are seeking people with different disabilities who are willing to complete a short survey about the barriers they face when doing their banking and paying for items and services.

For more information about the Neil Squire Society survey please visit

http://www.neilsquire.ca/financial-transaction-survey/ .

2013 Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament Details Released

Information about this year's Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament has been released and all Div 1 and Div 2 wheelchair rugby teams are invited to apply.

Teams:  10 team Div 1 and Div 2 tournament.

Tournament Dates: Mar. 14 - Mar. 16 2014

Venue:  Richmond Olympic Oval

6111 River Rd
Richmond, BC

V7C 0A2

*Short wheeling distance to the host hotel, only 1km

Registration:  Tournament Registration Deadline: Friday February 14 2014

Team registration fees will be $850
Cheques can be made payable to ‘BCWSA
Hotel: Sheraton Vancouver Airport
7551 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC
V6X 1A3
604-273-7878
Please ask for the sales department in order to access the booking block. Group hotel block under ‘Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament." Room rate at $120.00 (plus taxes) per night. *accessible king rooms are available. Group reservation rate deadline: Wednesday Feb 12 2014

Transportation:   Transportation will be provided between the airport and host hotel. Shuttle service between the host hotel and the tournament venue will also be provided in case of emergencies.

-Please contact Kevin Bowie to provide your flight arrival and departure times. *Please include number of Day Chairs and Number of Sport Chairs

Contact Info: kevin@bcwheechairsports.com or 604-333-3520 Ext 205

Please send completed registration form and registration fee to:

Kevin Bowie
BC Wheelchair Sports Association
780 SW Marine Drive
Vancouver, BC
V6P 5Y7

BCWSA Release 2013-2014 Athlete Assistance Program Information and Application Forms

BC Wheelchair Sports Association is releasing the 2013-2014 Athlete Assistance Program information and application forms. The AAP Handbook describes the program and outlines the athlete eligibility requirements.  

 

Please read the Handbook carefully before completing the application form. 

 

The AAP Athlete Questionnaire (which includes the BCWSA Code of Conduct) must be completed, signed, and returned (by email, fax, or mail) to Lisa Myers (lisa@bcwheelchairsports.com), no later than Monday, December 9th, 2013. 

 

To determine if you are eligible for this assistance program, please contact your coach. 

 

Click on the following forms to download them.

 

Athlete Assistance Program Handbook

 

 AAP Athlete Questionnaire

Help the Active Living Alliance's Strategic Planning By Taking This Survey

 

In anticipation of celebrating 25 years in 2014, the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) will be engaging active living, sport and  recreation leaders in a series of conversations on the quality of programs and services for Canadians with a disability. Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting this important process.

 

As a progressive organization, the ALACD is undergoing a strategic planning process to identify the goals it wants to achieve over the next four years. An important aspect of this includes engaging Canadians and partner organizations through a national survey, webinars, interviews, and a national workshop.

 

ALACD would like to hear from you. We have developed 4 separate surveys.  Please choose the most appropriate one for your use. (Person with a disability, Sport  Organization, Active Ling Organization, Education Sector). The survey will take only  10-15 minutes to complete. Your responses, along with the findings from interviews and focus groups, will be analyzed and presented in a series of reports that will help guide the strategic future of ALACD. We want your opinion in a number of different areas. Your responses will be anonymous and all of the questions are optional. We also encourage you to distribute the survey through your networks.

 Survey close date is December 6, 2013.

 

Active Living Organizations English - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ALOrgs

Active Living Organizations French - http://fr.surveymonkey.com/s/ALOrgsFR

Sport Organizations English- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SportOrganizations

Sport Organizations French - http://fr.surveymonkey.com/s/SportOrgFR

Education Sector English - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EducationSector

Education Sector French - http://fr.surveymonkey.com/s/EduFR

 

Persons with Disabilities English - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ALAPeople

Persons with Disabilities French - http://fr.surveymonkey.com/s/PersonnesFR

Thank you in advance,

Team BC Wheelchair Rugby To Host Selection Camp Jan 10 - 12

Team BC will be hosting a selection camp on the weekend of Jan 10 - 12 at the Richmond Olympic Oval for the BC A and B teams. All wheelchair rugby players across the province are invited to attend. The selection process will start at noon on Friday the 10th with Objective Testing. Your performance during the wheelchair rugby league play on the 11th and 12th will also be a deciding factor. 

The BC provincial team pool will consist of 16 athletes. Of that pool, Coach Adam will be entering two teams into both the Nationals and the Vancouver Invitational. The provincial A team will consist of 6 - 8 athletes, depending on what line-ups will give us the best chance of winning a medal at Nationals. Athletes named to the development squad will be selected based on their potential, not necessarily what level they are at today. To see all the selection criteria, click here to download the selection document.

If you are not already in the provincial team pool and would like to attend try-outs, please contact Adam Frost at 778-772-9492 or adam@bcwheelchairsports.com. He will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the process. Please be advised that he is out of the country until Nov. 25th and will have limited access to email and no access to phones for that period. 

BCWSA Congratulates Duncan Campbell on Being Awarded The International Paralympic Order

Duncan works on his trash-talking skills on members of BC's provincial B team.

BCWSA congratulates Duncan Campbell (Vancouver, BC), the co-creator of wheelchair rugby, on being awarded the most prestigious prize in the Paralympic movement: the International Paralympic Order. The honour, which is bestowed by the International Paralympic Committee, is reserved for those who make an important, life-long contribution to the Paralympic movement.

“It’s a huge honour,” said Campbell, “but the game has given me more than I’ve ever given it.”

Campbell, who is nicknamed the “Quadfather,” invented wheelchair rugby along with four friends in a gym in Winnipeg in 1976. They called their new sport “murderball” because of its high-contact nature. Since its humble Canadian beginnings, “murderball” has evolved into wheelchair rugby: a popular Paralympic sport played in over 30 countries worldwide.

Campbell remains a driving force in promoting and professionalizing the game and has been especially important to its development in BC. He is active in the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation and is also the Director of Development for Wheelchair Rugby Canada, where he spearheads new initiatives to recruit and retain athletes. He is also the National Coordinator of the Bridging the Gap program: a first-contact initiative that gets people with newly acquired disabilities active in wheelchair sports. 

“I can’t think of anyone who’s had a bigger impact on wheelchair sports in Canada than Duncan Campbell,” said CWSA Executive Director Cathy Cadieux. “He’s never content to rest on his laurels. He’s always looking for new ways to grow wheelchair rugby, and new ways to get people with disabilities involved in wheelchair sports.”

Campbell’s biggest impact, however, comes from his direct impact on the lives of hundreds of people with disabilities, especially here in BC. He is a mentor to many BC Paralympians, including wheelchair rugby national team stars Garett Hickling, Ian Chan, and Trevor Hirschfield. The game he created has gone on to improve the lives of thousands of people worldwide.

“It's so much more than a sport,” says Canadian wheelchair rugby national team member Miranda Biletski.” Through this sport, Duncan has helped so many people with new injuries gain independence and confidence in their new lives.”

Campbell’s International Paralympic will be presented on November 23 at the 2013 Paralympic Awards in Athens, Greece.

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Arley McNeney
Communications Manager
Wheelchair Rugby Canada
Cell: 778-788-9091
Email: arley@cwsa.ca