Wheelchair Tennis Star Sarah Hunter Wins the Harry Jerome Comeback Award

(Vancouver, BC) – BC Wheelchair Sports Association congratulates wheelchair tennis player Sarah Hunter (Surrey, BC) on receiving the Sport BC Harry Jerome Award, which is given annually to an athlete who has overcome adversity to make an amazing comeback.

“We are so proud of Sarah Hunter not only for her impressive results on the tennis court, but also for the tenacity and determination it took to come back from what could have been a career-ending injury,” said BCWSA Executive Director Gail Hamamoto. “She’s very deserving of this award.”

After a collision with her doubles teammate that resulted in serious injury and a significant time away from the court, Hunter worked hard to get back to peak physical condition. This year, she returned to the international scene in dominant form. She is currently ranked 4^th in the world in singles and 3^rd in doubles. On the ITF tour, she appeared in 19 quarterfinals, 7 semifinals and 7 finals, winning 5 titles. With signature wins at the Salzburg Open in singles and the British Open in doubles, Sarah has re-established herself as Canada’s highest-ranking international wheelchair tennis player.

Nationally, Hunter is just as impressive. At this year’s Birmingham Wheelchair Tennis National Championships, she was undefeated and won both the singles and doubles titles. She is currently the number-one-ranked Canadian quad single and doubles player. Despite her hectic schedule, Hunter still finds time to give back to the sport she loves. Not only is she a long-time athlete mentor for BC Wheelchair Sports Association and the Bridging the Gap program, but she also recently entered into a more formalized mentorship assignment through Tennis Canada with up-and-coming athlete Mika Ishikawa.

Hunter will receive her award at the Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards Ceremony on March 5^th.

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

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

Register Now for the Fun St. Patrick's Day Wheelchair Tennis Tournament

Register now to experience the luck o' the Irish at our Fun St. Patrick's Day Wheelchair Tennis tournament. The event will take place Saturday, March 15 from 4-8pm at the Delta Town and Country Courts (6005 Hwy 17 in Delta, BC) and will have a St. Patrick's Day theme.
The tournament will feature "Steve's Crazy Mixed-Up style." 

All levels are welcome and food, drinks, snacks, and necessary equipment will be provided. There will even be a costume contest, so channel your inner leprechaun to win some prizes. There is only space for 12 people to play in the tournament, so register early!

To register, download the registration form by clicking here and return it to Alex Wilson at coordinator@bcwheelchairsports.com

If you need more info, contact Alex at 604) 333-3520, ext. 208 or coordinator@bcwheelchairsports.com

 

BC Names its Wheelchair Rugby Provincial Team

Congratulations to the athletes named to the BC Wheelchair Rugby Provincial Pool this year. Coach Adam Frost selected the athletes based on their performance year-round and at a selection camp this January.

These athletes will be eligible to play for the BC A and B teams and attend the national championships and other wheelchair rugby tournaments.

Congratulations to:
Ian Chan
Rod Bitz
Stu Wymer
Jessica Kruger
Say Luangkhamdeng
Travis Murao
Jordon Dycke
Andrew Davis
Peter Isherwood
Calan McDougall
Randy Leblanc
Trevor Hirschfield
Byron Green
Kaspar Shouldice
Jeff Scott.

Cloverdale Have a Go Day a Big Success!

Proving once again that Surrey is a hotbed of wheelchair sports activity, the The City of Surrey hosted a successful wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis Have a Go Day on January 14 at Cloverdale Recreation Centre.  Twenty people had fun trying wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball under the direction of the City of Surrey's Ross MacDonald and wheelchair basketball Paralympian Marni Abbott-Peter. Joy TV even came out to film the session!

Many thanks to all the participants and to City of Surrey, BCWSA and BCWBS organizers who ensured that the event was a success.

Athletes hooked on wheelchair basketball who now want to play on a regular basis are invited to the City of Surrey's wheelchair basketball program on Tuesdays starting Jan 21 from 6:15pm-7:30pm and running for 8 weeks. To register, visit the City of Surrey's webreg by clicking here and enter course code 4350042. You can also register by phone or in person at any Surrey Culture and Recreation centre.

To view a Facebook album of the event, click here.

To view a video shot by JoyTV, click here.

Michelle Stilwell Is a Finalist for the Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards

It's been a big month for Michelle Stilwell. Just weeks after being named to CAAWS' Women of Influence List, Sport BC announced that she's a finalist for a Sport BC award in the Athlete with a Disability category. 

The winner of this award, which recognizes an athlete with a disability who has demonstrated extraordinary athletic performance in provincial, national or international competitions in a team or individual sport in British Columbia, will be announced at the 48th Annual Athlete of the Year Award on Wednesday March 5, 2014 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Michelle was a finalist for the award last year.

Congratulations to Michelle Stilwell on her good work this year! We'll be cheering for her.

Tennis Canada Hosts North Vancouver Wheelchair Tennis Coaching Clinic

January 19, 2014 (Vancouver) – Kai Schrameyer, Tennis Canada’s wheelchair tennis national coach and Wayne Elderton, head of coaching development and certification in British Columbia for Tennis Canada, held a six-hour wheelchair tennis instructor course for 8 BC tennis coaches at Grant Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver yesterday. 

The course, which was held in partnership with Tennis BC and BC Wheelchair Sports Association covered a variety of topics including history and organizational structure of the sport, basics on injury levels and playing categories, equipment, wheelchair tennis rules, warm up drills, introduction to the 'cycle of mobility' and teaching technique and tactics through the 'Game-based' approach to wheelchair tennis beginners. All participants were given ample time to try playing in a wheelchair and teach their fellow coaches. All coaches commented on what an eye opening experience pushing the wheelchair was and how challenging mobility on a tennis court can be to beginner players. Teaching the proper fundamentals of the mobility cycle is therefore vital in the coaching process. 


“It was great to see all participants fully engaged during the entire course session.” Schrameyer said. “ As part of our mission to educate certified tennis coaches about coaching wheelchair tennis, we are hoping that some of them will gain interest in helping to coach wheelchair tennis in existing and new BC programs. Many thanks to Wayne Elderton, Tennis BC and BC Wheelchair Sports for their help with the course!"

For further information and dates on upcoming wheelchair tennis instructor courses throughout Canada please contact Kai Schrameyer at[kschrameyer@tenniscanada.com]kschrameyer@tenniscanada.com.

BCWSA Announces List of AAP Funding Recipients

BC Wheelchair Sports Association is pleased to announce that the following athletes have been chosen to receive AAP provincial funding. This funding will be used support their high-performance lifestyle, including travel to tournaments, equipment, and additional coaching and sport science support.

Congratulations to:

Leanne Kelly - Basketball
Alec Kendall - Basketball
Avril Harris - Basketball
Amanda Yan - Basketball
Wendy Jansen - Basketball
Joel Ewert - Basketball
John Kosterman - Basketball
Jessica Vliegenthart - Basketball
Ben Hagkull - Basketball
Steph Park - Basketball
Alphonsus To - Basketball
Riley Martin - Basketball
Jon Vliegenthart - Basketball
Tomas Bourassa - Tennis
Mika Ishikawa - Tennis
Eddy Solla - Athletics
Tristan Smyth - Athletics
Jessye Brockway - Athletics
Djami Diallo - Athletics
Nathan Dewitt - Athletics
Jeff Scott - Rugby/Athletics
Andrew Davis - Rugby/Athetics
Kaspar Shouldice - Rugby
Jessica Kruger - Rugby
Peter Isherwood - Rugby
Jordon Dycke - Rugby

If you have any questions, please contact: Gail Hamamoto, Executive Director of BC Wheelchair Basketball Society at gail@bcwheelchairsports.com or 604-333-3520.

BCWSA Congratulates Michelle Stilwell On Being Named to the 2013 CAAWS Women of Influence List

BCWSA congratulates wheelchair racer Michelle Stilwell on being named to the 2013 CAAWS Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity List of 2013. CAAWS publishes its Most Influential Women List annually to celebrate and highlight Canadian leaders who influenced sport and physical activity in Canada and on the international stage. 

Michelle joins such sport luminaries as Olympian Carol Huynh and Olympic bobsleigh role model Kaillie Humphries. In all, 20 women were named to the list. 

Not only has Michelle won several Paralympic and World Championship gold medals and set several World Records, she is also an MLA and an advocate for people with disabilities. She was recently named the BC Athletics Para-Athlete of the Year.

Congratulations, Michelle!