(Ottawa, ON) – Wheelchair Basketball Canada is pleased to announce the names of the 12 female athletes who will represent Canada at the 2011 Parapan American Games slotted for November 12-20, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Parapan American Games double as Canada’s opportunity to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics, where the team is looking for their fifth podium finish in thelast six competitions.
The 2011 Canadian lineup includes seven returning Paralympians and 10 players that were part of last year’s team that won a bronze at the 2010 World Championships.
The Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team consists of:
Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) – (Paralympian in ‘08)
Chantal Benoit (Mont-Saint Hilaire, QC) – (Paralympian in ‘88, ‘92, ‘96, ‘00, ‘04, & ‘08)
Elaine Allard (St. Eustache, QC)
Elisha Williams – (Burnaby, BC)
Katie Harnock – (Elmira, ON) – (Paralympian in ’08)
Jamey Jewells (Donkin, NS)
Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) – (Paralympian in ‘08)
Jessica Vliegenthart –(Victoria, BC)
Kendra Ohama (Calgary, AB) – (Paralympian in ‘92, ‘96, ‘00, ‘04, & ‘08)
Maude Jacques (Sainte-Catherine, QC)
Tara Feser – (St. Albert, AB) – (Paralympian in ’08)
Tracey Ferguson – Holland Landing, ON – (Paralympian in ’92, ’96, ’00, ’04, & ’08)
Head Coach: Bill Johnson (Winnipeg, MB)
“We are very pleased to welcome Jamey and Maude onto the team. We feel that their skill and youthful energy, combined with the experience we have gained at past events including the 2010 World Championships and our talented group of veterans, will be the precise mix to put us back on top of the world as we look forward to the 2012 London Paralympics. We are confident that we are precisely where we want to be as a program and as a team at this point,” said Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Bill Johnson.
Three members of the 2011 Senior Women’s National Team (Cindy Ouellet, Maude Jacques, and Jamey Jewells) will also represent Canada when they host the first-ever Women’s Under 25 World Championships July 15-23, 2011 at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
At the last Paralympic Games in 2008, the Senior Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team finished fifth following four consecutive podium finishes that included three straight Paralympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and a bronze medal in 2004.
They also recently won a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships. It was their sixth consecutive podium finish at the World Championships dating back to 1990 – a run that includes four straight gold medals in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006.
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About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair BasketballCanada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
Wheelchair basketball is a fast paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport that has emerged as one of the most competitive and athletic sports played at the Paralympic Games. Our senior national teams are held in high esteem around the world for the elite skill and control that placed them on the podium with a combined five gold and one silver medal in the last four Paralympic Games. Please visit www.wheelchairbasketball.ca for more information.
For more information, photos, or to schedule aninterview contact:
Jody Kingsbury
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca
On the web: wheelchairbasketball.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/wheelchairbasketball
Twitter: twitter.com/WCBballCanada
YouTube: youtube.com/WheelchairBball
Congratulations Elisha, Janet, and Jessica! Good luck this summer!!
