Media Advisory – Team BC heading to Canada Games Preparation Camp
June 28, 2018 (Vancouver B.C.) BC Wheelchair Basketball’s top Canada Games prospects are heading off to summer training camp. From July 2-6, 2018, the team will be centralized on Pender Island for a variety of skills based activities, team building and preparation for the 2019 Canada Winter Games, Red Deer, Alberta.
Throughout the winter season, the players have been participating in a variety of tournaments with their BC-CWBL teams and at a few additional junior aged tournaments, including the BC Games and the Junior National Championships where Team BC finished in fifth place.
“We are a young team with great potential. It is our plan to build off the fifth-place finish at Junior Nationals and continue to grow our game and develop the players so that they are ready to take on the other strong provinces at the Canada Games this February in Red Deer,” said Simon Cass, BC Provincial Coach, BC Wheelchair Basketball. “All of our players, with the exception of rookies Megan Smith (Vancouver) and Derek Jezewsky (Kamloops), have been involved with our Canada Games program this season, so we will look to our veteran players to lead the way into this new season. This camp will feature some outdoor activities that will challenge the athletes and help build the team dynamic that will in-turn help us on the court when the competitive season begins,” stated Cass.
Joining BC Wheelchair Basketball at the summer camp include Canada Games veteran players, Ben Hagkull (Chilliwack), Ben Garrett (Abbotsford), and Joel Ewert (Prince George). They will be joined by Derek Jezewsky (Kamloops), Ryleigh Bissenden (Victoria), Matt Norris (Maple Ridge), Tanner Jung (Langley), Joel Aukema (Langley), Lannette Boland (Pender Island), Nicholas van Bakel (Pender Island), Gabriel Harrison, Pender Island, Megan Smith (Vancouver), and Thomas Venos (Port Coquitlam). Venos, Ewert and Norris are multi-sport athletes who also compete competitively in Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby and Para-Ice Hockey, respectively.
The Pender Island summer training camp starts the focused training for Team BC's 2018/19 season. They will attend various camps and tournaments, throughout the province, leading into the Canada Games test event in December. The 2019 Canada Winter Games will be hosted in Red Deer, Alberta, February 15 – March 3, 2019.
About BC Wheelchair Basketball Society
BC Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS) is the provincial sports’ governing body which provides support to wheelchair basketball programs throughout BC. BCWBS’s mission is to provide experiences that inspire inclusion, participation and excellence through wheelchair basketball.
For more information:
Please contact:
Michelle Comeau
BCWBS Communications Manager
Link to the Facebook Album from 2018 Pender Island Summer Training Camp.
