October 22, 2018 (Vancouver B.C.) BC Wheelchair Basketball’s top Canada Games prospects attended their final selection training camp this past weekend. This camp determined which athletes will be going to the 2019 Canada Winter Games, in Red Deer, Alberta.
“We are very happy with the athletes that will make up Team BC in 2019. They have been increasingly dedicated to their training, and though we will have one of the youngest teams in Red Deer, we are aiming for BC’s best results since a silver-medal finish in 2003,” said Simon Cass, Provincial Coach, BC Wheelchair Basketball Society. “This is a great group of young men and women, and I am very excited to continue working with them. Our staff is dedicated to driving these athlete’s development and ensuring they have a great experience in Red Deer. We have two more tournaments to test our team against competing provinces prior to February 2019, so we will be looking to our veteran players to lead the way for Team BC.”
BC Wheelchair Basketball is happy to announce our 2019 Canada Games Team travelling to Red Deer in February:
Joel Aukema (Langley)
Ryleigh Bissenden (Victoria)
Lannette Boland (Pender Island)
Joel Ewert (Prince George)
Benjamin Garrett (Abbotsford)
Benjamin Hagkull (Chilliwack)
Gabriel Harrison (Pender Island)
Derek Jezewsky (Kamloops)
Tanner Jung (Langley)
Matthew Norris (Maple Ridge)
Megan Smith (Vancouver)
Nicholas van Bakel (Pender Island)
Joel Ewert, Ben Hagkull, and Ben Garrett are returning players from our 2015 team that finished in 7th place in Prince George. “The (2015) Canada Games were one of the best experiences, not just of my sports career, but of my life. I have memories which I will never forget from that team and the Canada Games,” remarks Joel Ewert. “Sharing the hard work, laughs, smiles, wins and losses with the others creates an irreplaceable bond with your teammates. I love being part of a team, and thanks to wheelchair basketball and BCWBS, I get to experience that every year.” Joining this tremendous group of athletes will be BC Provincial Coach, Simon Cass (Victoria), Assistant Coach Kelly Harris (Nanaimo), and Team Manager, Michelle Comeau (Kamloops).
Wheelchair Basketball is a week one sport and our games will be played February 15-23rd, 2019 in Red Deer at the newly built Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
About BC Wheelchair Basketball Society
The 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.
About Team BC
Team BC brings together the best athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff to represent British Columbia at the Canada Summer and Winter Games. Team BC will send a delegation of 320 athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff to represent British Columbia at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, February 15 to March 3. Visit Team BC for the latest news and updates.
About the Canada Games
The Canada Games are a national multi-sport competition with participation from every province and territory in Canada. The Games are held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. The 2019 Canada Winter Games will be held February 15 to March 3 in Red Deer, bringing together approximately 3600 athletes, coaches, and managers from every province and territory to compete in 19 sports.
