For most athletes, a new piece of equipment is a nice upgrade. For wheelchair basketball players Caden Hyde and Cameron Gelowitz it's something much greater, a tool that determines how fast they can move, how confidently they can turn, and ultimately, how far they can go in the sport they love. Thanks to a donation from the BC Rehab Foundation, both athletes recently received custom sports chairs built specifically for them, and the impact has already been felt on and off the court.
BC Wheelchair Basketball Society has been a key part of their stories, helping build the community, coaching, and pathways that brought both young men from their first practice to the national stage.
Two Different Roads to the Same Court
Caden's journey into wheelchair basketball started young. He was just nine years old when he first picked up the sport, joining a university program after tagging along with his brother, who was trying it out at the time. For years, though, basketball played second fiddle to swimming; Caden competed nationally as a swimmer before basketball took over as his main focus. Over the last five years, his commitment has grown steadily, and he now competes with Team BC.
Cameron's path looked very different. Growing up, his sports of choice were soccer, diving, curling, and volleyball, and he carried that all-around athletic background into high school. Everything changed after an accident in May 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, with the world at a standstill, Cameron found himself figuring out how to move through life in a new way. During rehab, he tried a sports chair for the first time, shooting baskets on a makeshift hoop. The chair was far more responsive than his everyday chair, and for the first time in a while, he felt agile again.
When restrictions lifted in 2021, Cameron had just finished high school and started at Thompson Rivers University. A gym-class sports chair, provided by Dan Coombs, opened the door to local practices and he was hooked almost immediately. Dan connected him with Joe, and by April 2022, Cameron was invited to his first wheelchair basketball camp.
Growth, Grit, and the Pull of Community
Both athletes have had to push through real challenges to get to where they are now. Caden shared that it was an adjustment to be a team athlete after years as an individual swimmer, and even joked about the challenges of soft "swimmer's hands" being blistered from the demands of basketball. His perseverance paid off: in 2025, he competed at Men's Nationals and the CWBL Finals.
Cameron's challenges have been just as layered. As a newer athlete, he's still building his chair skills and learning the angles the game demands. Off the court, he's navigated something less visible but just as real, the shift in identity from stand-up athlete to wheelchair athlete. Despite that, his rise has been fast: he's competed with Team BC and the U23 National Team, and helped bring home gold at the Youth Parapan Am Games in Chile, a result he calls a stepping stone toward bigger goals.
What keeps both of them going, they say, is the community. Cameron describes it as one of the things he loves most about the sport, and Caden echoes that sentiment, calling wheelchair basketball one of the most inclusive environments he's ever been part of.
Looking Ahead
Neither athlete is slowing down. Caden is training for the Canada Games next year, determined to see how far his hard work can take him.
Cameron is setting his sights on Canada Games, a top-two finish at Junior Nationals, a spot on the senior men's national team, a place on a collegiate team, and a move to Alabama to keep developing as a player.
What a New Chair Actually Means
It's easy to underestimate how much a chair matters until you hear athletes describe the difference. We spoke with Caden after he had only used his new chair twice, but the change was already obvious to him: he sits taller, moves faster, and turns without second-guessing himself. Having that flexibility, he says, has been huge, and there's something simple but powerful about finally having equipment that actually fits.
Cameron feels the same shift. His first two pushes are quicker, he sits taller, and there's a new sense of confidence that comes from being "one with your chair" rather than fighting against it. Both athletes previously relied on adjustable Quickie chairs, functional, but not built around their individual bodies and playing styles the way their new chairs are.
For both of them, the right equipment is about more than performance. Cameron put it simply: not having to worry about equipment holding you back changes how you show up. He no longer has to wonder whether this chair will break down the way his last two or three did, he can just focus on playing. Caden agrees, describing the new chair as a genuine confidence boost, something that matters just as much off the court as it does on it.
Gratitude for the BC Rehab Foundation
Both athletes were quick to express how much this donation means to them. Caden called it one of the coolest things that's happened to him in a long time, saying simply: “thank you so much, this is amazing, and I'm so happy.”
Cameron compared receiving the new chair to Christmas morning – a mix of excitement and gratitude that's hard to put into words. He described feeling both good and happy using it, and made clear how much the support means to his development as an athlete.
A Message to Other Youth with Disabilities
Both athletes had advice for other youth with disabilities who might be curious about trying the sport.
Caden's message: “just give it a go.” He calls wheelchair basketball the most inclusive sport he's ever encountered, one where it doesn't matter who you are, everyone is welcome, and there's nothing to be worried about.
Cameron agrees, but adds that the sport hooks you in stages. The action and contact of the game are what draw people in initially, he says, but it's the community that keeps you coming back; an environment he describes as next-level and unlike anything else.
The Bigger Picture
Caden and Cameron's stories are individual, but they're also part of something larger. The pathway that brought a curious nine-year-old and a young man rebuilding his sense of identity after an accident onto the same competitive court didn't happen by chance. This was built through programs, coaching, and community support connected to the BC WheelchairBasketball Society, and now strengthened further by equipment donations from organizations like the BC Rehab Foundation.
A well-fitted sports chair doesn't just help an athlete play better. It removes a barrier, restores confidence, and as Caden and Cameron both describe it, makes an athlete feel confident on the court. For two young men with very different roads into the sport, that support is helping write the next chapter of journeys that are only getting started.
