By Sam Cortes, Communications Coordinator
Team Toba’s U23 wheelchair basketball team will travel to PEI in February to compete during week one at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
As Team Toba continues its journey to the 2023 Canada Winter Games, learn more about this sport in our province and how high-performance athletes are preparing for an experience of a lifetime!
“[We’re] very excited that we’re putting together a team for the 2023 Canada Winter Games. We’ve managed to set aside some extra practice time and some extra cross training for our high performance teams. They’re excited to get out there and compete at this level because, as you know, it’s been more than a couple years,” said Peter Tonge, Executive Director of the Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association (MWSA).
The Journey to Games
Having grown up in the sport, recently-named Head Coach Joey Johnson says what he loves most about coaching is getting the opportunity to give back and connect with the next generation of wheelchair basketball players.
“After the 2012 Paralympic Games, I retired from professional competition and ventured out of sports for a while,” he says, “But I found out pretty quickly that the ‘real world’ wasn’t for me and I wanted to get back to my roots.”
He says he loves coaching because he sees wheelchair basketball as the fastest moving chess game on Earth. There is a lot of strategy involved and a lot of tactical situations you have to prepare for.
Training On And Off Court
During the training season, the athletes will typically be on the court at least twice a week. They also recently participated in a weekend clinic to hone their skills and learn how to work best as a team.
Outside of court time, some athletes will be utilizing strength and conditioning services with Sport Manitoba Performance and will have access to the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba (CSCM) program at the University of Manitoba, too.
In the end, each athlete has a different approach leading up to Canada Games aside from assigned on-court training. That will be all brought together into one strong and dynamic team.
“Coming in as head coach so close to the Games, I’m really relying on the extensive experiences I have at all levels of the sport and hoping that some of the tidbits I’m giving will stick with the team,” says Joey.
Getting to Know The Sport
“One thing most people don’t know about the sport is that it’s a fully integrated sport meaning it’s open to both athletes with physical disabilities and able-bodied athletes,” says Joey. “Wheelchair basketball brings together athletes of all abilities to compete on the court.”
Athletes are classified between 0.5 to 4.5, based on the type of disability they have, and a team may not have more than 15 points on the court at any given time.
One thing that is important to demystify is that the wheelchair is sport equipment, and you do not have to be a person who uses a wheelchair every day to play.
Toba Takeaways
The Canada Games are a unique and memorable multi-sport experience that bring together athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and spectators from all across the country. Joey says he’s talked to his athletes about what this experience means.
“I always say that careers go by very fast,” he says. “So I emphasize to the team to take full advantage of this because not everyone gets these opportunities in life. I tell the team to have fun with it and challenge them to be the best they can be at the Games.”
If there’s a piece of advice Peter would give to the athletes, it really boils down to having fun.
“We have to remember that yes, we’re competing and we’re doing things at a competitive level, but what keeps young people involved in sport, what keeps everyone involved in sport, is having fun,” said Peter. “Yes they’re working hard in their training and they’re going to make their best efforts, but I hope they come out of the experience with the camaraderie and being with other athletes and having fun.”
And of course, it doesn’t hurt to take in the environment and celebrate the achievement of competing at the Canada Winter Games.
The National Spotlight
Showcasing wheelchair basketball at the national level can have a big impact.
“It certainly raises attention to the sport,” said Peter. “It raises attention to the accomplishments of our athletes. It lets the community and parents and families know what’s available out there.”
Plus, it’s an opportunity for more people to learn about the game.
MWSA: Follow Along And Get Involved
In addition to its high-performance team, MWSA also has a recreational wheelchair basketball program, too.
“We have quite a large group with kids as little as about six or seven years old who are learning the game for the first time,” said Peter. “Not everybody is going to be a high-performance athlete in wheelchair basketball, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take part and have fun.”
You can keep up with the latest on their journey to PEI by following Wheelchair Basketball Manitoba on Instagram.
For more information on wheelchair basketball in Manitoba, and other programs like wheelchair rugby and para sport in schools, follow MWSA on Facebook or visit their website.
