Athletes First

For this week’s post, I wanted to provide an up close look at what it takes to make the Canadian Paralympic Team in 2012. I’ve been conducting a series of interviews with AthletesFirst readers and (to my surprise!) I’m finding out that many readers actually don’t have a direct connection to Paralympic sport — they stumbled across the […]

By Joan I had a conversation recently with someone whose sister has been competing internationally in Special Olympics. I found myself becoming a little defensive and angry because she kept saying that it would be really good if the Special Olympics and the Paralympic and Olympic Games were held at the same time as Paralympians […]

By Andrea May 1st is the 7th Annual Blogging Against Disablism Day. I know what you’re thinking — ‘Why is that not marked on my calendar?’ It’s okay — you’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of BADD before. I have to admit it only came to my attention last year. But the concept is intriguing and I thought […]

Guest blog by Jeremy Holm When injuries occur to an athlete a lot of things go through their mind. “How bad is it?” “Is my career over?” “Will re-hab take long?” “What happens if I can’t race again?” Whether you’re national team or a backyard enthusiast, that nagging question of “What if…?” is an annoyance […]

A few years ago I demonstrated my sport, boccia, at a summer camp for youth with disabilities. I have done this many times in my career as a National Team athlete, but this particular time stuck with me. There was a boy with a disability who used a wheelchair at the camp, and he brought […]

By Andrea It’s been almost two years since the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics and it’s just under a year until the 2012 London Paralympics. For those of us who call Vancouver home, it’s pretty much back to business as usual. The Games may have taken seven years to plan but the tear down was amazingly efficient! […]