Paralympian | artist | motivator
I wrote a guest blog article, which is featured at www.athletesfirst.ca today, examining the language used in sport played by people with disabilities. Like the person-first language debate in the disability community, the discussion about language in the Paralympic community can be fierce. I argued the merits of the prefix “para” in this article, and [...]
The Canadian team is beginning to arrive in Guadalajara, settle into village life, and get in some last minute training. I fly to Mexico early tomorrow morning, and am feeling very ready and excited to begin competition on November 13. I will try and update everyone as much as I can during the Games, but [...]
As an athlete, I have been lucky enough to meet, and be inspired by, incredible people. Many of whom are athletes, on my own team and in other sports. As I juggle my studies, training and personal life, I take a look at the exciting accomplishments of other Canadian athletes for fuel and perspective. Below [...]
The short documentary “Josh,” by amazing Vancouver film maker Angelina Cantada, was accepted as a finalist in the 2011 MY HERO International Film Festival on Friday. Winners of the festival will be announced on November 7th; Angelina and I are very happy to be among the finalists in such a prestigious festival! From the My [...]
The 2011 Boccia Blast in London, Ontario came to a close on Sunday, as the best boccia players in Canada battled for the prestigious title. I am currently ranked number 19 in the world, and this was an important tune up event before the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico next month. Due to [...]
The Canadian boccia team for the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico was announced today, and I am very proud to be a part of it. This will be a great chance for us to test ourselves against the top international players in the Americas region, as we chase gold in London 2012. The [...]
I am home after an exhausting 12+ hour journey from Northern Ireland. Thanks to everyone for your support while I was competing in Belfast at the 2011 Boccia World Cup. I finished my pool play with a loss to Hyeon Seok Seo of Korea which meant I did not advance out of my pool. The [...]
To follow me, and the rest of the Canadian team on our quest for the Boccia World Cup, visit the following website, where results will be posted by the host organising committee: http://www.sportsulster.com/boccia2011fixtures.php The website also features a live feed for during select matches, a list of all of the players from all of the [...]
Last summer, Karolis, Dalia and I spent a day with amazing Vancouver filmmaker Angelina Cantada. She filmed an ordinary day in my family’s life, and has put it together into a beautiful short documentary. Everywhere I go, people usually ask me: “How do you write without arms and legs?” “How do you get dressed without [...]
The Canadian Boccia Pair of Marco Dispaltro, Josh Vander Vies and Caroline Vietnicks won second place at the 2011 Cheshire Building Society International Boccia Championships in Wigan this past weekend in the BC4 division. The result is a strong one as the Canadian Pair prepares for the 2011 CPISRA Boccia World Cup, to be held [...]
