Paralympian | artist | motivator
When I speak at schools and organisations, one of the most frequent questions I get from the audience goes something like this: “You are really inspiring, but what inspires you?” I have never had an answer that I have been satisfied with, and after a lot of reflection I think it is because I, like [...]
The stadium in Athens was at its capacity – 85 000. As I lined up with my fellow Canadian athletes, I could hear the roar of the crowd. It was muffled. We were outside the arena and the air was not still. It shook. When I crossed the threshold, saw the mass of people celebrating, [...]
The hard work so far has paid off; I will be competing at the Paralympics this summer in London. Thank you to everyone who has made me getting this far possible. There are too many to name here, but I have lots of preparation ahead of me and am grateful for your support. Official press [...]
The 2012 Canadian Boccia Championship was a success in Surrey, BC over the past few days. Canada’s best boccia athletes faced off in singles and doubles play. On Thursday, in the BC4 doubles category, my Ontario teammate Dale Stevenson and I had a fantastic first day of competition. After 3 victories out of 3, we [...]
I capped an excellent training session in Florida this week by competing in the inaugural Winter Break Boccia Tournament, February 10th and 11th, 2012. Held in Lake Worth, FL – just outside West Palm Beach, the event drew some of the top ranked boccia players in the world. I finished my pool play in first [...]
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 [...]
