ParaSport Ontario Newsletter

Over the Line

The Official Newsletter of ParaSport Ontario

ParaSport Ontario to participate in Toronto Paralympic Torch Event

Photo from Vancouver2010 website

On Friday March 5th 2010, Toronto will host the Paralympic Torch Relay Community Celebration at Toronto City Hall - Nathan Phillips Square. The Official Torch Relay and Celebration runs from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

Starting at 11:00 am, ParaSport Ontario will run demonstrations in Sledge Hockey and Wheelchair Curling. During this time, the crowd will also have the opportunity to try out the different sports. After the torch relay concludes at 1:30 pm, the crowd will, once again, have the chance to try out the two sports as well as participate in some obstacle courses and learn more about parasports and the mission of ParaSport Ontario.

For more information on the Paralympic Torch Relay Community Celebration, please click on the following link:

Paralympic Torch Relay Across Canada

Visit the ParaSport Ontario website for more information as we get closer to the event - including the release of the names of the Paralympic Torch bearers!

Ontario ParaSport Winter Games a Huge Success

The three days of competition in Kingston were filled with excitement as the entire city embraced the 400 plus participants.

The six competitive sports included ParaAlpine Skiing, Sledge Hockey, Wheelchair Curling, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and Swimming. The venues utilized for the Ontario ParaSport Winter Games included the Calabogie Peaks Resort, the Invista Centre, the Royal Kingston Curling Club, and the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.

The Wheelchair Curling event was taken to a tie-breaker. Bradford (skip Ken Gregory) took home Gold 8-7 while Fort William (skip Carl Levesque) nabbed Silver. Kenora (skip Wayne Ficek) took the Bronze for their overall third place finish.

The ParaAlpine Skiing events at the Calabogie Peaks Resort highlighted both the Slalom and Giant Slalom throughout the weekend. Female Slalom gold medalists were Vanessa Knight (junior division) and Jan Hymers (senior division). Male gold medalists were Michael Whitney (junior) and James Binsfield (senior). In the Giant Slalom, Female winners were Frederique Turgeon (junior division) and Jan Hymers (senior). Male winners were Michael Whitney (junior) and Andy Van Grusven (senior).

In the Wheelchair Basketball semi-finals, the Flyers beat the Cruisers (44-23) and the Rebels beat the Spinners (48-37). The Rebels later beat the Flyers 36-35, giving them the Gold and Silver medals respectively, while the Spinners took the Bronze by defeating the Cruisers with a score of 36-31.

The Wheelchair Rugby semi-finals saw Ottawa A winning against Toronto (36-17), and London winning against Ottawa B (40-35). The Gold medal later went to Ottawa A when they scored 37 points versus London's 28. The Bronze medal went to Ottawa B, which beat Toronto with a score of 23-18.

Sledge Hockey took place at the Invista Center with a packed house all weekend. In the semis, Team South beat Team East 8-0, and Team West beat Team North 4-0. In the tense afternoon games, Team East took the Bronze medal against Team North with a score of 4-0, while the final game saw Team South win Gold to Team West's Silver with a score of 3-0.

The Ontario ParaSport Winter Games were delivered by the Sport Alliance of Ontario in partnership with ParaSport Ontario, the Sport Tourism Branch of the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Canadian Forces Base Kingston, and the City of Kingston. The Government of Ontario is the primary funder of the Games.

Congratulations Kingston for hosting a fabulous Ontario ParaSport Winter Games.

London proud to announce launch of the Accessible Sport Council London and Area

Members of London's accessible sport and physical activity community are excited to announce the formation of the Accessible Sport Council London and Area. The launch took place on January 29th at the Western Fair Sports Centre during the first evening of the 2010 London Blizzard Invitational Sledge Hockey Tournament.

Darda Sales, a three-time Paralympian (swimming) and one of the Council's co-chairs, explained the importance of the Council's creation, saying, "Physical activity and sport are a fundamental right of all people and I feel that this Council will play an important role in ensuring that accessible sporting opportunities continue to be available and promoted in our community." Recognizing the 30 team strong sledge hockey tournament as but one example, Sales further commented, "There are a lot of very successful programs in London and area that offer accessible sport and physical activity opportunities, but awareness of these opportunities is still limited." As Sales stated, "Some of the main goals of this Council are to encourage participation in these programs and to provide a one stop shop for anyone looking for information regarding accessible sporting and recreation opportunities in our community..."Click here to read more

Athletes and Volunteers Honoured with ParaSport Ontario Annual Awards

Shayne Smith

Each year ParaSport Ontario presents annual awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of ParaSport athletes and volunteers. The 2009 winners were announced at the 2010 Ontario ParaSport Winter Games in Kingston and included the following:

ParaSport Ontario Coach of the Year

Ed Richardson (OCPSA)

ParaSport Ontario Male Athlete of the Year

Abdi Fatah Dini (OWSA)

ParaSport Ontario Female Athlete of the Year

Erika Schmutz (OWSA)

Ron Foster Award (volunteer)

Frank Peter Sr. (OWSA)

At the ParaSport Winter Games in Kingston, Shoppers Home Health Care Awards of Merit where presented to:

Kevin Wakeling (OWSA) Wheelchair Basketball

Reid Mulligan (OWSA) Wheelchair Rugby

Chester Draper (OCC) Wheelchair Curling