Vancouver, BC July 27, 2021  BC Wheelchair Basketball’s junior athletes attended their first in-person training camp this past weekend. This camp is the first in-person wheelchair basketball event held in BC, since the 2020 BC Winter Games event in Fort St. John, February 2020.

“The weekend camp is all about finally being back on court. Our athletes have had a tough time through COVID and we are excited to provide them with this opportunity to get back onto the indoor hardcourt again,” stated Simon Cass, Team BC Canada Games Head Coach. 

Throughout the 2020/21 season, many BCWBS junior aged and club players have been participating in a variety of virtual training sessions to keep up their game skills and endurance levels, to ensure that getting into in-person wheelchair basketball would be an easier transition. “This group has been very engaged with virtual training, led by Coach Joe Higgins, for over 12 months of virtual sessions,” commented Cass.

“Our targeted athletes and teams have been safe and following COVID protocols, we are all grateful for the great work of our healthcare staff, vaccine rollout, and the people of BC for what they’ve done to enable the re-opening of para-sport,” mentions Cass. “While we are excited to get back on track heading to 2023 Canada Winter Games, this camp is a re-introduction to in-person basketball, and getting back to loving the game that we’ve been away from for a long time.”  

BC Wheelchair Basketball is happy to announce the targeted junior athletes who participated in their first in-person training camp, in preparation of their 2021/22 wheelchair basketball competitive season:

Joel Aukema (Langley)                             Leah Aukema (Langley)*
Elise Froese (Langley)*                             Keaton MacEachern (Chilliwack)*
Matthew Norris (Maple Ridge)                 Megan Smith (Vancouver)                                   
Riley Stiles (Prince George)                     Brandon Twaites (Langley)*

*denotes athletes who are prospects to represent their Provincial Zones at the 2022 BC Games in Vernon, February 2022.

Additional athletes from across BC including Vancouver Island, Pender Island, Salmon Arm & the Okanagan, the Fraser Valley and regions in Northern BC will be in attendance at future training camps during the Fall and winter of 2021/22.


About BC Wheelchair Basketball Society
The BC Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS) is the provincial sports’ governing body which provides support to wheelchair basketball programs throughout BC. BCWBS’s mission is to provide experiences that inspire inclusion, participation and excellence through wheelchair basketball.

About the BC Games
The BC Games Society is the leadership organization that guides the BC Winter and BC Summer Games and prepares Team BC for national multi-sport Games. 

The BC Games bring together British Columbia’s best emerging high performance athletes, trained coaches, and certified officials for four days of competition.  This experience is an important development opportunity and stepping stone towards higher level sport competitions. 

About Team BC
The Team BC program is a collaborative effort of partners to prepare, select and service the athletes and coaches to ensure optimal performance at the Canada Games. The Province of BC provides funding for the program which is managed by the BC Games Society with integration with Canadian Sport Institute-Pacific and Sport Med BC.

Team BC is about getting to know other Canadians and creating a lifetime of memories for participants in one of Canada’s greatest celebrations of sport.  The Canada Games are a national multi-sport competition with participation from every province and territory in Canada and take place on an alternating summer/winter cycle every four years.
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For more information:
Michelle Comeau
BCWBS Communications Manager
Mobile: 403-512-7671 or email: michellercomeau@gmail.com