(Ottawa, ON – Mar. 29th) The Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association (CWSA) is pleased to announce the names of the 18 athletes selected to the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby National Team Program for 2018-2019.
From March 4th to March 8th, a selection camp was held at the Richmond Olympic Oval in British Columbia. The camp served as an opportunity for the national team coaching staff to evaluate the athletes vying for a place in the program.
“All the athletes present at the Selection Camp showed up well prepared, performed really hard and displayed a very solid level of wheelchair rugby.” said Head Coach Patrick Côté. “The group we have selected is formed of passionate athletes, but most importantly quality people, that will work relentlessly and challenge each other to get better individually and as a team as we continue to build towards the 2018 World Championship in Sydney and 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.”
The full roster of athletes named to the 2018-19 National Team Program, in alphabetical order by last name, is listed below. Ontario athletes have been bolded for reference.
| NAME | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|
| CALDWELL, Cody | Cavan, ON |
| CAMERON, Kristen | Fonthill, ON |
| DAGENAIS, Patrice | Embrun, ON |
| DEBLY, Matt | Windsor, ON |
| FOURNIE, Cody | Victoria, BC |
| GREEN, Byron | Vancouver, BC |
| HIRSCHFIELD, Trevor | Vancouver, BC |
| LAVOIE, Fabien | Quebec City, QC |
| LÉTOURNEAU, Anthony | Boisbriand, QC |
| MAYER, Britt | Regina, SK |
| MURAO, Travis | Toronto, ON |
| PERKINS, Benjamin | North Augusta, ON |
| RACICOT, Yanick | Montreal, QC |
| RODRIGUES, Eric | Mississauga, ON |
| SIMARD, Patrice | Quebec City, QC |
| SMITH, Shayne | Toronto, ON |
| TROUTMAN, Branden | Edmonton, AB |
| WHITEHEAD, Mike | Windsor, ON |
So what is next for Team Canada?
Team Canada will be competing in two tournaments in quick succession at the beginning of April. The first of which, will see the team travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to compete in a Tri-Nations (April 8th – 9th) competition against Denmark and France. The team will then cross back over the Atlantic and travel to Phoenix, where they will battle it out against a selection of local club teams (April 12 -14).
These two tournaments will help prepare the team for the upcoming 2018 Canada Cup in Richmond, BC from June 11-17 and the GIO 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in Sydney, Australia, from August 5-10.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Ben Parker-Jones
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association
Tel : 613-523-0004
Email : ben@cwsa.ca