Muara Teweh!

There weren’t any huge crowds waiting for autographs with baited breath, no major media scrums or rushed exits through back doors.
As they sat patiently at the Westmark Whitehorse, Patrick Anderson and Deidra Dionne weren’t subjected to nearly the same amount of craziness as Catriona LeMay Doan, Cassie Campbell, Hayley Wickenheiser or Kelly Hrudey had been.
But in talking with Anderson and Dionne, it becomes quite clear that’s just the way they like it. They both seem to enjoy flying under the radar, although they are more than willing to share their stories and their passion for the sports they love.
Stories, that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Take, for example, Anderson, who lost his legs at the tender age of nine due to a run-in with a drunk driver. Rather than dwell on the negatives, he picked up the sport of wheelchair basketball and for the past eight years has represented Canada on the national team.
He’s held six gold medals in the last three years, including Paralympic gold in 2004 as well as gold at the Gold Cup World championships and Paralympic World Cup this year. He also attended the University of Illinois on a wheelchair basketball scholarship and played professionally in Germany for three years before recently returning to Canada.
Talk about making lemonade.
“Patrick has been a friend of mine for the past few years and I’ve been trying to get him up here,” explained Ramesh Ferris, president of the Yukon Society Towards Accessible Recreation and Sport (Yukon STARS).
“It’s very important to have elite athletes, like Patrick, demonstrate to Yukoners of all abilities and all sports success is possible.”
Thanks to the support of the 2007 Canada Winter Games Host Society, Anderson was finally able to make the trip. So, too, was Dionne, who won a bronze medal in aerial skiing for Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
Although Dionne secured a spot on the 2006 Olympic team, she broke her neck while training for her first World Cup race of the season in September of 2005. It took a seven-hour operation to repair her neck, but thanks to her determination, exactly three months after surgery, Dionne was given permission to resume training.
Her message now, as she trains for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, is about decision-making and goal-setting. She reminds people that they are in control of their life.
“Dream big,” she stated. “Anything is possible. You’re the only one who knows what you’re capable of.”
A competitor at the 1999 Canada Games in Newfoundland, Dionne called the event a huge preparation for the Olympics just three years later.
“It was my first multi-sport event,” she said. “You don’t have that experience at small local competitions. It’s really a great opportunity.”
“It’s a stepping stone for a lot of athletes,” agreed Anderson, who took to the court at the 1995 Canada Games in Grande Prairie. “You just remember the atmosphere and the nervous jitters. It was also the first time I ever met and played against a lot of the players in Canada.”
While in the territory, Anderson met with students in Old Crow and Carcross on his visit, as well as high school basketball players in Whitehorse and Yukon STARS members. Dionne spoke with members of the Yukon ski team in the capital city, but a late flight due to the weather kept her from making the trip to Old Crow.
Anderson discussed his life choices and how he’s overcome obstacles to achieve the success he has had at such a high level. He also shared some drills and gave tips on the technical aspects of the sport and wheelchair maintenance.
“This is the first time I’ve been north of Edmonton,” Anderson smiled. “The people have been really friendly and everyone at the schools has been really receptive.
“I don’t know about inspiring people, but I enjoy going into schools and showing them something they’ve never seen before and I also want to support the Yukon STARS program.”
Anderson was especially impressed with the students in Old Crow, who were already familiar with wheelchair basketball because Ferris had paid them a visit earlier. He said that made it much easier to get his messages across.
It’s a message, he said, that changes somewhat every time. It’s about his outlook on life and what sport means to him – everyone is different.
“I got a great question from one of the kids, a question I get from time to time. He asked me if I could have my legs back, would I want to, and I said, yeah, absolutely. I know a lot of athletes who would say no, that it’s a part of who they are.
“People always have different answers. People are people.”
It’s that kind of attitude that has made Anderson a great role model for wheelchair basketball, a straightforward athlete who tells it like it is. One of the lines from his biography online said Anderson doesn’t just wait for things to happen, he’s proactive and makes them happen.
A perfect example of that is his insistance that able-bodied athletes be eligible to play wheelchair basketball internationally. Even if they are able to use their legs in everyday life, once an athlete is trapped into the sport chair, he feels they don’t have any advantage over an athlete with a disability. Anderson is confident enough in his own abilities in the sport that he doesn’t feel threatened.
“I welcome any challenge.”
In Canada, able-bodied athletes are allowed to play wheelchair basketball up until the highest level, the national championships, he pointed out. It’s the same in Germany. They are not allowed at the Paralympics or world championships.
“I’m trying to get the rest of our program (the Canadian Basketball Association), to share the AB gospel around the world,” he said, pointing out that it wasn’t too long ago amputees weren’t permitted to take part, only “paras”.
“Hopefully, the opportunities for able-bodies will continue to grow. Hopefully those barriers will come down.”
Ferris said all of the STARS members were impressed with Anderson, pointing out his visit was a great opportunity for not only the athletes but also coaches.
‘Wheelchair basketball is open to all abilities and we need to find motivated, inspired participates to make the program happen,” he said. “Hopefully, we can bring our numbers up and try to build something really successful here.”
Ferris also spoke about the importance of community education, including developing a new curriculum in schools that allows for some new recreational activities.
“Disability will affect everyone at some point in their life,” he said.
“It’s really important we can education people at a young age, through having adapted mainstream wheelchair recreation education programs in the Yukon school curriculum. That’s a goal of Yukon STARS.”

Copyright 2006 Whitehorse STAR

Sponsored links

« Athletes back from Kenya bitter | Fraunhofer USA’s Center for Molecular Biotechnology Launches Scholarship Fundraising Drive »