Wheelchair Rugby Canada
2255 St. Laurent Blvd K1G 4K3 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Therapist and Teacher Propels Canada’s Murderball to Paralympic Play A physiotherapist and physical educator, Pawel Zbieranowski came to Canada from Poland in... 1979 looking to find work in a rehabilitation centre. During an interview at Lyndhurst Rehabilitation Centre he came across a posting for a volunteer coach position for the local Murderball team (now wheelchair rugby). It was a chance for him to improve his English, stay involved in sport and meet people in his new country. Soon thereafter Zbieranowski made it his mission to take the new sport of Murderball (invented in Winnipeg) and get it recognized on the international and Paralympic stage. He became the assistant coach for the Toronto Bulldogs. Thinking of ways to better the sport with sponsorship, he proposed a name change from Murderball to wheelchair rugby. His instincts were correct and with a name change the sport took off. Zbieranowski went on to coach Ontario’s Provincial teams and the National team and became the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation President in 1993 and then on to the sport’s Chairperson for the International Paralympic Committee. One volunteer job and 30+ years of dedicated involvement turned the sport of Murderball into a world renowned, respected sport played in more than 30 countries around the world. It’s a simple sport, Zbieranowski explains with a smile. Wicked crashes by quads who grind and bang for victory. With great pleasure he accepts his part in that legacy. #ThePowerWithin #Canadian #para #sport #wheelchair #rugby #murderball #SportIsForEveryBODY

7 New episode of ASK TEAM CANADA ... This week's question goes to #7 Byron Green !

Happy Birthday to #15, Patrice Simard! `

Introducing our new video series "Ask Team Canada!" Today's question is answered by #25 Shayne Smith! ... 25 See more

Building strength and resilience, one rep at a time. Athletes like @ericrodrigues79 stay focused on their goals and overcome one challenge at a time #CSIO... #WheelchairRugby #BuildingChampions #SportforCanada Wheelchair Rugby Canada Ontario Para Network Canadian Paralympic Team Sport Canada Own the Podium . Please respect social distancing guidelines, mask-wearing policies, and wash your hands regularly. See more

ATHLETE PROFILE!! Max Arsenault - Wheelchair Rugby 1) How did you get involved in para sports? What sports?... My first taste of parasport was at a Parasport NB Have-a-Go Multisport Camp in August 2016, 6 months post injury. I tried a few sports but by far Wheelchair Rugby was my favourite. Along with Rugby, I’ve played Wheelchair Basketball at the Canada Winter Games, competed in Athletics at the Canada Summer Games, was an honorary participant in Kayaking at the Canada Summer Games and play Wheelchair Tennis occasionally. 2) What para sports are you playing now? What do you love about the sports that you are playing? Currently the main sport I’m training for is Wheelchair Rugby, playing with Team BC and the Canadian NextGen team. One thing I love about wheelchair rugby is that it’s the only full contact wheelchair sport. I played hockey competitively up until my injury, so I love having the option to continue to play a contact sport. Another cool fact is that it’s the only sport specifically for quadriplegics like me! 3) What goals would you like to achieve as an athlete? Or other goals you are working on (career, education, etc.)? I’m working towards earning a spot on Team Canada to represent my country on the international stage. I’m also working towards completing a degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, with hopes to pursue Spinal Cord Injury research and advocate for accessibility in my school community along the way. 4) The best life lesson your sport taught you? Wheelchair Rugby taught me the importance of community. The Wheelchair Rugby community has helped me greatly in becoming independent post injury. Having teammates that can provide insight for both sport and non-sport related dilemmas is beneficial in growing as a both person and an athlete, as well as gaining confidence post injury. 5) What message would you like to share with the world about disability? In my experience, post-secondary education is not very accessible. From lecture halls with stairs and sitting in the back row of every lecture to higher expenses due to prolonged degrees and brand-new state-of-the-art lab buildings with high-top tables, it is clear accessibility is an afterthought when inclusive design should not only be required but be considered the bare minimum. For the rest of disability awareness week, try to take note of as many unnecessarily inaccessible things in your day-to-day life. Think about if you can try to rectify this issue. Can you ask a restaurant manager why they don’t have a ramp? Call the city about a missing curb cut or automatic door on a city building. Get out of your comfort zone and advocate for inclusive design. #DAW2020 PROFIL D'ATHLÈTE!! Max Arsenault - Rugby en fauteuil roulant 1) Comment vous êtes-vous impliqué dans les para sports? Quels sports? Ma première expérience du parasport a eu lieu lors du camp multisport Have-a-Go de Parasport NB en août 2016, 6 mois après ma blessure. J'ai essayé quelques sports, mais de loin le rugby en fauteuil roulant était mon préféré. En plus du rugby, j’ai joué au basketball en fauteuil roulant aux Jeux d’hiver du Canada, participé à l’athlétisme aux Jeux d’été du Canada, participé à titre honorifique au kayak aux Jeux d’été du Canada et joué occasionnellement au tennis en fauteuil roulant. 2) À quels para-sports jouez-vous actuellement? Qu'aimez-vous dans les sports que vous pratiquez? Actuellement, le sport principal pour lequel je m'entraîne est le rugby en fauteuil roulant, avec l'équipe de la Colombie-Britannique et l'équipe canadienne NextGen. Une chose que j'aime dans le rugby en fauteuil roulant, c'est que c'est le seul sport en fauteuil roulant à contact complet. J'ai joué au hockey de manière compétitive jusqu'à ma blessure, alors j'aime avoir la possibilité de continuer à pratiquer un sport de contact. Un autre fait intéressant est que c’est le seul sport spécifiquement pour les tétraplégiques comme moi! 3) Quels objectifs aimeriez-vous atteindre en tant qu'athlète? Ou d'autres objectifs sur lesquels vous travaillez (carrière, éducation, etc.)? Je travaille pour gagner une place dans Équipe Canada pour représenter mon pays sur la scène internationale. Je travaille également à l'obtention d'un diplôme en génie biomédical à l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique, dans l'espoir de poursuivre des recherches sur les lésions médullaires et de défendre l'accessibilité dans ma communauté scolaire en cours de route. 4) La meilleure leçon de vie que votre sport vous a apprise? Le rugby en fauteuil roulant m'a appris l'importance de la communauté. La communauté du rugby en fauteuil roulant m'a grandement aidé à devenir indépendant après une blessure. Avoir des coéquipiers capables de fournir un aperçu des dilemmes sportifs et non sportifs est bénéfique pour grandir en tant que personne et comme athlète, ainsi que pour gagner en confiance après une blessure. 5) Quel message aimeriez-vous partager avec le monde sur le handicap? D'après mon expérience, l'éducation postsecondaire n'est pas très accessible. Des amphithéâtres avec escaliers et assis dans la rangée arrière de chaque conférence aux dépenses plus élevées en raison des diplômes prolongés et des tout nouveaux bâtiments de laboratoire à la pointe de la technologie avec des tables hautes, il est clair que l'accessibilité est une réflexion après coup lorsque la conception inclusive devrait non seulement être exigé mais être considéré comme le strict minimum. Pour le reste de la semaine de sensibilisation au handicap, essayez de prendre note d'autant de choses inutilement inaccessibles dans votre vie de tous les jours. Demandez-vous si vous pouvez essayer de résoudre ce problème. Pouvez-vous demander à un gérant de restaurant pourquoi il n’a pas de rampe? Appelez la ville au sujet d'un trottoir manquant ou d'une porte automatique sur un bâtiment de la ville. Sortez de votre zone de confort et préconisez un design inclusif. #SSSPH2020 Wheelchair Rugby Canada Team-Équipe NB BC Wheelchair Sports Association (BCWSA) Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Happy Birthday to #12, Patrice Dagenais

Attention all IWRF Stakeholders We Need Your Feedback! The IWRF Classification Committee has undertaken a major review of the IWRF Classification Rules and Impairment Measurement Systems (including minimum impairment criteria), and needs your input.

THANK YOU to the kind and generous volunteers from Misawa, Aomori! The masks you made and donated to our National Team have helped us host our first nationwide training camp since March! We are forever grateful and look forward to being back in Misawa soon!

"It was definitely a disappointment to know that I have to wait an extra year, but the good thing is, it was postponed (and) not cancelled. When you love what you do and play a sport that you enjoy training for, a year is not that long" - Patrice Dagenais Dagenais and Perkins were recently interviewed by SportsOttawa.com / Ottawa Sportspage - to read the article click below

It's National Coaches Week! We'd like to say #ThanksCoach to all our dedicated coaches who provide mentorship, support, and opportunities for our athletes. Do you have a coach who you want to thank? Let us know in the comments!

Our #CoachesWeek celebrations continue with a special shoutout to our amazing #wheelchairrugby coaches! The amazing leadership and experience you teach to ath...letes, both on and off the court, makes the wheelchair rugby community a truly unique one! Coaches, your tireless efforts are noticed, and deeply appreciated - that is why today we say #ThanksCoach! As #CoachesWeek wraps up, we would like to give a shoutout to ALL the coaches of adaptive sports across Ontario! THANK YOU for all you do to guide, teach, mentor, and grow adaptive sports! Coaches Association of Ontario | Coaching Association of Canada / Association canadienne des entraîneurs | Wheelchair Rugby Canada

It's National #CoachesWeek! We'd like to thank all coaches for their commitment, dedication and vision to growing wheelchair rugby across Canada #ThanksCoach

C'est la #SemaineDesEntraîneurs! Nous voudrions remercier tous les entraîneurs pour leur engagement, dévouement et vision de la croissance du rugby en fauteuil roulant à travers le Canada #MerciCoach

Thrilled to hear that Brandon Perger and Trevor Hirschfield have been announced as recipients of Petro-Canada's Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) Program!

Happy Birthday to a legend, Garett "G" Hickling!

A GREAT opportunity to work with a WONDERFUL Team!

Trevor Hirschfield will be a guest today on Captain's Chat, a weekly Facebook live broadcast hosted by USA Wheelchair Rugby's Joe Delgrave! Tune in at 10 am (PT) / 1 pm (ET) to watch the pair discuss how Trevor got into the sport, his leadership style as a co-captain, AND the fierce rivalry!

A heartfelt message from Wheelchair Rugby Canada to Misawa, Aomori - "We Are All One World" Host Town Project