THE ROOKIE SENSATION
Who Tess Routliffe
Hometown Caledon, Ontario
Claim to fame Didn’t swim competitively until three years ago now she’s one of Canada’s breakout stars, winning six medals at the Can Am Para-Swimming Championships in March and a silver at the IPC World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, last month.
Quotable “[Team Canada] gave me a different look at things. I was training to be better than other people instead of just trying to be the best I can be. That gives you confidence. It reassures you that you can do it and that if you put everything out there, good things will happen.”
Tennis Canada
THE HOMETOWN FAVE
Who Joel Dembe
Hometown Toronto, Ontario
Claim to fame Canada’s highest-ranked wheelchair tennis player. He was all set to hang up his racquet, but the lure of Parapan Am in his own backyard was irresistible. He plans to make the most of it and has an outside shot at silver or bronze.
Quotable “I figured I could go out in a blaze of glory.”
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
THE VETERAN
Who Bo Hedges
Hometown Fort St. John, British Columbia
Claim to fame He’s co-captain of the defending Paralympic gold medallists, but his success didn’t come easily. The 35-year-old didn’t make the national team until he was 27 and has been on Team Canada for eight years now. It took moving to where the top-flight competition was – first to Vancouver’s Douglas College and then the University of Alabama for some NCAA Division One experience.
Quotable “For us it’s all about teamwork. We’ll be looking to play all 12 guys on our team and really wear the other teams down over a 40-minute game.”
THE ONE WHO CAN DO IT ALL
Who Jillian MacSween
Hometown Halifax, Nova Scotia
Claim to fame A natural at goalball. Take bowling and dodgeball, put them on a volleyball court and mix them with foosball and you have goalball, which is played by blind athletes. MacSween was a key participant in the gold-medal-winning squad at the 2011 IBSA World Championships that earned Canada a berth at the 2012 Paralympics.
Quotable “When I first started playing, it was terrifying knowing I couldn’t see at all and someone would be throwing a ball as hard as they could and my objective was not to get out of the way.”
THE HUMBLE SUPERSTAR
Who Zak Madell, aka “The Kid”
Hometown Okotoks, Alberta
Claim to fame Blue-collar humility also, he’s the youngest wheelchair rugby athlete to make the London 2012 Paralympic team, which won silver, after taking up the sport less than a year earlier. He’s been making an impression ever since, winning MVP honours at the world championships.
Quotable “I believe Canada is quite capable of being the best team in the world, and we’re hoping to prove that in Toronto.”
news@nowtoronto.com | @Broverman
