Student athletes at Renfrew Collegiate Institute will get the chance to try a familiar sport from a new perspective.
Teacher and Coach Adam Noack says the school will welcome in the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association for a special workshop during fourth period on Wednesday, which will see students who played basketball for RCI test out the wheelchair version of the sport.
It’s a partnership that Noack says lines up perfectly with the chance for students to get involved with the 2027 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Ottawa.
Noack says Wheelchair Basketball Canada has developed a curriculum that schools like RCI can use to teach the parasport to both able-bodied students and those with mobility issues as they drum up support ahead of the tournament.
He also admits that, as an avid supporter of basketball within the community, he may have taken all of three seconds to get on board when a familiar figure in local sport came calling.
While Noack points out that he’ll be learning the finer aspects of wheelchair basketball alongside his students, he is interested to see the skills and strategies that they adopt during their first time on the court.
As Renfrew is doing more to celebrate and promote parasports like sledge hockey within the community, Noack believes that now is a perfect chance to give wheelchair basketball a platform as well.
(written by Kasey Egan)