BC Cleans Up at CWSA Awards At the recent CWSA Award Banquet in Winnipeg, several BCWSA members were honoured for their contribution to the wheelchair sports community. Congratulations to Michelle Stilwell who was named Female Athlete of the year; Marni Abbott-Peter, who received the Rick Hansen Award; Nancy Harris, who received the Dr. R.W. Jackson Award; Peter Lawless, who won the Stephen Dubuc award for excellence in coaching; and James Hustvedt, who won the Stan Stronge Memorial Award. Kathy Newman was also honoured for her 30 years of service. Learn the Basics of Wheelchair Rugby Learn wheelchair rugby in a fun, supportive environment from one of the sport's creators, Duncan Campbell, and provincial team member Byron Green. Sessions will from from 6 - 8 pm at the GF Strong gymnasium beginning Sept. 22nd. To register, call 604-333-3539 or email Duncan at duncancampbell@cwsa.ca. For more info, check out the poster. BCWSA Athletes Shine at 2011 Western Canada Summer Games Congratulations to all of our athletes at the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games. Tristan Smyth won gold medals in all three of his events, tennis athletes Pat Ryan and Mika Ishikawa swept all of their tennis events, Djami Diallo won a silver and a bronze, and Eddy Solla won a bronze! Keep up the good work! Celebrating BCWSA's 40th Birthday On February 5th, BCWSA marked 40 years as an official society. To celebrate, we ran a photo contest and released the top 40 BC wheelchair sports stories from the past 40 years in our "40 Years. 40 Stories. 40 Days" initiative. Check out the "40 Years. 40 Stories. 40 Days." blog or our Facebook page. Athletics Canada's 2010 Award Michelle Stilwell wins Athletics Canada's 2010 Award as Outstanding Para-Athlete of the Year in Wheelchair Events - more BC Shines At the CWSA Awards Night Several members of the BC wheelchair sports community were honoured recently at the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association Awards. The awards, which recognize the excellence of athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers in Canada's wheelchair sports community, were held in Ottawa on Dec 4th following the CWSA Annual General Meeting. BCWSA's successful hosting of the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships netted it several honours. The organizing committee won the Rick Hansen award, which is given yearly to an organization or individual that advances the growth and development of wheelchair sports. As Chair of the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships Society, Laurel Crosby's dedication to the event - not to mention the $15,000 she raised at the silent auction - earned her the Volunteer of the Year award. The BC Breakers provincial women's wheelchair basketball team was also celebrated. This May, the Breakers beat the six-time champion Edmonton Inferno to capture their first national championship. The team was named Team of the Year and their coach, Cheryl Corrigan, also received the Stéphan Dubuc Memorial Award for coaching excellence. Parksville's Trevor Hirschfield received the final award of the night when he won the Male Athlete of the Year Award. This year, Trevor has established himself as one of the best 1.0 athletes in the world. He was named to the All Star team at both this year's 2010 Coloplast Canadian Wheelchair Rugby National Championships and the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships. To view video clips of the awards presentations, please visit www.youtube.com/WheelSportsCanada. Former Canadian Sr. Women's Wheelchair Basketball Coach Tim Frick honoured with Geoff Gowan Award for Lifetime Achievement - Read More (152k pdf) BCWSA and Sport BC can help reduce your travel costs Through an arrangement with Sport BC, all BCWSA members, clubs and teams are now eligible to receive preferred rates on: Room rentals with Sandman Hotels, Inns and Suites across Canada Car rentals with Avis Rent-A-Car in Western Canada Not only is this a great way for you to save on travel costs, it's also a way for you to contribute to BCWSA because BC Wheelchair Sports will receive 5% on the total value of all bookings made using our special code! Here's how it works: Sandman Agreement When making reservations with Sandman Hotels, just quote the BC Wheelchair Sports booking code "BCWS" which entitles you to the Best Available Rate (BAR). The earlier you book in advance, the cheaper the rate will be. Avis Rent-A-Car Agreement When making a reservation with Avis Rent-A-Car, please use the Sport BC Avis Worldwide Discount Number (AWD#): S497200. This code can be used by anyone at any time, and will enforce a price ceiling that you can be charged for the rental, including during peak seasons. If the advertised price is lower than the price associated with this code, you will be charged the cheaper of the two. More information SIRC News