How did you get your start and become recognized in wheelchair basketball?
Ask Team Canada – Marni Abbott-Peter
“I was introduced to wheelchair sports in GF Strong Rehabilitation Center in Vancouver shortly after I had sustained my spinal cord injury. I met Rick Hansen and he told me all about wheelchair sport, the Paralympic games, and about all of the opportunities that were still available to me even though I had a permanent injury and could no longer walk.
I started out swimming competitively and went to the Para Pan Am games in 1986. That is where I first saw wheelchair basketball being played at the international level. There, I met some of the girls and the coach, and was encouraged to try it. I really liked it and I loved the idea of being back in a team sport. Coach Tim Frick took over the Women’s National Team around then and let me know all of the things I would need to do in order to become good enough to try out for Team Canada.
I would say that the thing that helped me decide that this was what I wanted to do was my first international experience as a basketball player in 1992 at the Paralympic games in Barcelona.
“In 1991 I made the National Team and went on to play for 14 years. It was an awesome experience and has allowed me to make a career as a Coach after I retired as a high performance athlete.”
I would say the thing that helped me decide that this was what I wanted to do was my first international experience as a basketball player in 1992 at the Paralympic games in Barcelona. Coach Frick had prepared us very well for the Games and had a plan for every detail of what we needed to do in order to win a Gold medal. We followed the plan and at the end of the tournament we had our Gold medal!
It was amazing to work really hard with a group of talented, dedicated women to accomplish our goal. We went on to establish a record that has been unmatched by any team in the world since then. I am so lucky to have been a part of it. Coach Frick was a huge influence on me as an athlete and as a person and has continued to be a great mentor and friend.”
– Marni Peter-Abbott, former National Team player and coach