The 27-year-old pivoted to coaching last fall and is working on her certification
When Danielle Arbour was initially approached about the idea of playing wheelchair basketball, her first reaction was, “Absolutely not.” Now the St. John’s native is encouraging Newfoundland’s next wave of athletes to try the sport.
Arbour was an athlete assistant coach with Team NL’s wheelchair basketball team at the 2023 Canada Winter Games last month in Charlottetown and is currently working on her national coaching certification.
“Coaching is something that I am interested in,” Arbour said. “I just want to be involved with basketball as much as possible.”
Arbour was born with Spina Bifida, which affects her lower limbs and mobility. She was first introduced to wheelchair basketball in 2011 when she had the opportunity to discuss the sport with Team Canada member David Eng.
Though Arbour was initially hesitant about trying the game, she eventually relented and tried the sport.
“I tried it once, and I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do this just once to make everyone leave me alone’,” Arbour recalled. “I sat in the chair and was like, ‘This is the worst thing I’ve ever done. I’m never coming back.’ For some reason, I just kept returning, and now it’s just something I couldn’t picture my life without.”
Why was Arbour so hesitant from the outset?
“I think, like a lot of people, the idea of being in a parasport was very intimidating, and I didn’t understand what the sport truly was,” she said. “But it’s humbling, not being good at something and being strapped into a chair. So as I kept going back, and everyone encouraged me to go back, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe it’s not too bad,’ and I enjoyed it a lot more as I got better.”
Arbour eventually joined her local Easter Seals program and was part of Team PEI at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. She also represented Canada at the 2015 Women’s Under-25 World Championship in Beijing.
The 27-year-old pivoted to coaching in the fall of 2022 under the guidance of Raeleen Baggs at the Newfoundland & Labrador Wheelchair Sports Association.
Arbour counts Baggs and Todd Hickey as her coaching mentors.
“Todd and Raeleen have played a huge role in my development as an athlete, and they’ve done a lot for me,” Arbour said. “Also, Gary Power – not really in a coaching role, but as close as you can get to it. The three of them have been such core people in my sporting life, and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
While she’s still figuring out her long-term coaching goals, Arbour enjoys working with Newfoundland’s next wave of athletes.
“I think just getting to share my joy for a sport that’s been such a big part of my life for so long and seeing each participant grow,” she said of her favourite part of coaching.
As for her message to new athletes: “Don’t let the intensity intimidate you, and it’s definitely something worth working towards,” said Arbour.
Off the court, Arbour completed her Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a minor in psychology at Memorial University. She currently provides operations and accessibility support for Music NL and is part of the front-of-house staff with Studio Verso in St. John’s.