(Edmonton, Alta.) The top junior wheelchair basketball players in the country will be competing at the Saville Community Sports Centre March 28-30 when the Alberta Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball Society co-hosts the 2014 Junior National Championship. The tournament features the top junior provincial teams from across Canada and acts as the seeding tournament for the 2015 Canada Games.
Spectators and local media can catch a glimpse of the next generation of up-and-coming star athletes with and without disabilities, showcasing why wheelchair basketball is amongst the most popular and inclusive sports featured at the Canada Games; a gateway for future Olympians and Paralympians. Team Alberta features eight returning players from the 2011 Canada Games and eight Edmonton area athletes, including 2012 Wheelchair Basketball Canada Junior Athlete of the Year Alarissa Haak and Helaina Cyr of Sherwood Park, Alta., who have also played for Team Canada. Team Alberta head coach Darrell Nordell is an assistant coach with the London 2012 Paralympic gold medal-winning Sr. Men’s National Team.
Team Alberta will open the tournament March 28 at 10:45 a.m. MST against Quebec, followed by their featured game against Team B.C. (the top ranked team out of Western Canada) at 5:45 p.m. MST where Mr. David Dorward, MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar, will conduct the ceremonial tip-off ahead of the game. Everything will wrap on Sunday March 30 with the gold medal game slated for 11 a.m. MST.
All thirteen-tournament games will be webcast live through www.sportscanada.tv.
What: 2014 Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championship
- Team Alberta competes for title of Junior National Champion and seeding position for the 2015 Canada Games
Who:
- Local athletes (born on January 1, 1991 or later), including Alarissa Haak and Helaina Cyr of Sherwood Park, who have competed for Team Canada; as well as other Team Alberta members
- Team Alberta head coach Darrell Nordell (an assistant coach with the London 2012 Paralympic gold medal-winning Sr. Men’s National Team)
- Mr. David Dorward (MLA Edmonton-Gold Bar) to conduct ceremonial tipoff.
When: Friday March 28-30, 2014
- Featured game (Alberta vs BC) and opening ceremonies March 28 at 5:45 p.m. MST
- Gold medal game March 30 at 11:00 a.m. MST
Where: Saville Community Sports Centre – 11610 – 65 Ave, Edmonton, Alta.
Media Contact: please contact Jody Kingsbury, Wheelchair Basketball Canada Marketing & Communication Manager at jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca or 613-851-2337.
About Team Alberta
Team Alberta won gold the first time wheelchair basketball was featured at the Canada Games in 1995. Most recently they were the youngest team to compete at the 2011 Canada Games were they finished eighth. Former program athletes including Chad Jassman and Tara Feser, as well as Ross Norton and Karla Tritten (now assistant coaches with Team Alberta) have gone on to win Paralympic and World Championship gold medals with the Senior National Teams.
About the Alberta Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball Society
(ANL) is a registered charity that provides wheelchair basketball programming and HiLights school programs to Northern and Central Alberta. Founded in 1976, the Alberta Northern Lights have been world leaders in the development of wheelchair basketball and its athletes – both at the recreational and elite levels.