The 14-year-old is set to play in her first CWBL Nationals
Kate Bajema was first introduced to wheelchair basketball last summer; now the Alberta teen is preparing for her second major tournament of the year while hoping to be an option for the Canadian Women’s Under-25 Team.
Bajema was first introduced to wheelchair basketball in July 2022 by family friend and fellow wheelchair basketball athlete Anika Guillaume.
“Anika had been playing for a year already and tried to get me to come out,” Bajema explained. “I just started showing up at summer scrimmage, and then Darrell Nordell met me and was excited about my potential and encouraged me to come out.”
Born with cerebral palsy spastic hemiplegia, which affects her right arm, Bajema has been a regular at Tuesday and Thursday wheelchair basketball practices since last summer.
“I enjoy the opportunity to play with many good wheelchair basketball athletes and meet new people,” she said.
The 14-year-old was a member of Team Alberta that won a silver medal at the recent Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown – the first major tournament of Bajema’s young wheelchair basketball career.
“It was great. I got to play with many good players and meet many new people,” Bajema said. “The highlight was definitely the medal ceremony where we got our silver medals. The other highlight was beating Quebec in the semifinals.”
The Sturgeon County, Alta. native’s performance in P.E.I. earned her an invite to the Women’s Under-25 Camp in Toronto in March, where she was one of 12 athletes showcasing her skills for the U25 team.
“It was great because I had the opportunity to meet lots of new girls from different provinces, and I had a chance to play alongside some great athletes,” Bajema said. “It’s a goal of mine to make it to the summer camp in Vancouver.”
Bajema will cross another first off her list this weekend when she suits up for the Edmonton Inferno at the CWBL National Championship at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, B.C.
“I’m very excited because I’ll see my friends again and compete on a big stage,” she said.
Off the court, the Grade 9 student, also a track athlete, hopes to pursue a career as an occupational therapist.