“There’s always something in my life I can improve on both on and off the Queen of court,” she says. “My mom taught me that. I try to never take anything for PODIUM granted. My mom is definitely my hero,” she smiles. Tracey’s mom always The Great One • Patrick Anderson encouraged her to go after her dreams. Tracey has taken her mom’s excellent advice and made it her life’s He is the Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby of his the Court motto. “Find something you love and do it. Rise to the challenge sport. Canada’s Patrick Anderson is the greatest and you will never be disappointed.” It sure has worked for Tracy. wheelchair basketball player of all time. That’s Wheelchair Basketball Among many awards and trophies, she has been honoured by the what his teammates and his opponents say. But Tracey YMCA with a Young Woman of Distinction Award. In 2012 she was not only that, he’s an awesome role model inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame and received the A Slam Dunk Ferguson prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal which is given and ambassador for his sport. He shoots. He scores. Nope… Not hockey. to Canadians with great achievements. Patrick has led Canada’s wheelchair basketball team to Wheelchair bas- Wheelchair Basketball is a really cool sport three Paralympic gold medals at the last four Paralympic Games, including champions in London in 2012. And at too. Spins, skids and spills, it’s fast action ketball champion Tracey Ferguson is Play by the Rules the Games that the team didn’t win gold – Beijing 2008 – and Canada’s men’s and women’s teams are they came oh so close, winning silver. always amazing to watch. the Queen of the Wheelchair Basketball plays on the same-sized court with the same hoop height as the stand-up game. The rules are nearly the same. Wheelchair Court. She competed in Like many Canadian kids growing up, Patrick loved Wheelchair Basketball was invented to help rehabili- players have to throw or bounce the ball after every two pushes of their playing ice hockey and other sports. But when he was tate soldiers with spinal cord injuries after World War her sixth Paralympic Games in London. wheels or be penalized for “traveling”. nine he was struck by a drunk driver and lost both of II. Today, the sport is played competitively by more That’s incredible! his legs below the knee. He had to find a new sport than 25,000 wheelchair athletes in 90 countries around the world. Thousands more play and quickly discovered wheelchair basketball which allowed him to lthough Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball team didn’t make in clubs and schools for fun and friendships. There are even professional wheelchair take his natural athletic ability and tenacity to the court. basketball leagues in Europe. the Paralympic podium 2012, they’ve won three gold medals and one bronze over the past five Paralympic Games before the London But basketball isn’t his only passion. Patrick loves music too. He What’s really cool about the game is that anyone can play. You don’t need to have A Games. Lingo Lesson wants his next career to be in music... he wants to be a profes- a disability to join in. All that you need is a wheelchair, even a borrowed one! That sional musician. And he’s been working hard at that too, studying It’s a very competitive sport and that’s what Tracey loves most about it. “It’s an in•clu•sion Removing barriers that prevent someone makes it a “slam dunk” sport for basketball-loving families and fanatics. music at a college in New York City. “Whether I’m the best player incredibly demanding sport, both mentally and physically,” she stresses. “And the from joining or participating in something they want to do. in the world or not, I take pride in playing like it or trying to play fact that it’s a team sport is very rewarding. It’s not just one person out there. The It can be on sports teams or in classrooms or anywhere in like it,” Patrick explains. “I want to live up to that and I’m very team needs to rely on each member to be successful.” our communities. It’s about accepting others’ differences grateful that people appreciate my game.” and abilities so everyone can live life to the fullest. Did You Know? Tracey admits though that wheelchair basketball is an odd fit for her. She grew up playing street hockey and dreamed of one day representing Canada on the ice. After Meet Wheelchair Basketball Wheelchair Basketball is she was paralyzed during a spinal surgery when she was just nine years old she started Want to get connected with Wheelchair Basketball? It’s easy on: dreaming about becoming a competitive swimmer. Her mom took her to Variety Village in Paralympian Cindy Ouellet, the largest wheelchair Toronto, thinking swimming was still to be a reality. “When I got there, I tried out all of the nicknamed The Hornet, in sport in Canada with sports and left swimming to the end,” Tracey remembers. Tracey didn’t know that at that her Super Athlete video at time Variety Village didn’t have a pool. So she tried wheelchair basketball and the rest, as over 2,500 participants Go to www.wheelchairbasketball.ca. www.paralympic.ca/super they say, is history. And she has definitely made history, going on to win six Paralympic and Check out some amazing videos on the website’s FanZone too! athletes! across the country. World Championship gold medals and two bronze with Team Canada. 42 .