The Latest:
05.15.12 Adult Wheelchair Tennis Taster Session This Sunday
It looks like the nice weather is finally here and that means that the rugby and basketball seasons are over. You may be asking yourself "What do I do now?". It just so happens that MWSA has forged a partnership with Norwood Community Center and an adult Wheelchair Tennis program will start by running a taster session this Sunday from 9.30 am till 11.00 am. The program will be led by Sam Unrau, an athlete that has represented Manitoba in the most recent Western Canada Summer Games and he has a wealth of experience, so feel free to ask him any questions. Bring your chair, a racquet if you have one and look out for Sam to sign up and get swinging! See you Sunday.
05.09.12 Why get involved with MWSA
05.03.12 Three Manitobans Heading to London's Paralympics
Joey Johnson, Jared Funk and Bill Johnson are in their preparation phases for the Paralympics this summer in London, England. Joey is heading into an incredible fifth Paralympics as an athlete for Wheelchair Basketball, Jared is also going for a remarkable fifth appearance as an athlete in Wheelchair Rugby and Bill is also participating in his third games and this time being the Head Coach for the Women's Wheelchair Basketball team. We are quite lucky to have three world class performers coming from our humble province of Manitoba and we will keep you updated on the movements, hopes and expectations for the games that are only 118 days away! Good luck to the guys for their final preparations.
05.03.12 Check out "The Pitbull' from one of the Canadian Paralympic Promotional Videos
http://paralympic.ca/en/Super-Athletes/The-Pit-Bull.html
05.02.12 Team Canada Women's Wheelchair Basketball to Centralize in Winnipeg
Preparation for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London will see 14 of Canada's top female wheelchair Basketball players call Winnipeg home leading into the Paralympic Games Under the direction of head coach Bill Johnson the athletes will mental and physically prepare for what they are hoping is a podium finish at the 2012 Paralympic games.
05.01.12 Wheelchair Basketball Coach Named 2012 Mb Lotteries Coach of The Year
MWSA is thrilled to announce that on April 30, 2012 Bill Johnson, MWSA wheelchair Basketball coach was the recipient of the 2012 Manitoba Lotteries Male Coach of the Year. This award comes just two weeks after Bill was recognized as the 2012 Peter Williamson Coach of the Year (high Performance) at the 2012 Coaching Manitoba Excellence Awards.
MWSA would like to not only congratulate Bill on this prestigious award but thank him for his years of service and dedication to the sport of Wheelchair Basketball at the community, provincial and national levels.
We would also like to wish Bill good luck as he leads the Canadian Women's Wheelchair Basketball team into the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
To View Bills profile CLICK HERE
04.29.12 Team Manitoba Wheelchair Rugby claim Bronze in B Division
Congratulations to our Rugby team who have claimed the bronze medal in the B Division at the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Nationals in Montreal this weekend. The team started out with a comfortable 48-21 win against New Brunswick, followed up with good game but a lose against Alberta. They took the Bronze medal this afternoon and that puts a successful end to there season. The spring and summer will see the team pushing to find new recruits for next season and hone their skills ready to defend their title. Great job guys!
If you would like to watch their games online please follow the following link;
http://sports.tvgo.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=985%3Adefi-sportif-2011&catid=52%3Achaines&Itemid=159
04.25.12 MWSA Wheelchair Basketball Coach nominated for Manitoba Lotteries Male Coach of the Year
MWSA is proud to announce that wheelchair basketball coach Bill Johnson has been nominated as a 2012 Manitoba Lotteries Male Coach of the Year. Bill who is one of three finalists for the award will attend the 2012 Annual Night of Champions on April 30, 2012. MWSA would like to congratulate Bill on his accomplishments as both a provincial and national coach and wish him all the best of luck with his nomination.
04.24.12 Notice of AGM
MWSA will be holding the Associations Annual General Meeting on Wednesday June 13, 2012 for more information click here
To view the agenda for the AGM click here
04.16.12 MWSA Wheelchair Basketball coach Bill Johnson Winner of the 2012 Peter Williamson Memorial Award
The Manitoba Wheelchair Sport Association would like to congratulate long time volunteer, athlete, board member and coach Bill Johnson as he was honored on Sunday at the Coaching Manitoba Excellence Awards for his hard work and dedication in coaching at the high performance/International level of competition. Bill was the recipient of the 2012 Peter Williamson Memorial Award. This was Bills second nomination in this category and third nomination at the event. Click here for more info
04.11.12 Starting this Sunday the 15th of April...
Bringing some exciting news for all Rugby and Basketball players, coaches, families or if you just want to have some fun and exercise... Starting this Sunday, the 15th of April, MWSA is hosting a recreational '3 on 3' league for Wheelchair Basketball from 11am-12.30pm at the Joe Doupe gym in the Brodie Centre at the Health Science facility. Wheelchair Rugby will the take over from 12.30pm-2pm so drop in at your convenience and play some fun filled sports and learn about our amazing sports. The recreation sessions run every Sunday ending on the 13th of May so don't miss out on this great opportunity. For more information please contact mwsa.proco@sportmanitoba.ca.
04.10.12 CMEA Finalists Announced
03.30.12 Have A Go SHILO: RESCHEDULED
03.28.12 Manitoba Wheelchair Basketball Athlete Joey Johnson leaving RSV Lahn-Dill after 9 seasons
Click Here to read the article
03.05.12 MURDERBALL CLASSIC CANCELLED
Unfortunately the tournament has been cancelled. Information will be available shortly.
01.31.12 Coming To Courts Near You...Wheelchair Tennis!
MWSA is currently partnering with Tennis Manitoba to set up and develop an opportunity for the community to play Wheelchair Tennis. All you need to play wheelchair tennis is a friend, a racquet a few balls and head down to you local court, weather permitting of course! The beauty of wheelchair tennis is that you can play with your able bodied friends or family as well as other wheelchair tennis players. Under the rules of tennis wheelchair players are permitted two bounces and the able bodied players one bounce and when simply practicing you can play to your own rules to suit the standard of the players.
There will be information to come soon as to where and when you can come play this great sport.
01.31.12 Next Have-A-Go Date
February 8th see's our next 'Have-A-Go' day from 2-4 pm at the Joe Doupe Center in the basement of the University of Manitoba's Bannatyne Campus downtown. It is a safe place to come and try out our basketball and rugby chairs and see how easy it is to move around and be active. There is usually and athlete or two to come and talk to and ask any questions you may have about sports in wheelchairs or even life in a chair.There is no pressure to do anything, but if you are at all curious come and join us and meet other people adjusting to life in a wheelchair. See you on the 8th!
01.30.12 'Have A Go' Coming To SHILO
Tuesday the 21st of February see's our first Bridging the Gap, Have A Go programme out at CF Shilo. The programme runs from 1.30-4.30pm and participants will have the opportunity to play basketball, rugby and tennis. Come and try out the chairs, play some games and spread the word about wheelchair sports. Bring a yourself, bring a friend, bring your family and let's make it a great event. See you on the 21st!
01.26.12 First Jamboree of 2012 a Success!
Sunday the 22nd of January saw a great time had by all in attendance. Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby were on offer for all to try out and experience first hand. Thank you to everyone involved in making the day what it was and a special thank you to the staff at the Youth For Christ Center. An amazing facility which we hope to utilise in the future. More info and pictures to follow shortly.
01.18.12 Canada'a Senior Women's Wheelchair Basketball Heading to Winnipeg
Great news for Manitoba...the Canadian Senior Women's Basketball Team, coached by Winnipeg's own Bill Johnson, announced Tuesday it will centralize in Winnipeg this spring and released its preliminary roster of 14 players.
The women's team, will be cut to 12 for the London games, will be based in Winnipeg beginning on June 4th.
The 12 senior men's wheelchair basketball team's roster was also announced and it includes brother of Bill, Joey Johnson.The senior men's team is the defending Paralympic silver medalists and is looking for it's third gold medal and forth consecutive podium finish in London.
The senior women's team last medalled at the Paralympics in 2004 where it took home the bronze, a fourth concutive Paralympic podium finish which included an unprecedented three consecutive gold medal finishes in 1992,1996 and 2000.
We look forward to hosting the women's team and wish them a successful preparation for the 2012 games.
01.16.12 Joey Johnson heading for London 2012 Paralympics
MWSA would like to congratulate Joey Johnson on making the final selection to Wheelchair Basketball Canada's Senior Men's squad for the London 2012 Paralympics, making it an incredible fifth visit to the games.
Having already had a dominating domestic, international and Paralympic career with a gold medal from the Sydney games, a gold medal from the Athens games and a silver medal from the Beijing games, Joey is looking to make it a hat trick of gold medals in London to top off his career.
We wish Joey and the rest of his Team Canada teammates, the best of luck in their preparation for the games and the tournament itself, you have Manitoba behind you, good luck!
01.16.12 Save the Date Jan 22nd MWSA Jamboree
The 22nd of January see's the first Jamboree of 2012 to be held at the Youth for Christ Centre in Winnipeg, MB. The event opens with registration at 930 am and runs throughout the day till 3 pm and you can come try out our three sports of wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. Come and talk to some of our athletes and learn about them, the sport they love and be coached by some of the top players in the country.
There is a $10 dollar registration fee and participants with receive insurance coverage, lunch with drinks and also a t-shirt to remember the day. Feel free to drop in whenever you get a chance and don't miss out on an action packed, fun filled day. See you on the 22nd!
12.06.11 Seasons Greetings from the new Program Coordinator!
Season`s greetings indeed on this chilly December morning! I`d like to take a moment to introduce myself to our membership and to let you know a little about me and my position.
My name is Sally Kaznica and originally I am from Felixstowe, England. I came to Winnipeg back in 1999 on a Sport and Academic scholarship at the University of Winnipeg and spent the following five years playing basketball for the Wesmen and getting my B.A. in Kinesiology and Psychology When my career ended here I played professionally in Europe for the next five years and after retiring from the sport I moved back to Winnipeg, got married and finally became a permanent resident.
My position at MWSA is to run, plan and organise the `Bridging the Gap` program along side the existing MWSA programs. I am very passionate about sports and leading an active life and can`t wait to be involved in our community. I have already met with some very inspirational people and look forward to connecting with as many of the membership that I can.
I would also like to thank MWSA for this great opportunity and if anyone has any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me, I look forward to meeting you in person.
Merry Christmas!
12.06.11 Team TOBA Rugby are heading to Edmonton this weekend
Our Team Toba Rugby guy`s are making their way over to Edmonton this weekend to play in the `Capital City Showdown`at Amiskwaciy Academy from the 9th to the 11th of December. Their first game is on Friday at 6.30 pm against Team Saskatchewan followed by a tough schedule on Saturday starting at 11 am with back to back games against the host team Edmonton Steel Wheels and then Calgary Inferno. Sunday`s action see`s the top four teams battling it out early with the first game at 9.30 am followed by the last game at 10.30 am.
Best of luck to the guys and we will have updates for you over the weekend and early next week.
10.19.11 MWSA HAVE- A-GO DAYS A GREAT PLACE TO TRY A NEW SPORT!
WHAT IS A HAVE-A-GO DAY?
Our "Have a Go" days offer a variety of different sports for participants to sample in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Current wheelchair athletes demonstrate sports and share their stories of getting involved and being physically active. The focus of the program is to introduce and support continued involvement of individuals with physical disabilities in wheelchair sports and recreational opportunities, promoting an active, healthy lifestyle and improved quality of life.
Our Program are an opportunity for people to try out different sports at a recreational level Each week, a sport is selected based on the participants in attendance.
Have-A-Go days are held at the Joe Dupe Centre 727 McDermot Ave.
Upcoming Have-A-Go days
- October 19, 2011 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
- November 2, 2011 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
- November 16, 2011 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
- November 30, 2011 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM
09.21.11 2011 Wheelchair Rugby Schedule
The 2011 Wheelchair Rugby practice schedule has been announced. All practices will be at the University of Winnipeg and will take place between 9:30 PM and 11:00 PM.
For more information please call 925-5790
05.20.11 MWSA Notice of AGM
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The Manitoba Wheelchair Sport Association will hold its Annual General Meeting on June 22, 2011 at 5:00 PM. the meeting will be held at the Sport For Life Centre 145 Pacific Avenue. Please RSVP your attendance to the meeting through email to mwsa@spotmanitoba.ca
For nomination procedures and forms please CLICK HERE
02.14.11 Heartbreaker for Manitoba
The Manitoba squad fought for a medal today in Halifax against the team from Saskatchewan. Facing off for the bronze medal at 5:00pm, the 2 teams came out in an even fight right to the end where Manitoba's neighbour squeeked through with a 2 point win, 58-56. It has been a tough week for the team from the Keystone Province as their teammate and key player to the team, Kyle Bunskoek has been laying in a hospital in Halifax since Saturday.
Regardless of the finish today, we are proud of each and every team member who has put in their blood, sweat and tears over the past four years to compete at the 2011 Canada Games.
WELL DONE TEAM MANITOBA!!
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Team Manitoba is in the 3rd quarter of a fight with Quebec in the 2nd semi final at the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax. Finishing 2nd in Pool A, the tough crossover presented a big challenge to the team as they are continuing without one of their key athletes, Kyle Bunskoek. Bunskoek was taken to a Halifax hospital's ICU prior to the wheelchair basketball event starting, but has since been moved out of ICU and continues to send well wishes to his team.
The winner of this second semi final will go on to to meet Ontario for gold who defeated Saskatchewan earlier in the day. For more information about the games, please visit: CANADA GAMES RESULTS
For the latest news regarding Kyle Bunskoek, please visit: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/ for a video feed.
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Manitoba finished their Round Robin against a tough Ontario team. The bison squad wrapped up the preliminaries with a 1 and 2 record after being defeated 66-42 this afternoon. The team will push on in the action tomorrow; it has been a tough trip with the best wishes for their teammate, Kyle Bunskoek spending the past 4 days in a Halifax hospital. Our thoughts are with the team and Kyle and we will keep on cheering!!!
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Halifax - Team Manitoba bounced back this afternoon with a commanding win over Nova Scotia 66-37. At the time of this report, the box score had yet to be released; please check the CANADA GAMES RESULTS page for more information later today. Manitoba suits up in their last round robin game of Pool A against a seasoned Ontario team. A win could put our team in contention for a medal. Go Manitoba go!!
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Manitoba basketball player moved out of ICU
Canada Games athlete Kyle Bunskoek (SPORT MANITOBA)
HALIFAX - Team Manitoba says a wheelchair basketball player who became seriously ill at the Canada Winter Games has been moved out of intensive care at a Halifax hospital.
Kyle Bunskoek, 16, of Stonewall was rushed to hospital on Saturday. The nature of the injury hasn't been disclosed but the chief medical officer for the Games said Sunday it is not related to sports and is non-contagious.
Officials initially declined to identify the athlete and the sport he plays, but Team Manitoba said Monday night it now has the permission ofBunskoek's father. Wally Bunskoek said in a release that he is overwhelmed and grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Halifax Infirmary, the Halifax Canada Games Host Society and Team Manitoba for the care his son has received.
"He's been treated like family by people he doesn't know."
After a rescheduling of games to accommodate the needs of the Manitoba wheelchair basketball team, the team played two games in the absence of Bunskoek on Monday, losing 67-50 to P.E.I. before defeating Nova Scotia 66-37.
Bunskoek, who has been competing in wheelchair basketball for three years, is one of four players in the 4.5 class on Team Manitoba. That means he is essentially able-bodied in terms of pushing his wheelchair, catching and throwing.Bunskoek reportedly has a minimal case of cerebral palsy.
The greater the disability, the lower a player’s number. The range is from 0.5 to 4.5.
Each wheelchair basketball team is allowed five players on the court at a time. Combined, their class numbers can’t be more than 15. For example, if there are three 4.5 players on court, the two remaining players can’t total more than 1.5.
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Tough 3rd Quarter for Manitoba in Opening Game
The Manitoba squad took to the court this morning in Halifax to meet Prince Edward Island in the their first game of the 2011 Canada Games. Unfortunately, what appeared to be a tough transition in the 3rd quarter, the Bisons came up short overall having to accept a 67-50 defeat at the hands of PEI. Aaron Moseley-Williams and Jeffrey Watson led the way for Manitoba with 27 and 16 points respectively.
Manitoba now has to dig in and come back fighting as they take on Nova Scotia at 3:00pm today.
For full results, please visit: RESULTS
02.07.11 MWSA Represented at 2011 Canada Games
As Halifax gets ready to showcase their city during the 2011 Canada Games that kick off on February 11th, the Manitoba Wheelchair Basketball team gets ready to showcase their talent and represent Manitoba at the games.
With their coach Mandy Johnson at the helm, the team has been hard at work for the past year preparing to take on the country’s top talents in the sport. Lead by veteran and national team hopeful Aaron Moseley-Williams, this Manitoba Wheelchair Basketball Squad brings enough talent to aim for a medal at the games. Moseley-Williams is joined by teammates Josh Paul, Kyle Bunskoek, Chauntelle Horel, Evan Williams, Shawn Watson, Jeff Watson and late pick up, former University of Winnipeg Wesmen baller, Jess Stromberg. To assist with coaching dutites, Terry Pratt has been added to the roster and Kim Park will manage the team for the 10 days in Halifax.
You can catch the action through the Wheelchair Basketball Canada feed as they have announced their webcast schedule beginning on Sunday, February 13th. For a complete listing, please visit their website: http://wheelchairbasketball.ca/en/content.aspx?id=3399
For further information about the 2011 Halifax Canada Games, please visit: www.2011canadagames.ca.
Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association would like to wish their team the best of luck for the games and will be cheering them on each and every minute. Good Luck!
01.17.11 Winnipeg's Joey Johnson In the News...
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
On The Home Front
Joey Johnson will suit up for Canada again at the Parapan American Games in Mexico. (ANDY WONG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES)
-- Team Canada wheelchair basketball team veteran Joey Johnson of Lorette has once again been selected to represent Canada at the 2011 Parapan American Games Nov. 12-20, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Of the 12 selected, Johnson is among 10 who were members of the team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
The Parapan American Games double as Canada's opportunity to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics, where the team will be shooting for a fourth consecutive podium finish.
"Our quest for another gold-medal finish begins anew," said Team Canada head coach Jerry Tonello in a release. The team was selected following completion of a recent week-long camp in Toronto.
Canada won back-to-back Paralympic gold medals in 2000 and 2004, and have reached the podium at five of the last six consecutive World Championships dating back to 1990.