Congratulations to Team
Canada 02/20/2008
I would like to take a moment and
congratulate the 2008 TEAM CANADA on their performance at this years
World Championships. I know each player personally and know they made a
100% effort as they forged towards the finish. I would also like to tip
my hat off to the coaching and support staff which attended the 2008
World Championships. The dedication and passion that these staff members
have towards there support of the players is second to none. And I am
sure if they could be out on the ice with the players they would have
been. Way to go; well done. I would also like to tip my hat off to the
CCA and moreover Gerry Peckham. It is only with the CCA's vision and
hard work that the athletes and staff can be in pursuit of the dreams to
which they hold. Their never ending efforts to support and secure
funding for the development of our sport have surpassed all expectations
and I am sure will continue to do so in the future.
2008 is only a stepping stone towards 2009 and beyond. Regardless of who
plays for Canada I am sure Canada as a whole will top the podium in our
defence of the Paralympics Gold Medal in 2010.
Chris Daw
Chris was skip of Team Canada from the program's
inception until this season, and now works for the CCA as development
co-ordinator for Discover Curling
The Passing of Rusty Drew
02/11/2008
I was saddened to hear of the passing of
Rusty Drew. He certainly was a pioneer in support of wheelchair curling.
He was very helpful when I was working to establish wheelchair curling
here in Nova Scotia. I want to ensure that this is noted. For many of us
who get great enjoyment from the game it is important to note that the
passing of Rusty Drew leaves a void in the short history of our sport.
Our deepest sympathies to his many family and friends from our program
in Nova Scotia.
Laughlin Rutt
Team USA Wisconsin
give-it-a-go camp 01/07/2008
I just had the pleasure of participating
in a wheelchair curling clinic last Friday put on by the USA Paralympic
curling team. A big thank you goes out to coach Brown and the other
members on the USA Curling Team for introducing me/us to a sport that we
are capable of participating in. It brings a whole new level to the word
handicap. I and others would prefer to think of ourselves as
handicap-able and these competitors emphasize the point with honor.
Thank you and please take along our prayers for success in your
competition in Sweden
Jim Hamre
Old
Boys Network Unacceptable 10/15/2007
I am a legitimate
third year wheelchair curler with 48 years of able bodied curling
experience, having attained moderate success during those years. I
currently curl with the Capital Wheelchair Curling Club in Ottawa.
I was absolutely
astonished and upset when hearing that Jim Armstrong had been added to
the TEAM CANADA pool of curlers. I will never question his previous
successes and experience. I will however question his legitimacy as a
wheelchair curler and the method in which he was chosen as a member of
the TEAM CANADA pool of curlers.
Firstly the WCF rules
for wheelchair curling are very clear with absolutely no ambiguity. As
a matter of fact they were recently changed to guard against this
actual type of situation. It matters not what a Canadian doctor thinks
about the WCF rule and how it is worded and whether they think it is
ambiguous. It is a WCF rule and very clear, at least to most people.
We also must never lose sight of the fact that Jim Armstrong is also a
doctor (dentist). Plain and simple, if you do not use a wheelchair for
daily mobility, then you are not eligible. I ask the CCA to sit back
and take a real honest look at this and please do not bring
embarrassment and shame to the legitimate wheelchair curlers who are
part of the CCA by continuing to pursue Jim Armstrong’s eligibility at
the International level.
The method that was
used, if there actually was one, to chose him as a member of the TEAM
CANADA pool of curlers is a slap in the face to all other legitimate
wheelchair curlers. The members of the TEAM CANADA pool were selected
after attending various tryout camps held in different Canadian
locations or winning the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship held
in Ottawa in April 2007. You see they had to earn their way into that
pool. Why did Jim Armstrong not have to attend a
“tryout” camp and be selected on his skill level as a wheelchair
curler like everyone else? I hear there is some feeble whimpering out
there in an effort to wiggle out of this predicament by saying Jim
Armstrong may be used as a coach or adviser to the TEAM CANADA
legitimate wheelchair curlers. I do not know Jim Armstrong’s coaching
back ground. I do know that at the National level a team can not
attend unless they have a level II coach. I would suspect that at the
International level the requirement/qualification is at least that
high. You do not attain these levels overnight, it takes time. If Jim
Armstrong is not already a qualified coach will the “old boys network”
kick in again to “fast track” him to being a qualified coach? Please
say no!!!
The method in which
Jim Armstrong was selected to the TEAM CANADA pool of legitimate
wheelchair curlers has given the legitimate wheelchair curling
community a black eye. This is not what is needed in this very young
sport. There are many of us who are trying to hone our skills to make
the TEAM CANADA pool of curlers and hopefully the actual team only to
be saddened and discouraged by this type of thing. What is the
incentive? We never curled in two Briers and one Canadian Mixed
championship with the Manager of High Performance for the CCA..... do
we stand a chance.....I suspect not. Those of us who legitimately use
wheelchairs for daily mobility have enough barriers to
overcome......we do not need yet another due to an error in judgement
and the flagrant use of the “old boys network”.
Bruce Cameron (ON)
Related items:
Canada stretching eligibility
for WCF competition?
10/6/2007
Good news for a great guy
10/9/2007
CCA surprised at national
squad flap
10/10/2007
The wheelchair controversy . . .
10/12/2007
"No rule
ambiguity," says WCF 10/13/2007
Wheelchair curling "a
dumping ground"? 10/14/2007
WCF declares
Canadian curler ineligible 10/19/2007
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Wheelchair curling "a dumping ground for those who
can no longer make it in the able-bodied leagues"? 10/14/2007
I have just been made
aware that the Canadian Curling Association is fast-tracking an
able-bodied curler into the wheelchair curling national team program.
This is a very big disappointment and I personally think, a slap in
the face to wheelchair curlers in Canada. The wheelchair curling
program in Canada is growing in leaps and bounds, unlike what the
newspaper article from Alberta states, and the opportunities for
people with disabilities to participate in this great sport are
expanding. By opening the doors to people who do not use wheelchairs
on a daily and regular basis will put the sport at risk. Wheelchair
curling started in Canada in 2001 which means the sport is very new to
the disability community in Canada, but even still, Canada has managed
to perform well internationally in the sport. With it's growing
popularity and the performances of Canada's national teams, more and
more people who use wheelchairs are beginning to take up the sport and
the introduction of an able-bodied curler into the national team
program is a major hurdle put in the way of people with disabilities
by the CCA.
Sport Canada has
developed a detailed policy of supporting people with disabilities in
sport and the long-term athlete development program which supports
athletes with disabilities in Canada. Placing an individual without a
disability that doesn't require the use of a wheelchair on a daily
basis in the pool of athletes for the national "wheelchair" curling
team does not support the policy of long-term athlete development. A
person with bad knees is not a person who uses a wheelchair full
time. In fact, Canada has a growing field of stick curlers who are
made up of people who have bad knees, bad backs and other ailments
that prevent them from continuing to curl in the traditional way. I
would suggest that Mr. Armstrong look at this opportunity as a way to
get back to the sport he so dearly loves, rather than taking away an
opportunity for a person who uses a wheelchair to take part on the
national team. I am certain that Mr. Armstrong's ability as a curler
are excellent, however, qualifying him as a curler with a significant
mobility disability is in question. The fact that the CCA is pursuing
the possibility of Mr. Armstrong's participation on the national team
will leave many disabled curlers feeling like the sport will become
one of a dumping ground for those who can no longer make it in the
able-bodied leagues. At this point, there is no classification system
that exists for people who do not use a wheelchair full time and until
that time, Mr. Armstrong, or any other player that does not use a
wheelchair full time should not be considered as a national team
player.
I am a wheelchair
curler and would very much like to play on the national team. I have
not been curling long, but have been working very hard to improve my
skills and get to a point where I might be considered in the pool of
national team players. The reason for my writing this letter now is
to voice my concern about the precedent that is being set by including
Mr. Armstrong in the pool of talented curlers that exist in Canada.
This course of action will open the doors for other people to take
spots away from other people who actually use wheelchairs on a daily
basis. Those of us who use wheelchairs do not have the luxury of
moving from one curling rink to the next and moving from one team to
the next as able-bodied curlers can. Our options are limited and we
do not appreciate it when our opportunities are removed from us by
people who are being short sighted and looking for the win and not the
development of athletes.
I have the following
questions:
Will the CCA continue
to challenge or change the rules of wheelchair curling, going for a
win at all costs?
What is stopping the
CCA from continuing to search out more and more able bodied curlers
with bad knees to curl from wheelchairs?
Has the CCA forgotten
that an all disabled wheelchair team won the gold medal at the 2006
Paralympics?
While Mr. Armstrong
is excited about the possibility of being able to curl again, I wonder
if he has thought this through entirely. Does he see himself as being
in the same boat as people with disabilities who use wheelchairs on a
regular basis? I certainly hope not. While there is no denying Mr.
Armstrong's issues with chronic pain and his limitations in his
ability to walk his dogs or go for a stroll in the park - the fact of
the matter is Mr. Armstrong is not a person with a permanent
disability that requires him to use a wheelchair on a fulltime basis.
Every player on the national team is a person who uses a wheelchair on
a fulltime basis and does not have the option of getting up and
walking away at the end of draw! These athletes have also worked very
hard to get to where they are. I would wager that if you asked each
of those athletes and any other athlete that is participating in this
sport, they would say that Mr. Armstrong does not qualify as a
wheelchair curler. Again, there is no denying Mr. Armstrong's ability
and experience when it comes to curling - but his contribution to the
sport may be best used as a coach or advisor. Unfortunately, Mr.
Armstrong is in a position to be front and centre regarding this
situation. But this discussion needs to occur. Opening the door to
his participation on the national team will be precedent setting and
will result in further elimination of opportunities to people with
disabilities in the sport of wheelchair curling.
I would encourage the
CCA to consult with wheelchair curlers about this situation, and not
make this kind of decision independent of the athletes they are
supposed to represent.
Most wheelchair
curlers, and people without disabilities, that I have spoken to about
this situation think it will jeopardize people's chances to
participate in this sport and see it as another barrier to inclusion
for individuals with disabilities.
Collinda Joseph (ON)
Related items:
Canada stretching
eligibility for WCF competition?
10/6/2007
Good news for a great guy
10/9/2007
CCA surprised at national
squad flap
10/10/2007
The wheelchair controversy . . .
10/12/2007
"No rule
ambiguity," says WCF 10/13/2007
Old
Boys Network Unacceptable 10/15/2007
WCF declares Canadian
curler ineligible 10/19/2007
Add your comments.
Email
eric@wheelchaircurling.com and please indicate whether they are for
publication.
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