2023-2024 Membership Renewal
Membership renewals for the 2023-2024 season begin April 1. Please renew your membership today. Membership with SportAbility includes insurance for all registered athletes, volunteers, and officials, and also entitles athletes to attend SportAbility sanctioned events.
Full Membership ($25): Individuals who are pursuing participation in Provincial Team Programs and/or Competitions.
Recreation Membership ($10): Individuals who participate in weekly club or program sessions and compete in regional/provincial tournaments.
Supporter Membership (Free): Individuals who support programs and/or competitions. Any individual having an interest in furthering the object of the Association (eg. coaches, referees, volunteers).
Becoming a member also helps our organization grow and receive funding from the provincial government. If you are not a participant and want to stay connected and help support SportAbility, consider registering for a supporter membership (at no charge) so that we can continue offering adapted sport opportunities across the province. |
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RECAP: Para Hockey Provincials
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The 2023 Para Hockey Provincial Championships took place this past weekend at North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex. This was the first year we incorporated a 3 vs 3 style tournament and skills competition!
Day 1 consisted of the 3 vs 3 tournament, where we saw some great action between the three teams competing in the double round-robin.
Day 2 started off with the skills competition. Athletes competed in 4 categories:
- Fastest skater
- Five-puck shootout
- Two-team relay
- Hardest shot.
The winners of the individual competitions were as follows:
Fastest skater — Matteo Pellizzari; Nicest goal in the five puck shootout — Shae Watson; Hardest shot — Mathew Norris.
Athletes were split into two teams for a 5 vs 5, regular-style game to wrap up the weekend. We would like to thank all of the athletes for attending and our Provincial team coaches, Ken & Gino, for all of their help this weekend. A special thank you to our friends from the south, the Seattle Kraken Para Hockey Team members for joining us this weekend. Always fun to get together!
More photos from the event will be available later this week. Check our socials to stay up to date!
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PLUS: BC Para Hockey players will have a 3 vs 3 demo during the intermission at the Surrey Eagles St Patricks Day game (March 17) against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Get tickets here.
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RECAP: Surrey Eagles Try-It Day
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The Surrey Eagles hockey team joined our athletes to learn how to play Para Hockey!
Thanks so much to all the participants for this fun opportunity — we hope to host many more of these in the future.
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RECAP: Soldier On Allied Winter Sports Camp
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We had a great time at the annual Soldier On Allied Winter Sports Camp last month in Whistler! Check out their photos from the event at the link below.
Participants from Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada Invictus Australia, UK Legion, Wounded Warrior Regiment have once again come together to participate in the Nordic sports —sledge hockey, alpine skiing, snowboarding, bobsledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing! 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇬🇧🇦🇺
This exciting event allows SoldierOn members to use sport as part of their recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration. Thanks everyone for participating, we hope you enjoyed a great time out on the ice!
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Team BC at the Matt Cook Memorial Cup
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Wishing a big good luck to our Para Hockey athletes representing Team BC at the Western Canadian Sledge Hockey tournament: Matt Cook Memorial Cup!
Athletes: Brendon Hurst (Langley), James Gemmell (Quesnel), Jordan Mitchell (Burnaby), Kyle Gieni (Vancouver), Manjot Dhindsa (Surrey), Matteo Pellizzari (Vancouver), Mitchell Garrett (Surrey), Riley Molnar (Vancouver), Stephane Blais (Vancouver), Trent Seymour (Vancouver), Trevor Adelman (Quesnel)
Coaches: Ken Garrett (Surrey) and Gino Pellizzari (Vancouver)
We're excited to see you all in action!
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Canada Winter Games
Congratulations to athletes Matthew Norris and Lily Brook on their successes at the recent Canada Winter Games! Both Matthew and Lily are also para hockey athletes, and we're excited to see the growth in their athletic journeys.
Matthew Norris – Gold Medal in Wheelchair Basketball
Lily Brook – Gold and Silver Medals in Para-Cross Country Skiing
Team Canada Women's Roster
Congratulations to the athletes selected to prepare for the 2023 IPC Women's Para Ice Hockey World Challenge! Special shout out to BC athletes Peggy Assinck and Emily De Boer.
“This was by far the most competitive selection camp our program has ever had. It was a really difficult task to narrow down to our top 20 as everyone improved throughout the 5 days in Montreal,” said head coach, Tara Chisholm.
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Keep an eye on our website as we update program times with Spring season details!
Don’t see an opportunity in a community near you? We are always open to expanding into new communities. Please contact Jade to discuss how.
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Save the Date: Boccia Provincial Camp
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Where: Delta Secondary School
When: April 15, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
April 16, 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Save the date for our Boccia Provincial Camp. More details and registration will be available soon!
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The following programs are still in search of volunteers! Please visit the Volunteer Connector postings below or reach out to Jade for more information.
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Maple Ridge Power Soccer Program Leader
We are seeking program leader(s) to assist with the Maple Ridge Power Soccer program. The program is intended for children and youth who use power wheelchairs.
- The program takes place bi-weekly on Saturdays from 1:00pm – 2:30pm at the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre.
- Spring session dates: April 15, April 29, May 13, May 27, June 10, June 24.
The volunteers will receive mentoring and resources to learn about power soccer and program facilitation. The opportunity to access further coach training opportunities will be available for long-term volunteer commitment to the program. The volunteer will be working with other program leaders to lead the program.
For more information and interest, please contact Jade or visit our Volunteer Connector Posting.
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Victoria Screamers Boccia Club
The Victoria Screamers are looking for volunteers to help with weekly practices.
Practices are Saturdays, 11:00am to 1:00pm at the Colwood Pentecostal Church.
For more information and interest, please Kelly Halpen, President, at +1(250) 744 0251 or at victoriascreamersclub@gmail.com. Drop-Ins to the practice session are also welcome.
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Vancouver Invitational Wheelchair Rugby Tournament
BC Wheelchair Sports Association is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join their team and make the tournament a success as they welcome 10 teams from across Canada and the Pacific Northwest to the Oval.
Various volunteer roles are available, including scorekeeping, food services, transportation, and communications support. Learn more.
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Call for Applications: Technical Committee for Accessible Travel
The Federal Government is accepting applications for the Technical Committee for Accessible Travel. The committee's role is to identify where people with disabilities may face barriers to accessibility in their travel journey using any mode of transportation in the federal system; and develop a national standard or standards that will try to remove or prevent these barriers.
They are specifically seeking people with disabilities and lived experience to be part of this committee. Meetings will be held online. The application period ends April 18, 2023, at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). Learn more and apply.
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Sunset Community Centre Leisure Fair
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Where: Sunset Community Centre, Vancouver
When: Apr 4, 5:30-7:30pm
SportAbility will be participating to help spread the word about community recreational opportunities at this year's Leisure Fair! We encourage people with developmental and/or physical disabilities to come by and learn more about our programs.
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Nordic Racers Ski Club: Skiing is Believing
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Join the Nordic Racers Ski Club for upcoming Skiing is Believing events!
There is one more of these events coming up at Whistler Olympic Park on March 18th.
They will provide ski area passes, ski equipment, coaching and one-on-one support as participants become familiar with Nordic Skiing. They even provide car-pooling or a travel cost subsidy to help with travel to Whistler Olympic Park for these events.
Check out registration at the link below.
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Adaptive Curling Events and Activities
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Join Curl BC for a FREE introduction to deaf, blind, and wheelchair curling at the Vanocuver Curling Club. Equipment and coaching is provided for all particiapnts.
3 upcoming sessions:
- Session 1: March 15th, 2023 @ 12:00pm-2:00pm
- Session 2: March 22nd, 2023 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
- Session 3: March 29th, 2023 @ 12:00pm- 2:00pm
Contact Kim Dennis: kdennis@curlbc.ca or +1(604) 333 3619 for more information.
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Mental Health and Sport Resources
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The Coaching Association of Canada has put together a series of Mental Health and Sport Resources available for anyone to access online.
The CAC's Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub's evidence-based resources help coaches and athletes navigate complex mental illness and mental health challenges with competence and confidence. Learn more and access the resources below!
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