Wheelchair basketball player Erica Gavel is this week’s guest on #OTP and shares how she went from being a successful stand-up player to an even better wheelchair one. Erica played for the University of Saskatchewan, but after three straight injuries to the same knee, doctors told her she’s never play again. She took the news hard, and turned to partying and let her grades slip. But when a mentor introduced her to wheelchair basketball and told her she had a shot at making Team Canada, everything changed. Fast forward a few years and she not only made that team, but won a silver medal at the ParaPan Am Games and went to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics. She’s now hoping to represent Canada once again at the Toyko Games. Tune in to hear Erica’s story of perseverance and determination, and the advice she has to offer others facing adversity.

Episode topics:

• Suffering three injuries on the same knee during her stand-up basketball career
• Being told by doctors she’ll never play basketball again and the toll it took
• Discovering wheelchair basketball and how it changed her life
• Representing Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Paralympics
• Her piece of advice for others facing adversity

Quote:

“What I like to do is show people how cool, how exciting and how sexy Paralympic sport science and training actually is, and I think the media is doing a really great job of improving the quality of content but also the quantity of Paralympic sport content too.”

-Erica Gavel

Resources:

Guest Info – Erica Gavel

Instagram: @ericagavel

Twitter: @gavelerica

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook