Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association

Please RSVP your attendance by calling (416)7189 or emailing info@ontwheelchairsports.org

2009-2010 Quest for Gold Athlete Assistance Program

Ontario Card Nominations Cycle 2 Announced!

Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association would like to thank and congratulate the talented athletes who have been nominated for Ontario Cards under the 2009-2010 Quest for Gold Ontario Athlete Assistance Program (OAAP). The athletes nominated were selected using the sport specific selection criteria developed by Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association, approved by its Board of Directors and applied by Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association's Athlete Selection Committees.

Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association congratulates these athletes on their successful performances, and their nomination for Quest for Gold - OAAP funding.

In order to be approved for funding, the above listed athletes must complete an online registration form and Athlete Agreement BEFORE THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010. For information about the online registration process and Athlete Agreements, please contact Lynda Charters, Executive Director (416)426-7189 or lynda@ontwheelchairsports.org.

Athletes who have not been nominated and who wish to appeal this decision can do so by filing an appeal in writing only (Appeals Template) with the Quest for Gold Ontario Athlete Assistance Program Appeals Committee. Appeals must be submitted through regular post, registered mail, in person or by courier and on the form provided. Appeals that are delivered personally or by courier shall be deemed to be received on the date of delivery. Appeals that are delivered by regular post or registered mail shall be deemed to be received three days after the date of mailing. Appeals submitted by e-mail or fax will not be accepted.

Note: Any/all information provided to the Appeals Committee may be shared with the athlete’s PSO by the Appeals Committee.

· Whether or not the PSO/MSO has completed the selection process in accordance with their own published selection criteria and related procedures;

· Whether or not the selection criteria developed and applied by the PSO/MSO were fair, objective, transparent and free from discrimination or conflict of interest.

a) Direct the PSO/MSO to redo the selection process using the correct criteria/process and submit a new list of nominated athletes;

The deadline for athletes to submit appeals to the Appeals Committee is October 26, 2009 for Cycle 1 and February 1, 2010 for Cycle 2.

News Columnists / Mike Strobel

There's no holding him back

Loss of limbs can't kill hoop dreams

By MIKE STROBEL

Last Updated: 25th November 2009, 8:23am

Shayne Smith, left, vows he’ll make the 2012 Paralympic team with the help of coach

Steve Bialowas. Below, Smith, who has lost three limbs to a bacterial infection, hits the court. (Wolf Kutmahorsky photo)

They took another little piece of Shayne Smith the other day. That makes 23 or 24 pieces. "Somewhere around there," says Shayne, 21. The toll to date, since he was a baby, includes: Both legs, most of his left arm and half of his right hand. Not exactly conducive to a basketball career. And the Raptors are worried about Marco Belinelli's sore groin. Yet Shayne Smith has worn Canada's colours on basketball courts from Japan to Paris. And he dreams of the Paralympics team. The latest loss to his shrinking bod is the tip of what's left of his right leg. A surgeon at Sunnybrook levelled it off during an hour-long operation. So Shayne won't be at Variety Village when his Rolling Rebels practise tonight. He's at home near Don Mills and Finch recovering, and fighting withdrawal demons. How many times can a guy wean himself off painkillers without going nuts? "I'm feeling pretty thick right now," Shayne tells me down the line. Let's drift back 13 years. Shayne, 8, wheels into the gym at Variety Village, that east-end refuge for disabled kids. A wheelchair basketball team is practising. Shayne is with his mom, Jo-ann. When the docs told Jo-ann a bacterial infection was eating her baby alive, that he was doomed, she said: Like hell he is. She fought and her tot fought and he grows into a puny kid minus most of his limbs. But full of piss and vinegar. "Can I be on your team?" he asks the coach. Steve Bialowas looks down at the kid. No limbs to speak of. Chunks missing. Five gnarly finger-stumps with which to dribble. A basketball player? "You sure can," says Steve. And so Shayne Smith becomes a basketball player. Success is not overnight. Look at him, people say, he's down to half a hand. You're setting him up to fail. "I don't care if he just wheels up and down the court," Steve replies. "He's on this team. "His mind is set on it and who are we to say he can't?" After four years, the kid scores his first basket. But by 15 he's on the national junior team, at 16 the Ontario men's team. He can dribble with the best, spin the ball like a Harlem Globetrotter, but on half a finger. In Germany earlier this year, he goes eight for 10 from the three-point line -- the same one the pros have -- and created his usual flurry of picks and steals. Eat your heart out, Jay Triano. And you could learn at thing or two from Steve Bialowas -- especially if the Raptors are ever beset by school problems, girl trouble, any woes that come with being a young man in a wheelchair. "My dad wasn't around, so Steve was it," Shayne tells me. His biggest lesson? "That no is never an option." The latest surgery has sorely tested that motto -- and Shayne's dream of going to the Paralympic Games in London in 2012. "But Steve gave me a little talk and when I get through this, I'm gonna train harder than I've ever trained and I'm gonna make that team." I would not bet against him. But here's the rub. In August, Variety Village had to lay off Bialowas, among others, from his admin job. Times are tough, Toots, even at the Village. But Steve, 49, continues to coach, for free. "I've been with some of these kids for a long, long time," he says. "I just can't let that go to waste." Which brings me to my Toronto Sun/Variety Village Christmas Fund. I hope it helpS Steve Bialowas get his job back. I hope we can avert further cuts in staff and programs. Meanwhile, donating to the Christmas Fund could win you: Four luxury box tickets to the Leafs, Raptors or a concert, and other great draw prizes. See Page S20, the back cover of Sports, for details and a coupon. Need any more motivation? Shayne is working on a speaking career. He will call his new business Differently Capable. "Nothing should hold you back," he tells me. "That's my message. "I figure if I can shoot 80% from the floor with half a hand, surely you can get up and go to work with a smile on your face."

STROBEL'S COLUMN RUNS WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY, AND SUNDAY. MIKE.STROBEL@SUNMEDIA.CA OR 416-947-2265

Please Click on the link below to view the Quest for Gold Selection Criteria for Wheelchair Athletics to be used in the selection of athletes for the Quest For Gold Athlete Assistance Program.

Please Click on the link below to view the Quest for Gold Selection Criteria for Wheelchair Tennis to be used in the selection of athletes for the Quest For Gold Athlete Assistance Program.

2009-2010 Quest for Gold Athlete Assistance Program

Cycle 1 - Ontario Card Nominations Announced!

Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association congratulates these athletes on their successful performances, and their nomination for Quest for Gold - OAAP funding.

In order to be approved for funding, the above listed athletes must complete an online registration form and Athlete Agreement BEFORE MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009. For information about the online registration process and Athlete Agreements, please contact Lynda Charters, Executive Director (416)426-7189 or lynda@ontwheelchairsports.org.

Note: Any/all information provided to the Appeals Committee may be shared with the athlete’s PSO by the Appeals Committee.

· Whether or not the PSO/MSO has completed the selection process in accordance with their own published selection criteria and related procedures;

· Whether or not the selection criteria developed and applied by the PSO/MSO were fair, objective, transparent and free from discrimination or conflict of interest.

a) Direct the PSO/MSO to redo the selection process using the correct criteria/process and submit a new list of nominated athletes;

The deadline for athletes to submit appeals to the Appeals Committee is October 26, 2009 for Cycle 1

for CYCLE 1 Sports - Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting and Wheelchair Rugby

Please Click on the link below to view the Quest for Gold Selection Criteria for Wheelchair Basketball to be used in the selection of athletes for the Quest For Gold Athlete Assistance Program.

Please Click on the link below to view the Quest for Gold Selection Criteria for Powerlifting to be used in the selection of athletes for the Quest For Gold Athlete Assistance Program.

Please Click on the link below to view the Quest for Gold Selection Criteria for Wheelchair Rugby to be used in the selection of athletes for the Quest For Gold Athlete Assistance Program.

Selection Criteria for CYCLE 2 Sports - Athletics and Wheelchair Tennis will be posted no later than October 30, 2009.

The 2009-2010 Membership Form is now available. Please visit the Membership section of the website for details. Membership forms are available through online registration and hard copy. All memberships are valid from April 1st, 2009 -March 31, 2010.

OWSA is very proud to announce that we have launched a wheelchair sports online video library. This will allow members to watch full-video of Provincial Teams in action at National Championships and other competitions. Currently, the video library contains OWSA's Coaching Tool Kit with in-depth video teaching coaching basics, sample drills, and basic strategy. Just click on the sport and choose what program you would like to view the video in (media player, quick time, or flash). Please make sure to visit the library and let us know your thoughts. We will keep everyone updated as we continue to add videos.

2009-2010 Quest for Gold Athlete Assistance Program

Ontario Card Nominations Cycle 2 Announced!

There's no holding him back

2009-2010 Quest for Gold Athlete Assistance Program

Cycle 1 - Ontario Card Nominations Announced!