Quebec wheelchair curling coach wants to see more teams in the province
Though he's pleased with his team's success, coach Alfred Whittier would like to see more competition
The Lennoxville wheelchair curling team has plenty to celebrate. In early April, they'll head off to Regina to compete in the Canadian wheelchair curling championships.
"It's fantastic," says team member and coach Joanne Poulain. "We won our provincials at the end of February here at our club."
But, he adds, there were only three teams competing.
Though he's pleased with his team's success, coach Alfred Whittier would like to see the competition in Quebec get a bit stiffer.
"I'm disappointed because, since [we started] in 2008, we only have three wheelchair curling teams in the province of Quebec: one in Lennoxville, one in Magog, and one in Quebec City. There's none on the island of Montreal."
Whittier says he knows it's not always easy to make a curling club wheelchair-accessible.
"You have to have a club [that] is willing to accept the program, and it has to be accessible. A lot of them are not, and that's the big problem," he says.
Whittier got the idea to bring wheelchair curling to Lennoxville from an American friend.
"At first, we had no accessibility onto the ice. We had to come through the tool shed on a makeshift ramp," he says.
After that, he appealed to friends and connections, and was able to secure some funding and a proper ramp.
For Poulain, wheelchair curling has given her a chance to participate in sports that she never thought she'd have.
"I had a car accident 35 years ago. I have limits with my hands, I'm not very strong, so basketball and other sports were not convenient for me. But curling is nice, I just love it."
Every Sunday, the Lennoxville wheelchair curling team holds an open practice, hoping to draw in wheelchair users who might want to give the sport a try.
"We see all kinds of different handicaps, and I know with curling we can find a way to have each person being able to throw rocks and have fun," Poulain says.
The Lennoxville team will compete in the Canadian national wheelchair championships beginning on April 4.