The Canadian Paralympic Committee and Wheelchair Rugby Canada have jointly announced the selection of a 12-member wheelchair rugby team that will represent Canada at the upcoming Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games.
One of the prominent names on the Team Canada roster for the upcoming tournament in Chile is Cody Caldwell, a Peterborough native who has been an integral part of Canada’s wheelchair rugby journey, having been a member of the last three world championship teams.
PtboToday.ca caught up with Canada’s Head Coach, Patrick Côté, whose journey with wheelchair rugby began almost two decades ago when he started working at a rehab center, where he encountered athletes from the Montreal wheelchair rugby club. This experience led him to a career in the sport, culminating in his current role as Coach.
Players are classed into one of seven classes (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, or 3.5) depending on their functional ability; Coach Côté praises Caldwell as one of the world’s best 2.0 players, highlighting his exceptional vision and skill set, while also adding grit and leadership to the team.
Côté emphasized how veteran players like Caldwell play a pivotal role in shaping the team’s culture, helping younger players improve their game, and instilling confidence in them.
Caldwell started his wheelchair rugby career in 2008, after becoming a quadriplegic in a diving accident in Alberta. He first represented Team Ontario, before catching the eye of Canadian team scouts at a national championship, representing Canada for the first time in 2013.
Côté says his impressive physicality and sports background, particularly in hockey, made him an obvious talent for wheelchair rugby.
When discussing the competition in Chile, Côté expressed his goal unequivocally:
In terms of team preparation, Côté explained that their program is decentralized, with players training in their home provinces and cities. They come together for 7 to 10 days per month to train as a national team and also participate in international competitions worldwide.
Team Canada has a successful history, says Côté, and although their last gold medal was eight years ago, they’ve been very competitive in recent years, narrowly missing out on gold medals in 2022 and 2019.
Côté emphasized that Caldwell has a history of performing at crucial moments and predicted that he would be a leader and difference-maker in Chile.
For anyone who has never seen a Wheelchair Rugby game, Côté compares it to basketball on wheels, adding that it’s fast, fierce and very entertaining.
The Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games will take place from November 17th to 26th, with the winning team automatically receiving a berth in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, while other teams will have to go through a last-chance qualifier.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
