“It’s a dream come true.”
That’s how Prince George’s Joel Ewert describes his selection to Canada’s national Wheelchair Rugby team ahead of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
“You think about when you were a kid, as a person growing up with a disability it wasn’t about going to the NHL, it wasn’t about going to the NBA, it was about being in the Paralympics and when you get that news, you start to realize it’s a dream come true,” he explained.
Ewert got his start in wheelchair rugby through wheelchair basketball as a youth.
“I slowly worked my way up in the wheelchair basketball world, and when I was about 14-15, they suggested I come out and try wheelchair rugby and I did and then I was hooked,” he said.
“I still play basketball as well too, the two sports have a lot of skills that can transfer, so I started playing when I was 15, and then been able to get myself on the national team’s radar by the time I was 17, and here we are, I’m headed to my first Paralympics now.”
Ewert said he saw more of a Paralympic pathway through rugby.
“I do like with wheelchair rugby I’m a little bit more of an offensive threat,” he said.
“I’m a ball handler, I’m the one that’s able to make plays out there whereas in basketball, due to my classification I was more of a person that set up the plays, so I would be setting picks and playing a lot of defense. Through rugby I’m able to have a little more control it feels like over the game. Everybody likes offense a little more than defence.”
Ewert is living in Victoria for the summer, training for the games with teammates.
“There’s about three or four guys on the national team down there that train out of Victoria,” he said.
“Other than that, we just got back from Toronto where we had our last training camp before the Paralympics. Getting a lot of good reps in there with the guys, and honing in on our plays and exactly what we want to see when we’re in Paris.”
Immediately after the Paris games, Ewert will be right back to the grind as he’s starting in UBC’s Northern Medical Program at UNBC in the fall, which he says is another dream come true.
Congratulations & best of luck to Joel Ewert!
The @UNBCAlumni has been nominated to represent Canada at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in wheelchair rugby.
The Prince George athlete will make his Paralympic debut on Aug. 29.
He’ll enter the @UBCNMP_unbc in the fall!
Inspiring ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/MJspNKGqvc— University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) (@UNBC) July 11, 2024
“I think I’m right in the ‘wait and see what’s available,'” Ewert said when asked what field he hopes to study in the program.
“After the first few years of medical school I’m sure I’ll change my mind more than a few times, but I’m going in there with an open mind, and prepared to help in any way I can. I don’t know what capacity it’ll be yet, but I’m definitely excited to get that part of my journey started.”
The 2024 Paris Paralympic games take place August 28th to September 8th.
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