Media Advisory - Selection Camp Rosters Announced for Canadian Senior & U25 Women's National Wheelchair Basketball Teams

OTTAWA, Dec. 8, 2014 /CNW/ - Wheelchair Basketball Canada is pleased to announce the list of 22 athletes invited to attend the selection camp for the 2015 Canadian Senior Women's and Women's U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Teams. The selection camp will take place from December 7-12, 2014 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, home of the Wheelchair Basketball Canada National Academy.

The Senior Women's National Team will represent Canada on home soil at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games in August, which is the qualification tournament for the 2016 Paralympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Members of the media are invited to attend practice from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Athletes will be available for brief interviews after practice until 11:20 a.m. ET.

TV/Photo Op:	Media are presented with an opportunity to see a glimpse of the on court skill and athleticism that will make wheelchair basketball one of the premium draws at the upcoming Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games
Who:	Top female wheelchair basketball players from across Canada, including current Senior National Team members and local athletes Tracey Ferguson (Richmond Hill), Melanie Hawtin (Oakville) and Tamara Steeves (Mississauga).
What:	Selection camp for the 2015 Senior Women's & Women's U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Teams
When:	Practice open to the media Tuesday, December 9^th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET Athletes/coaches will be available for interviews from 11 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. ET
Where:	Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre 875 Morningside Ave, Toronto, Ont. M1C 0C7

The athletes attending selection camp are: (athletes' city of residence indicated / athletes with Paralympic Games experience denoted with a *):

· Alarissa Haak (Sherwood Park, Alta.) · Amanda Yan (Burnaby, B.C.) · Arinn Young (Legal, Alta.) · Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, Que.) * · Claire Buchanan (Brampton, Ont.) · Corin Metzger (Elmira, Ont.) · Danielle Arbour (St. John's, N.L.) · Darda Sales (London, Ont.) · Elaine Allard (St-Eustache, Que.) * · Élodie Tessier (St-Germain de Grantham, Que.) · Erica Gavel (Prince Albert, Sask.)

· Helaina Cyr (Sherwood Park, Alta.) · Jamey Jewells (Donkin, N.S.) * · Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, B.C.) * · Katie Harnock (Elmira, Ont.) * · Maude Jacques (Lac-Beauport, Que.) * · Melanie Hawtin (Oakville, Ont.) · Rosalie Lalonde (St-Clet, Que.) · Sara Black (Toronto, Ont.) · Tamara Steeves (Mississauga, Ont.) * · Tracey Ferguson (Richmond Hill, Ont.)* · Zoe Hahn (Linwood, Ont.)

At Toronto 2015, Canada will return to the venue where it recently captured its fifth gold medal in team history at the 2014 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Women's World Championship.

About Team Canada

The Senior Women's National Team is amongst the most successful and dominant teams in Canadian amateur sport history.  The team captured three consecutive Paralympic gold medals in 1992, 1996, and 2000, and bronze in 2004. They have also reached the podium at seven consecutive world championships.

The Women's U25 National Team develops the top young Canadian female athletes in preparation for the IWBF Women's U25 World Championships, which take place every four years. Players must be 25 years old or younger to be eligible to compete. Canada hosted the inaugural world championship for junior women in 2011, where the Team Canada placed fourth.

About Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last six Paralympic Games.

For more information, visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca

SOURCE: Wheelchair Basketball Canada

to request a photo, or to schedule an interview contact: Courtney Pollock, Coordinator, Communications & Media Relations, Wheelchair Basketball Canada, Cell: 613-291-6721, [email protected]; Jody Kingsbury, Manager, Communications & Media Relations, Wheelchair Basketball Canada, T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204, [email protected]; For all the latest information follow us: Online: wheelchairbasketball.ca, Facebook: facebook.com/wheelchairbasketball, Twitter: twitter.com/WCBballCanada, YouTube: youtube.com/WheelchairBball, Flickr: flickr.com/photos/wheelchairbasketball