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Out of the 246 wheelchair basketball chairs at the London 2012 Paralympics about 56 or 21% were RGK Elite...
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Out of the 246 wheelchair basketball chairs at the London 2012 Paralympics about 56 or 21% were RGK Elite units. These units, along with all the other models may be viewed at www.RGKLife.com
The late Jack Donohue used to collect tabs from pop cans, etc., and he would provide them to someone who ran a collection service and they would be used to build wheelchairs in a charitable sense. We get a call every couple months on this and looked into it a bit. Low and behold there is a place in Toronto here (along with a number of others) that provides this service and from the web site appears to be the perfect service with all the best philanthropic intentions in the world. The web site indicates that the proceeds are used to purchase wheelchairs and related equipment for children with a physical disability.
Robert Hampson’s tabs for kids have raised funds to purchase four wheelchairs, a lift for a wheelchair accessible van, a bathroom set-up and an adapted tricycle.Robert has successfully established a network of individuals and organizations that collect aluminum pop tabs all across Canada. Robert and friends collect pop tabs and take them to their local metal recycling depot. The depot pays by the pound for the aluminum. The funds are then sent to Robert who takes the money to President’s Choice Children’s Charity (charitable registration # 86842 1556 RR0001) and deposited into the Robert Hampson Tabs for Kids Fund. The President's Choice Charity administers the fund. See Robert’s web site at: www.poptabsforwheelchairs.ca.
On May 22, the Rick Hansen Relay will complete its nine-month, cross-Canada journey in Vancouver, marking the conclusion of the 25th Anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour. To celebrate this significant day, an outstanding group of Canadian entertainers will be with Rick and his crew to honour extraordinary difference makers at Rick Hansen Celebration 25 — an evening of inspiration and entertainment at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum.
Also on May 22, they will be looking towards the future, with the launch of the first annual Day of Possibilities, a national fundraising campaign that will support the work of the Foundation, and set the stage for another 25 years of progress www.rickhansen.com.
We have received some imagery for RGK’s new basketball chair. The Elite has been specially designed for use at the Paralympics Games in London 2012 and will be used by the entire Great Britain men’s and women’s teams in their quest for gold as well as many other top international athletes. The contest to win limited edition RGK merchandise is on until the official launch and you play on-line as many times as you wish at: www.rgklife.com/elite2012.
We have received the new catalogues for KENDA Tires and Tubes and we’re inserting those with new tire orders. We have a complete line of daily use, sport, off-road manual chair tires along with power products.
Newest tires include the Konstrictor K1051 which derives its name from the "Snake Skin" pattern on the side. It’s made out of the new R2C compound that blends the best attributes of traction, speed and durability. Serpentine Tread Pattern on the sides is for added grip while turning; Casing Added Protection (CAP), with 65% more puncture protection, makes it great on a wet surface... red, blue, green and yellow sidewalls.
The Kross Cyclo K161 is still our most popular winter tire in grey with red, blue, grey, or yellow sidewall in 37-540.
Tip Thiboutot and Stan Labanowich have brought wheelchair basketball's rich, 65-plus-year history to life in their new book Wheelchairs Can Jump! From its humble beginnings at a California VA hospital to the World Championships in Birmingham, England, from Paralympic Games to World Championships, its history is relayed in vivid and descriptive detail.
The book is the first-of-its kind in the realm of wheelchair basketball. The volume contains color photos of some of the most exciting moments in the sport and features many of the superstars who have defined how the game is played. Discover the fascinating story of one of the most spectacular and dynamic movements in sports for athletes with disabilities, written by two men who dedicated their lives to the sport and witnessed the evolution of wheelchair basketball firsthand. More at wheelchairscanjump.com. Soft Cover: $24.95; Hard Cover: $29.95. Plus Shipping.
Varilite has posted a super video on the ICON Back system on their YouTube channel. This ICON™ Back Installation and product overview video represents another first for VARILITE® and takes viewers through basic installation, adjustments, etc.
RGK has started a new initiative on their website RGKLife.com. They will be showcasing custom chair of the month and they have chosen Hi-Lite from the show room for the month of August.
The Hi-Lite is a classic RGK design, suitable for a range of users for whom lightweight and easy, independent transportability is important.
A chair that is too big can have harmful effects on the end-user's health and well-being. Surfing the Internet you still see a lot of websites that encourage seat width to include a lateral measurement from the widest points on the end user in a sitting position, and then add 2 to 4 inches to accommodate potential growth, a winter coat, etc. No!
Listen to the people who are getting around in that unit every day; measure outside to outside of the widest point and build the unit. you can have whatever size you need.
It is harder to achieve pelvic stability in a chair that has an extra inch or two of width on either side of the end-user's body and that unit is harder to propel because of the angle that the end-user's arm is in, in relation to the wheel. That bigger chair takes up more room wherever the end-user goes and is less appealing aesthetically as it engulfs the end-user. So, for all the right physical and psychological reasons, please fit the chair to the size of the end-user for the health of it!
Rick Hansen shared updates in June on his foundations global outreach and their delegation's visit to New York, Washington and Miami. In New York, The Rick Hansen Institute has partnered with the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. While in Washington, DC, Rick presented Judy Heumann, Special Advisor on Disability Rights, U.S. State Dept. with a Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award. With the final stop in Miami, the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute enter into their second aggreement with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
For more visit Bespoke Plus.
RGK Wheelchairs Ltd has introduced a new website which contains more information including details on products, staff, and RGKLife in general! They also have a new section called SEE, where you can look at various wheelchair videos.
Check it out at www.RGKLife.com!
Epical Solutions has brought the FreeWheel to Canada distributing out of Saskatchewan. They sell for $599 in Canada and 49 Bespoke has them in stock now.
49 Bespoke Inc. will be relocating operations to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in July, opening its new doors August 1, 2011. We are excited about the opportunity to double our space and reduce the work of having to move two things to ship out one. The downside of course is leaving our Ottawa home of more than two decades, a beautiful city with neighbors second to none. More details on our new location coming shortly.
On the recreation side of things, we have always felt that there is tremendous growth possibility for wheelchair basketball in the GTA and we look forward to putting some time and effort into resurrecting a team and doing what we can to help the growth of the game.
Stay connected with all the news, updates, scores, videos and photos from the 2011 Women’s U25 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships by following us on [Facebook], [Twitter], [Youtube]and [Flickr]. We encourage athletes, coaches, family, friends, fans and media to contribute to the official tournament twitter feed by using the tag #u25wwbc.
Wheelchair Basketball Canada announced the names of the 12 athletes who will represent Canada at the inaugural 2011 Women’s U25 World Championships as members of the Women’s U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Team.
The team features Paralympian Cindy Ouellet, whose résumé includes competition at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and the 2009 Jr. World Championships, as well as a bronze medal finish at the 2010 World Championships. That veteran leadership will be in high demand when the team plays host to the world at the 2011 Women’s U25 World Championships. The unprecedented event is the first-ever World Championships for this age group and competition will be underway July 15-21, 2011 at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
The Women’s U25 National Team was announced following completion of a week-long selection camp in Winnipeg, MB. The selection camp doubled as the tryout for the Sr. Women’s National Team. The Women’s U25 National Wheelchair Basketball Team consists of:
Abby Stubbert – (Halifax, NS)
Alarissa Haak – (Edmonton, AB)
Ashley Baerg (Dalmeny, SK)
Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC)
Corin Metzger (Elmira, ON)
Cory Harrower (Regina, SK)
Gabby Roberts-Winter (Regina, SK)
Helaina Cyr (Edmonton, AB)
Jamey Jewells (Donkin, NS)
Maude Jacques (Sainte-Catherine, QC)
Steph Park (Maple Ridge, BC)
Tamara Steeves (Mississauga, ON)
Head Coach: Michael Broughton (Toronto, ON)
Assistant Coach: Karla Tritten (Edmonton, AB)
Assistant Coach: Marni Abbott-Peter (Vancouver, BC)
Team Manager: Kathy Ludwig (Toronto, ON)
For more info visit: www.u25wwbc.com
