A woman from Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest inclusion of the Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) Hall of Fame.
Joanne MacDonald of St. John’s headlined the list of athletes at WBC’s annual awards on Saturday evening.
MacDonald enters the Hall of Fame after representing Canada as a member of the Women’s National Team from 1974 to 1985. As a three-time Paralympian, MacDonald wore the maple leaf with pride at the games in 1976, 1980, and 1984.
She says she’s deeply honoured and humbled. MacDonald says she was fortunate to play alongside exceptional teammates during her athletic career. She adds that they played hard, won, celebrate, lost and cried—and through it all, became lifelong friends.
MacDonald says they would hear comments like, “You might get hurt,” or “You can’t do that.” However, once she sat in the wheelchair and picked up a basketball, it was love at first dribble.
The WBC says they are thrilled to welcome Joanne to the Hall of Fame.
As an officer of the Order of Canada, MacDonald has dedicated much of her life to advocating to improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.
While the pandemic forced the cancellation of the WBC Awards and Hall of Fame banquet, the winners were still recognized online.