After a crazy day running around with a last minute thought of replacing our basketball therapist with someone from Canada.....who can drop everything at the complete last minute and head down to Guadalajara to be the therapist for the women's team? No one can be that devoted .....
Beth Kroetsh from Burlington, who is coincidently one of the regular therapists that shares the travel with the women's team, informed us she could get here tomorrow. What a sigh of relief from everyone.
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| Greg Stewart creatively hugging Jessica Vliegenhardt |
Then we could focus on the Opening Ceremonies. It was a blast. We left the Village to get to a covered area outside the main stadium where the ceremonies will take place. We were there for maybe 2 hours. Latin American countries love music and dance and it took no time before the noise level was up and everyone was moving within a sea of various colored team uniforms. Then a conga line was noticed with wheelchair athletes “linked” in. It was a blast. Much better than many ceremonies where this period is dreaded and everyone sits bored and tired of the long wait.
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| An Argentinean getting some picture time in front of the Puerto Ricans |
When we entered the stadium, the crowd erupted in loud cheers for Team Canada !! All the athletes, many of them quite young (late teens) and at their first multisport international competition wave their flags, cheer and display the proud red and white. I have had the honor to be involved in major sporting events such as this for over 10 years and it never ceases to bring a chill up my back when you enter the stadium. Video, television, pictures and many re-tellings cannot do it justice. It’s an experience that is indescribable.
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| A few of the Chilean team |
Thought I’d throw a few pictures of our gang. You’ll no doubt see Greg Stewart, nicknamed Giant, who is over 7 feet tall! He has been involved with our sitting volleyball team for the last 4 years at its inception during the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro (2007). A highly skilled athlete who played basketball for the University of Thompson Rivers in Kamloops and has been voted the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top defensive player for the second year in a row.
Tomorrow: the real Games are on.
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| Although they look like football players, they are archers. |
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| Greg shows his height dominance behind Maude, one of our basketball players |
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| A hat exchange! |
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| Dave Durepos, our flag bearer, leading the team in the stadium |
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| Never a dull moment with Greg |
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| Most agreed that our escort into the stadium was the prettiest |
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| Entering the stadium gets everyone pumped up |
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| Go Canada! |
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| The show was full of colours and great music |
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