The Bluesky team are proud to introduce our new guest blogger, Paralympic gold medal winning captain of the Australian wheelchair basketball team Justin Eveson. Over the coming months, Justin will be updating us regularly with his team's preparations for the 2012 Paralympics in London.
Best of luck Justin, from the Bluesky team!
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Hi there readers,
As this is my first ever blog, I should start off by giving you some background on who I am and what I do... otherwise this blog will probably not make much sense to you at all!
My name is Justin Eveson, I was born and raised here in the greatest city in the world, Perth, and I am fortunate enough to be involved in the sport of wheelchair basketball. From humble beginnings as a youngster I have managed to ride the sport to the highest level, been a member of the Australian Paralympic Team since 2000, encompassing the last 3 Paralympic Games (with an eye on attending my 4th next year in London) and played professional wheelchair basketball in a multitude of European countries.
But before we get into the elite level of the sport I wanted to start with something a little closer to my heart, the Western Australian team in the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL), the Perth Wheelcats.
Over the past 10 years I have come to realise that the Wheelcats are no ordinary team. I have been fortunate enough to have been involved with 6 National Championships, 5 of which occurred consecutively. However, it is not simply Championships that set this team apart.
The thing that makes this team so special is the bond we share from having developed our love of the sport as young kids through the mentorship of one of the greatest men this sport has ever known in Frank Ponta (RIP) and the development program of Wheelchair Sports WA.
This has lead us down the path to success and glory, but more importantly, it has seen us through hard times both on and off the court and has helped develop us into the men (and women) that we now are.
In this series of blogs I would like to share with you my personal experiences, as an athlete with a disability playing wheelchair basketball for state and country, of which hopefully you can relate to while finding my particular brand of humour amusing!
The Perth Wheelcats just ended our 2011 regular season and once again finished as minor premiers, our last games of the season were against the Brisbane Spinning Bullets. While we took care of them comfortably, considering our run of injuries and illness to key players, it was the perfect opportunity for our younger, less experienced players to step up and push for selection into the team that will travel to the finals in September (this year being hosted by the Bullets).
Now while this did not occur unfortunately, I still think it was a timely reminder for the team as a whole that even though we finished the home and away season with only one loss, now is not the time to relax, but to make that final push towards our 6th consecutive championship.
Upping the ante at training is always challenging but this month I believe I came across my greatest ever challenge, fatherhood. I became a father to my son Hugo Eveson on the 10th August 2011 and while the lack of sleep, nappy changing and getting peed on (he has remarkable aim!) are not the most fun things in the world, the whole package of bath time, cuddles on my chest and his overall perfectness make this already the best experience of my life. Getting back to the routine of training after we returned home last week has been challenging, but I can think of no greater motivation than making my son proud of me when we look back upon my sporting career together.
I do realise this blog is becoming somewhat of a short novel. Now introductions have been made things will be a little sharper; next month I look forward to chatting about the Perth Wheelcats and the NWBL Finals (which will also double as the first time I am away from the little guy) and my preparations for the Australian Rollers selection camp. We are looking to qualify for the London Paralympic Games which are less than a year away... yes even the reigning Paralympic and World Champions have to qualify!
Until next time
Justin
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