Mobility Blog

Guest blogger Justin Eveson pops into Bluesky to give us all an update on his preparations for London 2012...

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Unthinkable…

Well, those of you that read my previous blog will know that the Perth Wheelcats were heading towards the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) finals full of confidence in bringing back a 6^th consecutive national championship.

How wrong we were.

The Wollongong Roller Hawks also came to the finals with something to prove and prove it they did, by beating us twice over the course of the weekend to take away the championship. Now, I am not one to make excuses and I will certainly not start now, the better prepared team went away deserved winners and in my mind it is now a new challenge for some of our younger players, to take that taste of defeat and to turn it around and create their own dynasty in the future.

This was not the only basketball for me in September.  I was also busy preparing for the Rollers selection camp for the team to travel to South Korea in November to qualify for the London Paralympic Games. As part of these preparations I have been doing some ground breaking work with the WA Institute of Sport in utilizing their brand new treadmill that was able to fit my basketball wheelchair on board. Under the guidance of Sacha Fulton we were able to develop a test to measure my fitness level (VO2 Max) from which we can then design a specific program to improve my overall chair speed on the court…. quite exciting really!

At the end of September I headed over to ‘sunny’ Canberra for our selection camp. It was a camp with a difference really as each on court session was a scrimmage session (meaning we played controlled matches against each other)… now this is my kind of camp!

The Australian Institute of Sport really is a world class facility in terms of the sport facilities, recovery centre, gym and of course the food hall, but the best part is certainly our recovery routine, consisting of jumping into 14 degree water for 10 mins after each session (we never enjoy it, however it is an important part of recovering for the next session).

Selection in the team is never a given and I am proud to say I will be once again representing Australia at our next international competition, slipping that green and gold jersey over your head is always a proud moment, and never one I take for granted.

My next challenge comes in the form of our rapidly growing bundle of joy Hugo, as my wife and I prepare to relocate to Rome, Italy in order to best prepare for London 2012. My next blog will tell you about our travels and my return to the European professional wheelchair basketball leagues so stay tuned!

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 4^th 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 6^th 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 10^th 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