Ontario Basketball Board Member Named to Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team

Erica Gavel, a member of Ontario Basketball’s Board of Directors, has been named to the Canadian Senior Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team.

Following the team’s official roster release on July 31, Gavel posted the following message to her Facebook page:

Gavel, 27, boasts an impressive international resume, highlighted by a silver medal finish at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto.

Gavel also represented Canada at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Canada placed fifth.

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The Canadian national team is currently competing at the 2018 IWBF World Championships in Hamburg, Germany from August 16–26.

Canada compiled a 3-2 record during pool play and currently occupies third place in Pool A.

A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Gavel first joined the Canadian National program in 2014. She subsequently relocated to Toronto to train with the team on a full-time basis.

Gavel was elected to Ontario Basketball’s Board of Directors in 2016 and was later appointed as Secretary of the Board in 2017.

In addition to her impressive athletic exploits, Gavel is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Toronto.

At the World Championships, Ontario is represented by three athletes on Team Canada: veterans Melanie Hawtin (Oakville) and Tamara Steeves (Mississauga) as well as rookie Puisand Lai (Toronto), 18, who is the youngest player on the team.

The Canadian Women’s National Team has an enviable record at the event; the team has reached the podium at every World Championship since the event’s inauguration in 1990, winning five gold medals during that span.

Visit the Wheelchair Basketball Canada website for the full team roster.