Some local fencers are preparing for the nationals in Gatineau, Que., this upcoming weekend.
Ryan Rousell, a member of the Asquith Guard Fencing Academy, has opted out of the Canadian tournament.
Instead, he will compete at the U-23 World Junior Cup in the Netherlands in wheelchair fencing.
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This is the first time Rousell will be heading out of Canada to compete.
“My ambitions for this tournament are to learn a thing or two hopefully, and to come home feeling proud of myself, and at least I had fun with it, and learned something,” Rousell said.
“If I do place well, hey, bonus!”
The 18 year old, who was born with cerebral pasly, used to compete in able-bodied fencing.
Rousell,who is the first competitive wheelchair fencer in Western Canada, hopes this sport might open doors to the Paralymics one day.