Seventeen-year-old Regina product Garrett Ostepchuk is hoping to win a medal on home soil with Team Canada at this week’s Under-23 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. The event runs from June 8-16 in Toronto.
Garrett was born with a type of Muscular Dystrophy called Arthrobyproces that causes tighter joints and makes it difficult to grow muscle in his arms and legs. He hasn’t let that slow him down though.
At the age of seven a guest at his school encouraged him to get involved in wheelchair basketball and “it took off from there” according to Ostepchuk.
Garrett already has a wealth of experience playing at the provincial level for Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Games and other events but he says the feeling of representing your country is one of a kind.
“It’s amazing. I would do anything to represent my country.”
Many athletes use their sport as a form of therapy or an escape. Garrett says wheelchair basketball does just that for him, “I just feel so much faster and so much more free. It takes your mind off of everything every time. It’s so much fun.”
Although still very young in his own right Garrett says he hopes he can be an example and inspiration for other people in wheelchairs.
“Every time I go on the court I just want to show that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it and just because you are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t do this or can’t do that.”
Overcoming challenges is nothing new to Garrett. His next challenge is to help team Canada break a 16 year medal drought at the World Championships.