Erica Gavel. (Twitter/CDN Paralympics)

By Jeff D’Andrea

On council

P.A.’s Erica Gavel elected vice-chair of Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council

Jan 29, 2021 | 4:04 PM

On Friday, Prince Albert Paralympian Erica Gavel was elected vice-chair of the Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council by her fellow council members.

Gavel was on Canada’s women’s national wheelchair basketball team at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, and also selected on the Canadian team ready to go to the 2020 games in Tokyo before they were postponed by COVID-19.

“To be elected as vice-chair, I’m a little bit at a loss for words right now,” Gavel told paNOW. “I’m totally humbled and honoured. I’m just so excited to work closely with the chair, the Canadian Paralympic Committee but also the International Paralympic Committee in a leadership role representing Canadian athletes.”

It all started back in 2016 when Gavel was selected on the board of directors for the Ontario Basketball Association. She was then approached to join the Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council.

Having loved sports and being able to impact people in a positive way through leadership, it was a perfect fit for Gavel to pursue.

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“To have an opportunity to bridge those two worlds together, I put my name forward and I got selected,” Gavel said. “Since then, I realized the impact that those athlete councils actually have on organizations. Canada does a really good job asking for the athletes’ voice and then implementing the athletes’ voice.”

Gavel was elected to her second term on the council in December, alongside newcomers Ina Forrest (wheelchair curling) and Mike Whitehead (wheelchair rugby). The other members of the Athletes’ Council are Rob Armstrong (Para ice hockey), Jennifer Brown (Para athletics), and Alison Levine (boccia).

She joins chair Tony Walby (Para judo) in a leadership role.

“Erica is a dedicated, passionate, and valuable voice within the Paralympic Movement in Canada and her role as a leader has definitely increased over the past few years,” Walby said in a statement. “She will make a superb vice-chair, and I am excited to work side-by-side with her, as well as the other members of the council.”

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow