Prince Albert's Erica Gavel will compete at her second Parapan Am Games. (Submitted photo/Wheelchair Basketball Canada)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Parapan Am Games

P.A.’s Gavel to compete at her second Parapan Am Games

Jul 18, 2019 | 5:34 PM

Back in her University of Saskatchewan Huskies days, Erica Gavel was told she couldn’t play anymore competitive sports due to the severity of repeated knee injuries.

But in the seven years since hearing that news, Gavel has gone on to play wheelchair basketball at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio and just found out on Thursday that she’ll be representing Team Canada at her second Parapan American Games in Lima Aug. 23 to Sept. 1.

“I think I got really lucky when I hurt my knee. At the time, I didn’t necessarily know where I was going to end up or the opportunities that I’d have. Everything I have in my life right now I have is because of my knee injury,” Gavel said. “The lessons I learned along the way really forced me to grow as a person and learn how to handle when things don’t go your way — how you’re going to respond.”

As happy as she is to returning to the Parapan American stage, that isn’t the only good news Gavel’s heard recently. She just got accepted to the PhD program with Ontario Tech University, and is currently finishing up her masters in exercise physiology.

“It’s been the most unbelievable couple of weeks. Almost all my dreams came true, all at once,” Gavel said. “I’m pretty overwhelmed with things right now, but I’m also eternally grateful from all the support I’ve received from Saskatchewan. I’m really lucky to have those types of people in my life.”

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Competing at her sports’ highest level while also getting a doctorate degree sounds like some insane juggling, but her supervisor Heather Logan-Sprenger knows all about that. Logan-Sprenger represented Canada by competing internationally in both cycling and hockey, while getting her PhD at the same time.

“What I’m most excited about this opportunity is that I get to work with someone that completely understands the sporting perspective but then also understands the challenges with balancing school and sport,” Gavel said.

Gavel received support from a number of places, from Logan-Sprenger to national coach Marc Antoine Ducharme and some sports psychologists along the way. But Gavel said even though she’s been away from Prince Albert and Saskatchewan for a few years, she never feels too far away from home.

“When I come home during the Christmas break, the principal at Carlton still lets me use the gym. Even in Saskatoon, everybody’s still super supportive,” Gavel said. “Yeah I’m in Toronto, yeah I’m training out of the Canadian Sport Institute here but I still am very connected to the community and the province.

“And I really wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW