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Wheelchair basketball gold trumps previous silver

Chemainus athlete Nic Blundell covets title from B.C. Winter Games
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A B.C. Winter Games gold medal looks good on Chemainus’ Nic Blundell. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Silver medals are nice, but gold is better.

Nic Blundell of Chemainus and his teammates representing Vancouver Island-Central Coast Zone 6 - all from the South Island - elevated their play from the last B.C. Winter Games in Penticton in 2016 to capture gold in wheelchair basketball during the 2018 event in Kamloops. Blundell, 18, who graduated from Chemainus Secondary School last June, now has one medal of each colour in his collection.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I knew more of the people this time so it was a little more fun.”

It’s only been about six years since Blundell caught on to the sport.

“They came to my school in Fort Nelson and I’ve been playing ever since,” he explained.

Blundell and his family moved to Chemainus about four years ago for his Grade 10 year and he hooked up with a Victoria group to foster his wheelchair basketball development. He was born in Fort Nelson, but also lived in Calgary before returning to Fort Nelson and eventually to Chemainus.

Wheelchair basketball has given Blundell a great outlet for his athletic talents.

In 2016, “it was like my first big tournament,” he indicated.

“It wasn’t as nerve-wracking this time. I knew what it was going to be like.”

Blundell and company lost the final match to Fraser Valley Zone 3 in 2016 and settled for the silver medal. With several team members returning, but with a few changes, Zone 6 went all the way to the gold medal by going undefeated in the round robin and playoff games.

“The team that beat us last time got split up,” Blundell pointed out. “Our team was kind of the best one so I had more confidence.”

There are now two groups from the Fraser Valley, comprising Zones 3 and 4 at the Games.

Blundell was one of just six players on his team, with four on the floor at any given time.

“I was mainly defence,” he noted. “I felt like I did really good.”

Blundell has now reached the maximum age for B.C. Winter Games competition, but hopes to continue in the sport if the opportunity arises.

“In July, I’m moving to Kelowna,” he said. “I’m hoping to find something down there.”

Blundell will be attending the Centre for Arts and Technology there, beginning July 2, and studying to become an audio engineer.

The program lasts for a year and a half. He’s still seeking accommodation in Kelowna and admits “it’ll be different” from the life he’s become accustomed to in Chemainus.

Blundell has never allowed being in a wheelchair to hold him back from doing anything. Besides being involved in sports, he also did some performing in Chemainus Secondary School productions of A Christmas Carol in his Grade 11 year and Grease during Grade 12.

But Blundell’s going to keep those artistic abilities on the backburner, at least for now. “It was just something fun to do while I was in school,” he pointed out.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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