Paralympians begin northern tour to recruit athletes
Two Saskatchewan Paralympians are in La Ronge as part of their northern tour to recruit athletes.
Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert was working in 2012 at Canadian Tire when decorated Paralympic athlete Colette Bourgonje entered the store and happened to see her. Not wanting to let the opportunity slip away, Bourgonje said she approached Hudak with her card, explained who she was and introduced the Paralympic Games to her.
“She was 18 and she didn’t know,” Bourgonje said. “That’s why awareness is really important. For me, I was able-bodied, and I never guessed I’d be living the rest of my life in a wheelchair. It’s good to know there are options out there if something happens to you.”
The pair of athletes arrived in La Ronge this afternoon as part of a tour of several northern communities including Air Ronge, Canoe Lake Cree First Nation, Hall Lake and Île-à-la-Crosse. At Churchill Community High School, they spoke with students about skiing and displayed the medals they’ve earned such as those from the Paralympics. Bourgonje has competed at seven Winter Paralympics Games and has earned 10 medals, while Hudak has attended two and earned her first medal (bronze) at the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics.