Trevor Hirschfield said he has always had a "bestfriend relationship" with his dad, Bob. So perhaps it's only fitting the Parksville pair will be heading together to the 2012 London Summer Paralympic Games, Trevor as a key player on the Canadian wheelchair rugby team and Bob as the equipment manager.
"My dad was there at Beijing [when Canada won bronze at the 2008 Paralympics] as a fan but it's going to be a special experience to have him in London as part of the team," said Trevor Hirschfield, of his father, who is a B.C. Hydro trades trainer.
Trevor Hirschfield, a 28-year-old Ballenas Secondary grad, is among the 11 Island athletes named Tuesday to the 145-athlete Canadian team to the 2012 London Paralympics featuring 15 sports from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9. Bob Hirschfield is among six support staff going from the Island.
"We all watched the Summer Olympics in London and that got me really excited and extra motivated," said Trevor Hirschfield, an Oceanside hockey product and BCHL Junior A prospect with the Cowichan Valley Capitals before a car accident in 2000 while visiting his grandparents in Sicamous.
"Watching our women's Olympic soccer team win bronze was really inspiring as we hope to do two better [gold medal] at London than we did at Beijing. It's always an honour to represent your country and it's kind of like a dream to be going to London to do that."
And in a sport made famous by an Academy Award-nominated film. Murderball, about the withering rivalry between the Canadian and American wheelchair rugby teams heading into the 2004 Athens Summer Paralympics, was nominated for the 2005 Best Feature Documentary Oscar.
Also named to the Canadian team for the 2012 London Paralympics is multimedallist Paralympian Michelle Stilwell of Nanoose Bay in track wheelchair racing, Jessica Vliegenthart of Victoria in wheelchair basketball, Meghan Montgomery of Victoria and Tony Theriault of Nanaimo in rowing, Beijing-medallists Stacie Louttit and John McRoberts, along with Paul Tingley and Bruce Millar, all of Victoria, in sailing and Jana Murphy and Brianna Nelson of Victoria in swimming.
Canadian support staff for the London Paralympics includes team therapist Yvonne Visser of Nanaimo for track and field, Janet Dunn of Victoria in athlete support for swimming, Andy Van Neutegen of Victoria as the wheelchair rugby manager, Bruce Pinel of Victoria as rugby sports psychologist, Kim Oslund of Victoria as rugby physiotherapist and Parksville's Hirschfield as equipment manager.
Canada has set a goal of placing in the top-eight of the medals table at the London Paralympics.
