Amy Burk

Started: She took up goalball in 2004 and began competing in 2005. (paralympic.ca, 18 May 2015) Reason: After initially playing basketball, she was introduced to the sport by a vision support teacher. She made two attempts at taking up the sport as the speed and strength of the game caught her off guard. "When I was younger, my teacher showed me the world of Para sport and what it was like to play visually impaired sports. He introduced me to the sport but I didn't fall in love with it at first. I kind of thought it was a little crazy. But as I matured a bit, I wanted to give it a second chance, and I went back. And 17 years later, here I am. Goalball is one of the few team sports for blind and visually impaired athletes, so that's what really drew me to it." (paralympic.org, 24 Apr 2024; blindsports.on.ca, 30 Jul 2015; paralympic.ca, 18 May 2015) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 24 Apr 2024) Awards: In 2023 she won the Lieutenant Governor's Award as the top athlete of Prince Edward Island [PEI] in Canada at the Sport PEI Awards. (saltwire.com, 18 Dec 2023) Additional Info: GOALBALL VETERAN She is making her fifth appearance at the Paralympic Games at Paris 2024. She believes she is becoming a better player as she gets older due to a change in mindset. "I've really learned that to be able to perform at your peak, you really need to take care of your body, and I'm sad that it took me until almost my 30s to clue into that. Even as a teenager I don't think my workout ethic was the greatest - it was kind of half-assed sometimes. Being young you don't think you need to do the warm-ups or the cool-downs, but when you reach your mid-20s you realise you're not going to be awesome and young forever, so you have to start playing smart. I think my work ethic has changed a lot." (ottawasportspages.ca, 23 Aug 2021) FAMILY AFFAIR Her sister-in-law Whitney Bogart is also her teammate on the Canadian national goalball team. "We can be gone for long periods of time and it's just nice sharing that with someone who you're family with. There are lots of times where my husband and my kids don't make the trip, so it's just nice having that extra person with you. We both have the goal of wanting to get Canada on the podium. Just being able to share that with her is pretty exciting." (ottawasportspages.ca, 05 Sep 2023) OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2023 she was elected to the Canadian Paralympic Athletes' Council. "I am extremely excited to be elected to the Canadian Paralympic Athletes' Council. I am looking forward to learning more about the council and what I can do to help make sure athletes have a voice in our sports system and continue to promote the Paralympic movement here in Canada." (paralympic.ca, 26 Nov 2023; canadianblindsports.ca, 19 Jan 2023) OCCUPATION In 2023 she began working as a medical laboratory technician at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Facebook profile, 02 Jun 2024)

Sporting Relatives: Her sister-in-law Whitney Bogart has represented Canada in goalball. She competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Dec 2023; ottawasportspages.ca, 05 Sep 2023)