Priscilla Gagne

Started: She took up the sport in 2009 in Sarnia, ON, Canada, at her local Young Men's Christian Association [YMCA]. (Chat with Pat Podcast, 11 Jun 2020) Reason: She initially competed in wrestling and karate but switched to judo because there were more competitive opportunities. "I was doing karate and working on my orange belt but I was not being allowed to compete or even spar in the club. I thought that was kind of boring, so I switched to a sport where I can actually compete." (Chat with Pat Podcast, 11 Jun 2020; paralympic.ca, 01 Sep 2019) Awards: She was flag bearer for Canada at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (cbc.ca, 26 Aug 2021) Additional Info: LONG-TIME COACH She began training with coach Andrzej Sadej in 2014. "One of the things I really, really like about him, he has a really good radar of how far to push you like he knows. I don't know how he measures it, but he knows your limit, and he knows when you're at your limit, and he knows when to push you past what you think your limit is. But then he also knows when it's time to change it or do something different. From my perspective, to me, my coach, he is everything. Him and I both have always been open. I'm open to listening to him. He's open to listening to me. If I don't think something will work and he says it will, I'll do it because I trust him." (Level Playing Field & Beyond the Field Facebook page, 03 Nov 2022; cbc.ca, 26 Aug 2021; paralympic.org, 06 Jun 2021) EARLY DAYS She was able to begin regularly taking part in sport when she enrolled at W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford, ON, Canada. Previously her school teachers would not allow her to take part in sport for safety reasons. "It was horrible because you know what you're able to do. It's your body, if you want to take the risk, you take a measured risk, it's not life or death. At home I could do what I wanted. My mum would wrap me in bubble wrap if she could but my dad was more like, 'Yeah, she just needs a helmet and maybe some knee pads and she'll be all right'. At school and at any organised [club] they wouldn't even let me play hockey. They said I was an insurance risk. It's like being handcuffed or caged. [After starting at W. Ross Macdonald School] I was finally free to do everything I ever wanted and it surprised me the sports they had for the blind. You name it, we did it. So it was really freeing in that sense and really helped me build that confidence." (AMI: Accessible Media Inc. YouTube channel, 29 Sep 2020)