Whitney Bogart

Started: She began playing goalball at age 16 at W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford, ON, Canada. (brantfordexpositor.ca, 08 Apr 2024; paralympic.ca, 16 Dec 2022; Athlete, 01 Apr 2016; cbc.ca, 10 Aug 2015) Reason: "I love the uniqueness of goalball and competing with a team." (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (brantfordexpositor.ca, 08 Apr 2024) Additional Info: RETIREMENT PLAN She intends to retire from competition after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "It's the end of my career. I still feel fine after 20 years because if you put in all the training, you can do it. Everyone wants the gold but I really want to be on the podium. I haven't got a Paralympic medal yet. This will be my fourth Paralympic Games but there's no change in the excitement. It's a new team, new coaches and new atmosphere and very exciting to be on the court representing Canada." (brantfordexpositor.ca, 08 Apr 2024) TEAM VETERAN She made her Paralympic debut at London 2012 and also competed at the 2016 and 2020 editions of the Games. "I like seeing our younger players reach their potential. When I was younger, I never really thought about myself in the role of where the veterans were on the team, so now it's cool to be in that reverse situation. I just really enjoy having the young ones around and watching them grow and being able to help them when they need the help." (ottawasportspages.ca, 23 Aug 2021) FAMILY AFFAIR Her teammate on the Canadian national team, Amy Burk, is also her sister-in-law. "We were teammates before [we became sisters-in-law] and friends even before that too, so it's just kind of a natural way that we play. When we're on court, we know how each other plays and we just have a really good connection." (ottawasportspages.ca, 05 Sep 2023)

Sporting Relatives: Her twin brother Tyler Burk has played goalball. Her sister-in-law Amy Burk has represented Canada in the sport at four editions of the Paralympic Games. (ottawasportspages.ca, 23 Aug 2021; paralympic.ca, 14 Aug 2012; SportsDeskOnline, 18 Dec 2023)