For many people leadership is a character trait you either have or you don’t.
For Bruno native Joelle Buckle, leadership is a trait she not only carries today, but is one she has been showcasing for many years.
Those leadership skills have not gone unnoticed either, as Wheelchair Basketball Canada recently recognized Buckle with their 2018 Leadership Excellence Award.
“I was pretty shocked. I do a lot of work for Wheelchair Basketball in Saskatoon (and) pretty much all over the province but I don’t really expect to be recognized in that way. I didn’t know at the time that I was going to get the award so I was very surprised when they started talking about me,” admitted Buckle.
Buckle’s work with Wheelchair Basketball started in 2006 when she created the NRG Mini Wheelchair Basketball Program, the first club sport for youth in Saskatoon where both able-bodied athletes and those with a disability were able to play together.
“Joelle Buckle has dedicated over 12 years to being a community champion and leader for Wheelchair sports in Saskatchewan,” wrote Wheelchair Basketball Canada in their awards program.
Shortly after creating the NRG program in Saskatoon, Buckle was able to secure a pair of important grants, which allowed the newly founded program to purchase 13 brand new wheelchairs, as well as a trailer to transport them. That year, Saskatoon, Regina, and Edmonton based teams joined together to create a prairie league.
Creating the program was important, says Buckle because a lot of times athletes with a disability get segregated from the able-bodied athletes.
“Being able to be on a team and play a sport together with all your friends or siblings or other people is really exciting and being able to provide that for kids in Saskatoon and area, that’s the reason I do it. Just to see the smiles on the kids faces and just to see them succeed in life and learn how to work together with others and be part of a team.”
Buckle notes that through the program she has also been able to learn a lot about the kids in the program, saying the children with a disability are the same as all the other kids.
“They just want to belong, play a sport, have fun with their friends and just enjoy being together with other kids.”
Since Buckle first created the program in 2006 it has continued to grow, with Buckle noting 30 children are part of the program in Saskatoon, a number she is very proud of considering the size of the city in comparison to others across the country.
“It’s rare to find that many people as part of a youth program… Calgary only has five kids in their mini program, Edmonton only has ten so we’re doing pretty good in that area.”
Of course, Buckle is the first step for children in wheelchair sports, with kids from the mini program moving on to junior where they can play in Summer Games and national championships.
And her success can be traced to not only the numbers, but the talent level of those players, with seven of ten children on the Division II National championship winning squad coming from her program.
“Just to see them succeed and get to the next level and be leaders in their community is pretty exciting.”
Success is a small part of what Buckle loves about the program, she says, noting she also likes seeing the attitude of the community change when it comes to the need for sport for both children with disabilities and the need for inclusive programming.
“You can’t tell the difference in a lot of them, who the kids are with disabilities and the kids without, so that’s exciting. And just the attitudes of people about wheelchair sports has changed since I started the team and that’s exciting to see too.”
Buckle’s commitment to the program cannot go understated, as she has worked tirelessly to continue to improve the program, and in the summer of 2017 when their trailer full of equipment was stolen she worked hard to secure enough funding to replace the equipment and have the program fully operational again by January 2018.
“Joelle has created many strong partnerships with the Kinsmen Children’s Centre, the University of Saskatchewan Adapted Physical Activity class and the Jr. NBA program. These partnerships are crucial for recruiting athletes and volunteers for the program. Congratulations to Joelle Buckle on receiving the Leadership Excellence Award,” concluded Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s awards program.
