International wheelchair athlete takes on STA students

Canadian athlete Tara Llanes made quite an impression on a Grade 10 P.E. class at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School recently.

Llanes was winning championships as a competitive BMX racer when an accident in 2007 left her paralyzed from the waist down. She did not let the injury stop her athletic career; Llanes turned to wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball.

“Tara is a prime example of what it means to be a fighter,” said Kristinn Black, a student at the North Vancouver high school.

“Tara did not give up; she fought. After years of rehab, physio, and dedication, she found a new passion: wheelchair basketball. Tara worked hard to be the best, and is now competing at the national level.”

Students, inspired by her story, got a chance to try wheelchair basketball for themselves.