Chris Daw

Chris Daw

Medal record
Competitor for  Canada
Wheelchair curling
Paralympic Games
Gold	2006 Turin
World Wheelchair Curling Championship
Silver	2002 Sursee
Bronze	2004 Sursee
Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Gold	2004 London
Gold	2005 Richmond
Gold	2006 Richmond
Personal Information

Chris Daw (born February 1, 1970 in North York, Ontario) is a Paralympian who competed in adaptive track, marathons, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, wheelchair rugby, and curling for Canada.^[1] Once considered the fastest wheelchair athlete in 1995 though 1997. He is the only Canadian athlete to represent Canada at multiple Paralympic Games for 4 different sports. Also one of the few athletes to represent Canada at both Summer & Winter Paralympic Games. In 1986, he won 6 Gold medals and set 6 world records at the first World Games for disabled youth in Nottingham, England. Member of the 1984 & 1988 Canadian Paralympic adaptive track teams; member of the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team, and member of the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Team at the 2000 Summer Paralympics before taking up wheelchair curling in 2000. He has also been a member of the Canadian Sit Volleyball team.

During Daw's athletic career he has attended over 125 National Championships, 64 World Championships, 5 Paralympics and 2 Olympics. For a medal total over 600+ for Canada including a dozen World Championships, 19 World records and Paralympic Gold medal performances. Although his sports include Canadian representation for Track, Basketball, Rugby, Volleyball, and Curling. He has also participated as an elite athlete in Field, Badminton and holds high level black belts in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.

Curling

Daw delivering a stone

He entered curling in 2000. He was the skip of the Canadian team at the 2002 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Sursee, Switzerland, where the team won silver.^[2] Two years later, he would again be the skip of the Canadian team and the Wheelchair Curling championship, again in Sursee, where the team won bronze.^[2] He would be the skip of the Canadian team, which won Gold in Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. In 2007 he withdrew his name from the Team Canada selection process that could have led to a spot on the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He resurfaced as part of the Wheelchair Curling Team for Newfoundland as Skip in 2008, only to relocate to British Columbia in 2009. He was the General manager of the Vancouver Curling Club when it took over the Olympic Curling center (now Hillcrest Center) in 2011. Daw returned to Ontario in 2011 for undisclosed reasons.^[3]

In 2010, it was announced that Daw was returning to competitive curling by joining Jim Armstrong (curler). As Jim's second on a local BC team in provincial play-downs; with hopes of representing Team BC. Team Armstrong was unsuccessful in capturing the 2011 BC Championship title. Armstrong would later move to Ontario. Daw would announce his retirement in December 2011, with many thinking a return would not be far down the road should opportunity present itself.^[4][5]

Retirement

In 2011, Daw formally announced his retirement from competitive sports to focus on his family and career.^[6] In January 2012 after Eric Eales of wheelchaircurling.com stopped publishing his blog posting^[7] on wheelchair curling; it was announced Daw was taking over with a new blog spot called Wheelchair Curling Blog 2.^[8] Daw received over 5000 readers in the first month on the new blog which changed formats allowing for publishing of stories on wheelchair curling from around the world though direct input by the players, coaches or interested parties.^[7] Daw seemed to have additional pursuits post retirement including being a motivational speaker for the Rick Hansen foundation.

Business Venues

After leaving Vancouver in 2011; utilizing his B.B.A; in 2012 Daw partner with Ken Strong (NHL) in a business venue; Ice Twice Rinks Inc.^[9] He came on as a partner and General Manager in order to help save the business. In just 8 short months Daw was able to fully recovery the facility from business hardship into what is now the largest independent Hockey Development centre in Southwestern Ontario. The business is valued at over 5.2 million dollars with over 200,000 clients pre-year.

Located at 1111 Speers Rd in Oakville, Ice2Ice Hockey Development Centre offers hockey development to players of all ages and ability. The facility was designed with one goal in mind, to develop the hockey skills in every hockey player wanting to improve their ability. This uniquely designed hockey training center is a one stop shop to provide players with a complete, advanced, skill-developing training program that includes Power Skating, Shooting, Puck handling, Passing and core body strengthening. Coaches include Al Iafrate, Eddi Choi, Rick Ferroni, Christina Kessler, Sammi Jo Small, Bill Bridges, Ryan Munce, Bill Hoover and Kieth Primo. At over 70,000 sq.ft.; 2 rinks, Goalile pad, shooting pad, dry land training, board room, and multi-purpose room it has become a huge success.

Disability

Daw was originally diagnosed with a rare condition known as arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. During a numbers of tests, medical doctors in 1990 re-diagnosed Daw with an even rarer condition known as fetal stroke. The condition has left Daw as one of the rare survivors who have lived longer than any others. Because of how the condition affected Daw the muscles in his legs never grew however he has full feeling and normal usage just not enough strength to walk. Daw also had his left hand and forearm affected which has often affected his classification during his Paralympic career. Due to this condition he is the only Paralympic athlete is history that fulfills classification requirements for both paraplegic and quadriplegicsthus allowing him to participate in wheelchair rugby and sport reserved for quadriplegics.

Personal life

In 2006 it was reported that Daw had three children, with his now ex-wife Mari.^[10] In March, 2009 Daw married his now current wife Morgan, a former member of Canada's junior women's softball team. On February 23, 2010, Daw and Morgan gave birth to their only daughter Arowyn Emma Ellie. The reason given by Daw for his apparent boycott of the 2010 games.^[11]

In April 2010, Daw lost his mother Eleanor Daw at 63 years from a heart attack. According to Daw, her loss has had a profound change in him which his often referred to the reason behind his retirement from international sport.^[12]

Awards

In 2010, Daw was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame on September 23, 2010 at a ceremony including Christine Nesbitt and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir.^[13]

He has been highly recognized for his accomplishments throughout his 30+ year career, one of the longest active Paralympic careers in history. One of the greatest honors Daw has received has been a World and International Achievements Award in 1988.

Results

Olympic Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Alternate	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1984	United States Los Angeles	Alternate	Canada
Paralympic Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Gold	Wheelchair Curling[14]	2006	Italy Torino	Skip	Canada
4th	Wheelchair Rugby[14]	2000	Australia Sydney	Player #10	Canada
Did not medal	Wheelchair Adaptive Track[14]	1988	South Korea Seoul	Participant	Canada
Did not medal	Wheelchair Adaptive Track[14]	1984	United Kingdom Stoke Madeville	Participant	Canada
Para PanAM Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Bronze	Sit-Volleyball	2007	Brazil Rio	Player	Canada
World Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Silver	Wheelchair curling[15]	2002	Switzerland Sursee	Skip	Canada
Bronze	Wheelchair curling[15]	2004	Switzerland Sursee	Skip	Canada
6.	Wheelchair curling[15]	2005	Scotland Glasgow	Skip	Canada
4.	Wheelchair curling	2007	Sweden Sollefteå	Skip	Canada
Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Gold	Wheelchair curling[16]	2003	Ontario Toronto	Skip	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair curling[16]	2005	British Columbia Richmond	Skip	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair curling[16]	2006	British Columbia Richmond	Skip	Canada
6th[17]	Wheelchair curling	2009	Nova Scotia Halifax	Skip	Newfoundland and Labrador
Provinical Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Bronze	Wheelchair curling[16]	2011	British Columbia Kimberley	2nd	Armstrong
First World Games for Disabled Youth (Nottingham, England)
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Result	Team
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track [14]	1986	United Kingdom Nottingham	World Record	Canada
Awards and Recognition
Award	Awarded by;	Description	Place	Year	Country
Rick Hansan Relay[18]	Town of Strathroy	Medal Bearer	Ontario Strathroy, Ontario	2011	Canada
Hall of Fame[19]	City of London	London Sports Hall of Fame	Ontario London, Ontario	2010	Canada
King Clancy Award[20]	King Clancy Foundation	Outstanding Performance	Ontario	2007	Canada
High Performance Coach of the Year	Province of Ontario	Coach of the Year, Wheelchair Athletics	Ontario	2007	Canada
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	2006	Canada
World Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	2006	Canada
National Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	2006	Canada
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	2006	Canada
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	2000	Canada
World Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	2000	Canada
Celebration 88 Medal	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	1988	Canada
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	1988	Canada
World Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	1988	Canada
National Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award	Canada	1988	Canada
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	1988	Canada
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	1987	Canada
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	1986	Canada

References

External links

• Personal Website
• London Sports Hall of Fame Tribute Video