Three years ago, Marijke Nel, technical director with the Atlantic Tennis Centre in Bedford, encouraged the Truro tennis community to consider starting up a wheelchair program. Over the next few months connections were made with Sport Nova Scotia’s Parasport Coordinator to start planning the program.

In the spring of 2023, Nel and two wheelchair athletes from the program in Bedford came to the Truro Tennis Club for a demonstration. That first season they welcomed their first wheelchair tennis player. With some advice and guidance from Nel, they were able to borrow a sport wheelchair and were ready to get started. They did one-on-one hitting and training with Kelly, their first player, and she began to build skills, confidence and a love for the game. 

The challenge then became to make the club more user friendly for wheelchair athletes. Over the following winter and early spring of 2024, Glenn Ross built a new accessible washroom to accommodate wheelchairs. The club held a couple of events to raise funds to purchase a new accessible door. In the spring and summer a new deck and ramp were built so that our clubhouse was now accessible.

In the spring of 2024, Nel offered a training session for individuals interested in volunteering and coaching wheelchair tennis. This experience helped plan a program for the coming outdoor season.

Over the next two months, through promotion and word of mouth, two other individuals who were keen to try wheelchair tennis joined. With help from the Colchester County Recreation Department, the club was able to borrow four wheelchairs that became its fleet for the season. Saturday morning sessions began in June 2024 and ran through the end of October.

As the club approached the end of the season, it began exploring the possibility of purchasing its own wheelchair fleet. With help from Sport Nova Scotia staff, Truro Tennis Club submitted a grant proposal for EDIA funding to support the purchase of five sport wheelchairs. 

The application was approved and within two months, the club had five new chairs, enough to expand its program. The club approached the Cougar Dome indoor facility in Truro early this year and was granted permission to have a court on Saturday mornings for 90 minutes at a reduced rate. Feb. 6 was the first day with the new chairs at the Cougar Dome. With three committed athletes, four volunteers and three spouses, the club is excited about the possibilities going forward.

“For people who live in a wheelchair, finding something with which to be active, connect with other people and have fun at the same time, can be difficult,” said Nel. “The Truro tennis community has come together to meet that challenge in an extraordinary way through their wheelchair tennis program. When one watches the sessions, it’s evident that the level of care and energy with which the volunteer coaches engage the players, makes them feel like family.”