Paralypians gear up for Beijing
(Taken from the August 09, 2008 St. Albert Gazette)
By Jeff Hansen
Staff Writer		    

The countdown to the Paralympic Games in Beijing continues for St. Albert athletes Tara Feser and Jennifer Krempien.J Krempien

"We're on the home stretch before the big games," Feser said. "It is coming fast. I'm getting excited, especially since everything is starting up for the Olympics."

The Paralympics for disabled athletes starts Sept. 6 in the same venues as the Beijing Olympics.

"I'm having a hard time believing there is (less than) 30 days until the night of the opening ceremonies," said Krempien, 33, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist and four-time Gold Cup world champion.

The Team Canada wheelchair basketball players are back home after a series of exhibitions in Germany, followed by the 28th annual Spitfire Challenge tournament in Toronto last weekend.

"We had some excellent training and games in Germany," said Krempien, the 2007/08 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association's female athlete of the year.

"We played a three-team tourney with the Germans and the Dutch team in Hamburg, followed by a week of training in Hannover and a two-game series versus Germany in Berlin.

"The games against the Germans were all very close with scores within three points for all the games. Unfortunately, the German team edged us out in three of the four games."

The last game was a thrilling 55-54 Canadian victory in Berlin.

"It was a great game and a great way to end off our two-week trip," said Feser, a newcomer to the national team at post.

At the spitfire Challenge, Canada split into two teams with Feser and Krempien on different sides. Germany, Mexico, Brazil and England supplied the opposition.

"It was a great tournament to have everyone play lots of minutes and put the final touches on their game before heading to Beijing," said Feser, 28, a recreation program manager for the City of Edmonton.

For the showcase game Canada played its full squad against the Germans. Both teams are expected to meet in one of the crucial playoff matches at the Paralympics.

"It was a battle the entire game with the Germans winning in the last seconds," said Krempien, a skilled defensive specialist at guard who also serves as Canada's co-captain.

A national team veteran since 1992, the Paul Kane High School alumna plans to retire from international competition after the Paralympics.

Krempien and Feser are also teammates with the five-time defending Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League champion Edmonton Inferno.

Team Canada will regroup in Vancouver at the end of the month before departing for Beijing. The first game is Sept. 8 versus the Netherlands.

Canada is ranked number one in the world as the 2006 Gold Cup champions.

In 2004, Canada's historic run of three straight Paralympic gold medals ended with bronze at Athens.

jhansen@stablert.greatwest.ca

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