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Since the age of 9, wheelchair basketball has been the all-consuming passion of Canadian Paralympic athlete Joey Johnson (born July 1975). Degenerative hip disease has been no bar to sporting success and Joey is proud to have been part of the Canadian Gold medal winning teams in the 2000 and 2004 Paralympics and the 2006 World Championships. Joey and his team's sights are now set upon victory in London 2012 and gaining a 4th Paralympic podium finish and medal.
In recent years, Joey has worked hard and supported his wife and family as a successful professional wheelchair basketball player in Germany. Earlier in his twenties, he gained a BSc in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Joey first connected with the ACP via a workshop for the Canadian wheelchair team in Toronto in early 2011. It was a timely introduction for Joey: "You are always thinking about 'what's after' and I realize the end is in sight in terms of top level competition. As an athlete, the concern is that we have no job training or skills to help us in another profession. The workshop helped me realize that this is not necessarily true. Most of our skills sets – such as leadership, working under pressure and goal orientation – can carry over from our sport to the professional world and will be valued by employers. I'd recommend any athlete to get involved with the ACP. It is so valuable to have professionals 'on your team' to help guide and mentor you in finding a new career."
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