Board of Directors
Chair of the Board - Robert (Bo) Hedges
Bo Hedges began playing wheelchair basketball in 1995 by starting a team in Fort St. John. Bo moved to Prince George in 1998 to further his education at the University of Northern BC (UNBC) and continued playing there with the PG Titans, making the senior men’s provincial team in 1999. He participated on the National Junior men’s team in 1997 and 2001, received his Business Marketing Degree from UNBC in 2004, and then moved to Vancouver in 2006 seeking a better training setting.
The move proved fruitful, as he made the senior national team in 2007, and was a silver medallist in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a gold medallist at the 2012 London Paralympics. In preparation for the 2012 London Paralympics, Bo moved to Alabama to complete a Masters degree in Sport Management while training and playing with the Crimson Tide. Bo is currently based in Toronto with the Canadian National team and was co-captain of Team Canada at the 2018 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Hamburg, Germany.
Vice Chair - Bryan Shore
Bryan has been a leader both on the court and as a volunteer in the BCWBS community for many years. Thanks to his dedication, he has progressed from a recreational athlete to a high-performance athlete who participates in numerous events, high performance camps, Division 1 leagues and the BC-CWBL team.
His leadership style and his friendly demeanour have not gone unnoticed, and his commitment to the Okanagan Thunder has been instrumental in keeping wheelchair basketball alive in Kelowna. For his willingness to lead and grow the game of wheelchair basketball, and his dedication as a BCWBS athlete, Bryan is reminiscent of our good friend MJ, which made him an excellent recipient of the 2013 MJ Boudreault True Sport Award.
Treasurer - Amanda Pinheiro
Amanda currently works as a staff accountant at Ernst and Young. She is an accomplished high performance Paralympic athlete and this has resulted in the ability to organize, prioritize and work under extreme work pressure, heavy work lead and deadlines. Exceptional abilities in leadership, conflict resolution, discipline, self-motivation, and analytical and strategic thinking.
Amanda was introduced to wheelchair basketball through the Bridging the Gap (BTG) program and went on to play for the BC Breakers and then the women's National Team and had the honour to represent Canada at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Secretary - Brad Hagkull
Living proof that tall men should not wear plaid, Brad first got involved in wheelchair basketball when his 6-year old son said, "Daddy, I want to do that". He has been the head coach of the Chilliwack Cheetahs program in the Fraser Valley since then and loves seeing the smiles when kids first try the sport. He is excited to develop our sport at the community and school levels and dreams of the day when every student in B.C. can get the opportunity to experience Wheelchair Basketball before graduation. A current Vice-Principal, past Elementary school teacher, accordian enthusiast and former varsity athlete, Brad's main job these days is to follow his kids around the house and turn off lights.
Director at Large - Ewa Holender
Over the years, Ewa has been involved with gymnastics, as a coach for kids with disabilities, the director of a national disability education and outreach program, an adaptive skiing instructor, and the organizer of a 1100km bike ride fundraiser. In her spare time, she works as a lawyer. She is passionate about sport and making sure all children have an opportunity to play and is excited to help bring wheelchair basketball to schools and communities.
Director at Large - Bryna Kopelow
Bryna joined the Board in 2016. She is a member of JW Sporta: Health, Physical Activity and Sport Education Consultants, responsible for the initial development, implementation and management of Action Schools! BC (2004-2015) and the Premier's Sport Awards Program (p.s.a.p.) (1985-2015). She is involved with numerous endeavours promoting physical activity and sport at a grassroots level and has served on numerous committees. Accomplishments include: past Chair of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity; past Chair and current Honorary Board Member of Promotion Plus; current member of viaSport's Girls and Women Advisory Group; current member of th eBe the Change Advisory Council; past Board Member of Sport BC; and current Board Member of BC Recreation and Parks Association and Motivate Canada. Bryna was a member of the Expert Panel of the Formative Evaluation of the Canadian Sport Policy (2012) and the Thematic Review of Physical Literacy and LTAD. Bryna was a member of the National Advisory Committee - Children and Youth and Physical Activity Guide, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and the National Roundtable Children and Youth and Physical Activity and a Sessional Instructor at UBC.
Director at Large - Mark Starkey
Mark is a resident of Vancouver, Ohio-native and former NCAA athlete with a passion for technology, basketball and brand. Currently the CEO at Victory Creative Group, a global brand & sports marketing agency, Mark is the former Nike Brand Director (Portland, OR) and leads some of BC's grassroots basketball organizations including VancouverBasketball.com, The Vancouver Basketball Academy™, The Vancouver Metro Basketball League and The Vancouver Basketball Foundation™. With a passion for inclusion in sport, digital and technology, he is the founder of TEDxVancouver & TEDxPortland and was named to Vancouver's Top 40 under 40 list in 2018.
If you would like to contact a BCWBS Board Member, please contact BCWBS directly.
