LISA FRANKS
An accomplished wheelchair athlete, Lisa Franks has made the transition to coaching on the court.
Lisa Franks’ shredded shoulder delivered a loud — and very clear — message that her elite-level sports days have likely faded away.
But the former Paralympics standout found a great fix in Calgary this past weekend, calling the shots from her perch on the sidelines while coaching Saskatchewan to its first-ever medal, a bronze, at the Canadian wheelchair basketball championship.
“You have disabled athletes playing with ablebodied athletes, and it really is a level playing field,” Franks said Tuesday while explaining her love for the sport.
“There’s that inclusion, and a tight-knit community is formed from that. In Saskatchewan, we’ve always been bottom of the pile, and now to see it coming together ... we’re emerging as a threat out there. When you’ve been at the bottom of that pile, and you’ve scrapped and worked your way onto the podium, that brings a special bond to the community.”
Franks, 33, has been a driving force in Saskatchewan wheelchair sports for nearly two decades — moving fluidly from the fast-wheeled life of a racer, to grinding clashes on the basketball court, before a serious shoulder injury shut her down four years ago.
Paralyzed from the waist down since being diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation at age 14, Franks won a combined six wheelchair-racing gold medals, and one silver, at the 2000 and 2004 Paralympics.
She also set world records over 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000 metres, as well as the marathon.
In 2005, Franks migrated her passion to wheelchair basketball, and was the first Saskatchewan woman to make the national team in 2006.
She played the sport at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, and has watched it grow provincially ever since — attracting both able-bodied and handicapped athletes wanting to test themselves in the chairs.
“Anybody who knows me knows I’m always actively recruiting, approaching people on the street, getting them out playing,” Franks says with a laugh.
“I’d still love to be out there playing, being competitive and aggressive. But I’m channelling that energy into trying to get out and recruit more people and help the athletes we do have. I think that’s where I have to channel that desire to play, is helping to build our provincial program.”
Saskatchewan claimed its historic bronze medal with a 70-49 Sunday win over Quebec, behind 27 points from Regina’s Shelby Harrower.
Franks, who suffered and played through a detached labrum before deciding four years ago that she couldn’t do it anymore, has undergone multiple shoulder surgeries. She hopes to play the sport on a recreational basis once the shoulder stabilizes. And coaching is always an option.
She draws daily inspiration, she says, from the memory of Clayton Gerein, the renowned Saskatchewan Paralympian who coached and mentored Franks before his passing in 2010.
“I always remember how special it is when somebody can help another person get out there and chase their dream,” she said. “Every day, he’s on my mind.
“Honestly, I still miss (competing), to this day,” Franks added.
“Being part of this team fills that void, though. The wheelchair basketball community is a tight-knit group. Being away from that for a while was difficult, but being back in a coaching role has really helped with that.”