Chris Daw

Curling

He entered curling in 2000. He was the skip of the Canadian team at the 2002 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Sursee, Switzerland, where the team won silver. Two years later, he would again be the skip of the Canadian team and the Wheelchair Curling championship, again in Sursee, where the team won bronze. He would be the skip of the Canadian team, which won Gold in Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. In 2007 he withdrew his name from the Team Canada selection process that could have led to a spot on the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He resurfaced as part of the Wheelchair Curling Team for Newfoundland as Skip in 2008, only to relocate to British Columbia in 2009. He was the General manager of the Vancouver Curling Club when it took over the Olympic Curling center (now Hillcrest Center) in 2011. Daw returned to Ontario in 2011 for undisclosed reasons.

In 2010, it was announced that Daw was returning to competitive curling by joining Jim Armstrong (curler). As Jim's second on a local BC team in provincial play-downs; with hopes of representing Team BC. Team Armstrong was unsuccessful in capturing the 2011 BC Championship title. Armstrong would later move to Ontario. Daw would announce his retirement in December 2010.

Retirement

In 2010, Daw formally announced his retirement from competitive sports to focus on his family and career. In January 2012 after Eric Eales of wheelchaircurling.com stopped publishing his blog posting on wheelchair curling; it was announced Daw was taking over with a new blog spot called Wheelchair Curling Blog 2. Daw received over 5000 readers in the first month on the new blog which changed formats allowing for publishing of stories on wheelchair curling from around the world though direct input by the players, coaches or interested parties. The blog after 2015 National championships in Quebec experienced over 5.5 million+ viewers

Post retirement Daw has also been very active as a motivational speaker; as a speaker for the Rick Hansen foundation, 2010 for the Vancouver games as the lead curling commentator for Paralympic Sport TV and in 2014 appears as CBC curling analyst for the Sochi Paralympic Games doing on air taped and LIVE coverage for the company [15]

Business Venues

After leaving Vancouver in 2011, in 2012, Daw signed on with Ken Strong to support a sports venue, Ice Twice Rinks Inc. in Oakville, Ontario. He became the Executive Director of the business. In eight months, Daw was able to fully recover the facility from financial hardship. With dimensions over 70,000 square feet, the facility was home to two rinks, a goalie pad, a shooting pad, a board room, a multi-purpose room, and space for dry land training. Programs at the rink were run by experienced coaches such as Al Iafrate, Eddi Choi, Christina Kessler, Ryan Munce, and Bill Hoover. Daw left Ice Twice Rinks in 2015, which was sold in for profit to Jamie Allison; a former NHL player with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Disability

Daw was originally diagnosed with a rare condition known as arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. During a number of tests, medical doctors in 1990 re-diagnosed Daw with an even rarer condition known as fetal stroke. The condition has left Daw as one of the rare survivors who has lived longer than any others. Because of how the condition affected Daw, the muscles in his legs never developed. Although his legs do not generate enough strength to walk, he has experienced no loss of sensation and can use them generally for all other purposes. Daw also had his left hand and forearm impacted by the condition, which has often affected his classification during his Paralympic career. Due to this, he is the only Paralympic athlete in history who has fulfilled classification requirements for both paraplegic and quadriplegics thus allowing him to participate in wheelchair rugby and sport reserved for quadriplegics.

Personal life

In 2006 it was reported that Daw had one child a son; Kyle, with his first wife Mari Brown. In March, 2009 Daw married Morgan Perry, a former member of Canada's junior women's softball team. On February 23, 2010, Daw and Perry gave birth to a daughter Arowyn Emma Ellie.

In April 2010, Daw lost his mother Eleanor Daw at 63 years from a heart attack. According to Daw, her loss has had a profound change in him which his often referred to the reason behind his retirement from international sport.

In October 2014 after going to the doctor for what Daw thought was Kidney stones it was discovered he had renal cell carcinoma. The aggressive cancer caused Daw to undergo surgery on December 29, 2014 having a Partial nephrectomy. Daw quickly recovered from the surgery healing in less than 4 weeks time. In 2015; Daw had relocated to Victoria, British Columbia making his return to BC after leaving for unknown reasons in 2010.

Awards

In 2010, Daw was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame on September 23, 2010 at a ceremony including Christine Nesbitt and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir.

Daw's accomplishments included the following; one of the longest active Paralympic careers in history. During his athletic career he has attended over 125 National Championships, 64 World Championships, 4 Paralympics and 1 Olympics. For an estimated medal total over 1000+ for Canada including a dozen World Championships, 19 World records and Paralympic Gold medal performances. His sports include Canadian representation for Track, Basketball, Rugby, Volleyball, and Curling. He has also participated as an elite athlete in hockey,field, parachuting; rock climbing, badminton and holds high level black belts in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.

Results (not a complete list)

This list is not nearly a complete list of Daw's medal count over the years. Daw participated in countless different sport spanning a 37-year career and a full understanding of his accomplishments is not fully understood.