Ryan Straschnitzki measures resilience with early mornings at the gym, long hours on the basketball court and the steady work of building both body and mind. His focus isn’t just on overcoming a life-altering moment, but on what comes next: setting new goals, leaning into challenges and helping others do the same.
The former Humboldt Bronco and Paralympic wheelchair basketball hopeful brought that perspective to Lethbridge Polytechnic’s 2026 speaker series March 4. Presented by Bruce McKillop, and in partnership with Excite Lethbridge, Straschnitzki hosted two sessions at the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre – one for postsecondary students, and one for alumni and community members.
“I think it’s nice when I speak to audiences because a lot of people don’t know where most of us are today,” Straschnitzki says of his 2018 teammates – survivors of the bus crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down. “I think we’ve all developed as people, and we’ve done our best to move past the whole accident and create a life for ourselves. So, for me, I want people to know where I’m at, and because of their support, where I’m able to go in the future.”
Where he hopes to go is the Paralympic Games as a member of the Canadian National Wheelchair Basketball Team.
“Trying to learn a completely new sport and learn the ins and outs and the tricks, is something that takes a lot of time and a lot of games,” he says, adding he trains four days a week in the gym in addition to attending practices, tournaments and camps. “I’m in the national pool, so at any point if I start improving, I could be selected for the senior men’s team.”
He says he would love to crack the roster for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, but ultimately, his “biggest goal” is to be a starter and play every game at the 2032 Paralympics in Brisbane, Australia and “hopefully win that gold medal.”
As someone whose life “revolved around sport and being physically active,” Straschnitzki turned to adaptive competition soon after the Humboldt accident, first pursuing para-ice hockey before shifting to wheelchair basketball four years ago. Along the way, he met other athletes with similar Paralympic goals, and he began to see how often cost became a barrier to them continuing in sport.
“Adaptive sport equipment is so expensive,” he says. “A sport chair for basketball can range anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 – on top of medical costs, playing community programs and travelling for tournaments – it adds up.”
Wanting to remove some of those financial barriers, Straschnitzki established the Straz Strong Foundation in 2022. Through the foundation, he raises money to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses associated with adaptive sport for young Canadian athletes – regardless of their level of competition.
“At the end of the day … I just want them to have that sense of joy and the sense of belonging that I had growing up,” he says.
In addition to providing financial support, the Straz Strong Foundation has produced short documentaries, the RISE | DEFY Film Series, shared on social media and YouTube. The series features athletes who have received equipment through the foundation, highlighting their personal journeys, the transformative power of adaptive technology and how community support helps them pursue their goals.
The stories shared through the series reflect the same strength that shapes Straschnitzki’s path – resilience built through small, everyday moments.
“For me, living in a wheelchair, it’s just getting up every day,” he says. “You can’t sit back and let life take the wheel – you have to take control, and it starts with just getting out of bed.”
That approach also led Straschnitzki to place a stronger focus on mental health – a message he now shares with audiences as an essential part of overall well-being.
“Reaching out to a therapist, finding ways to take care of your mind and your body at the same time is something that’s so crucial and has really changed my life,” he says. “Something as simple as enjoying the sunrise or getting off my phone for a day – those little things that we take for granted go a long way.”
Straschnitzki says that mindset, along with a well-known saying his father shared with him at age 13 – when one door closes, another one opens – helps him lean into challenges and remain focused on his goals. And it’s a way of thinking he hopes audiences will carry with them long after his speaking engagements end.
“No matter what you’re going through in life, there’s always an opportunity,” he says. “You just might have to work hard for it.”
