Exemplar - Rick Hanson
Storyboard Text
- Call to Adventure & Meeting their Mentor
- "Rick, after you rehabilitate, I think joining wheelchair sports would help you feel like yourself again!"
- Crossing the Threshold
- "Wow! How did he get to the basket so quickly?!"
- Trials and Failures
- Why don't the Paralympics receive the same television exposure as the Olympics?
- On the way home from a fishing trip, 15 year old Rick and his friend Don Alder are in a car accident and are thrown from the back of a pickup truck. Rick injures his spinal cord and is paralyzed from the waist down. His volleyball coach, Bob Redford, encourages him to join wheelchair sports after he rehabilitates.
- Death /Rebirth / Revelation
- Rick navigates his new life in a wheelchair following the accident. When playing wheelchair basketball, he discovers his new super speed that allows him to race past opponents at the speed of light. He goes on to win 19 wheelchair marathons, three world titles, and 15 medals at the Paralympics and Pan Am Games.
- Atonement / Gets Gift
- Unfortunately, not everyone recognizes Rick's amazing athletic abilities and powers. He works hard to advocate for Paralympic athletes to not be stereotyped as broken bodies, but to be viewed as competitors who deserve just as much support and exposure as mainstream Olympic athletes.
- Returns Changed
- Rick realizes he needs to prove how fast he is to the world. He embarks on the Man In Motion World Tour, a whirlwind journey around the globe to prove the potential of people with disabilities and raise awareness for accessibility. His super speed allows him to travel 25,000 miles and visit 34 countries, raising $26 million for SCI research and sport.
- Rick's speed won many hearts and awards. Rick was recognized for his efforts in helping those with disabilities achieve equality. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and appointed to carry the Olympic torch in the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Games.
- You're an inspiration for everyone, Rick!
- Rick's legacy of kindness, determination, and passion for inclusion carries on through the Rick Hanson Foundation, of which he is the founder. Rick's super speed and huge heart continues to inspire millions around the world in the fight for change and equality.
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