Birthdate: July 25th, 1988
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Sport: Wheelchair Basketball/Rugby
Shayne’s Para-athletic journey began at age four, with tragic circumstance. He contracted a rare form of meningitis called “meningococcal septicemia” which led to the amputation of his legs, left hand, and some fingers. Despite this adversity, he has maintained a positive outlook on life, and parlayed his unfortunate tragedy into a fruitful Para-athletic career. “It’s not the cards you’re dealt,” he once said, but “the hand you play.”
He started playing wheelchair basketball at age eight at Variety. In regards to his motivation, he cites his mom as a major inspiration in his life.
“People always tell me, “Oh, my gosh, Shayne, you’re so strong! You’re so amazing! You have such a big heart.” And my answer always is: “I got it from my mom. She not only raised me, but she did it on her own. My dad split. So she was Mom, Dad, taxi driver, basketball coach, hockey coach… She was everything. To this day, if anyone asks me who my best friend is, it’s my mom. I know it sounds cheesy, but we’re best friends.”
Indeed, it was his mom who influenced him to play basketball, when so many other people thought otherwise: “Very few people besides my mother thought basketball was a good idea,” said Shayne. “Who would have thought a kid with half a hand could shoot a three- pointer?” Basketball saved his life, he says. It gave him the confidence to play ‘regular’ sports, and showed him that if he put the effort in, he could do anything.
Since then, he’s played all over the world (Japan, France, etc.), representing Canada in several international tournaments, including the 2018 World Championships. Most notably, he was the youngest member of Canada’s under-23 squad at the World Junior Championships in England in 2005. He played for the Canadian Junior Team for 17 years, retiring at the age of 25. Following his retirement, he took up wheelchair rugby.
He also has an entrepreneurial spirit. He co-founded “Tee-Talent,” a social enterprise that offers t-shirts, promotional products, and public speaking services.
You can find Shayne on Twitter @Shayne_Smith25 and Instagram @ShayneSmith11