The Neutral Zone

Checking In

Coming up on this episode of The Neutral Zone, we are pleased to be joined by Canadian wheelchair racer and Paralympic medallist Austin Smeenk.  Austin will stop by to talk about his wonderful national and international career! Also, with the success of the Commonwealth Games being a combined event of able-bodied athletes and para athletes, does this event lend itself to future combined major events? The panel will discuss this and also the question, is the pressure of sports self-inflicted or out of our control entirely?

Joey Johnson Era

Coming up on this episode of the program I recently got to chat with the Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball head coach Joey Johnston; he tells us about building his team towards world championships in September in Ottawa Ontario! The panel will break down the interview and talk about the importance of consistency and continuity behind any national team bench. Plus, the panel will discuss the dreadful and god-awful Toronto Blue Jays and what to do next!

Moving Goalposts

Coming up on this episode of The Neutral Zone, we will be introducing you to a sport we have not chatted about in the past: para bobsleigh. Cynthia Appiah, a para sport advocate, will be along to chat about the sport and uncover some things that you may or may not know about the sport as it relates to the Paralympics. The panel will break down the interview and bring you up to speed on the latest mainstream sports!

Actions before Words

Coming up on this episode of The Neutral Zone, we will be joined by multi-para sport athlete Martha Gustafson.  Martha will join us to talk about her wonderful career. Plus, we discuss a tragic accident involving a Paralympic athlete from the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah Hayayei, and how everything could have been avoided.

Success with an Asterix?

Coming up on this edition of The Neutral Zone, we will hear from Jill Hopkins, who had the opportunity to be a commentator for wheelchair curling at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Milan Cortina.  Plus, Blue Jays play-by-play man Dan Shulman talks about the season thus far and gives us some hope for the Blue Jays future this season.