Great news for a North Bay Paralympic hopeful.
Dave Innes, who is hoping to compete in rowing at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, has had training challenges.
He could do virtual rowing at a local gym but to actually get onto the water on his boat, it appeared he was going to have to travel to Ottawa or Sudbury to access the water with his special boat.
See related: Innes locally honoured with Sports Achievement Award
However, that changed this weekend as Dillon Guido of DGRP Inc. has created a new accessible dock for him at Armstrong Park.
“He spent the weekend building the dock and it was installed on Sunday. It’s ready to go at Armstrong Park,” Innes told Rogers radio.
“Dillon and I have been working with the city to come up with a solution and to make sure it was ready in time, he took the weekend to build the dock," Innes added on social media.
Innes, who won silver at the Invictus Games in Australia last year in the indoor rowing event, has always appreciated his support in North Bay. He believes someone coming through for him here in North Bay is just another example of that.
“I would have had to deal with motel rooms, meals and travel expenses. At this point, I’ll be able to train here. My support group is huge. North Bay has really jumped on board,” Innes said.
Innes also credits Nipissing University’s Dean Hay for helping out as his rowing coach.
