A physical education teacher at Richer School is adjusting to Manitoba weather after spending a couple of weeks in Buenos Aires. 

This was not a vacation for Graham Bodnar, although he did get some time to explore a bit of Argentina. 

Steinbach Online (STOL) caught up with Bodnar to find out details about the basketball trip, November 1st to 12th, and what it is like to represent our country in this manner. 

STOL: The Deaf Pan American Basketball Championships took place in November, and you got to experience it as part of the Canadian Deaf National Basketball Team. Before we get to the scores, tell us about your team. What is it like to train with these players from across the country? 

Bodnar: In the last few years, we've been able to get a really solid group of players and coaches from across Canada. Unfortunately, we don't get that much time to train together to prepare for something like this (something we hope can change in the future), so we definitely appreciate the chances we do have to spend time together on and off the court. You can feel the bond and the chemistry improving with each and every experience that we have together as a team. 

STOL: When you first arrived in Buenos Aires, what did you do to get settled and ready to compete? 

Bodnar: Because our travel was such a long process (it was nearly 24 hours from when I left Manitoba and actually arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina), our team was in desperate need of some basic movement and physical activity. Very shortly after arriving at our hotel, we walked over to a nearby beach, went for a team run, and had our coach put us through a bit of a workout to try and get our bodies out of travel mode and prepared for practice the next morning. 

STOL: When you compete in other countries, do you have to make any adjustments to your diet? I'm just wondering if you relax a bit and enjoy the local cuisine? 

Bodnar: It's really tough because anywhere you travel, you always hope that you're able to try some of the foods that are unique to that country, but there is often a fear for athletes that the food may not agree with you and end up negatively affecting your performance. For me personally, I try to play it pretty safe by only eating foods that I'm familiar with and that I believe will help for optimal performance. While it's not always easy to find these foods, you do the best you can with what you have. However, the absolute second the tournament is over, everything kind of changes and you're willing to try just about anything. We did have a little bit of time at the end of our trip to enjoy some of the local cuisine and it was definitely as good as people had told me it would be. 

STOL: Let's get to the competition. How many teams participated, and did you feel good going into the first game? 

Bodnar: There were five Countries that participated in the tournament including teams from Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic, United States, and Venezuela. This was my first time playing against any of these particular National teams, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After watching the games on the first day (we had a bye to start the tournament), it was very clear to me that these teams were extremely well prepared, disciplined, and had been playing together for quite some time. 

STOL: Which team do you feel was the most skilled? And how did your team respond? 

Bodnar: It was very clear that Venezuela (the eventual Gold Medal Winner) was the best team in the tournament. Their team chemistry and ability to execute their game plan was truly something to watch. In terms of playing against them, we had two very different experiences. The first time we matched up with them in pool play, they outplayed us in every part of the game, and we found ourselves losing by a considerable margin. Our coach kept stressing that we could play with them if we focused on limiting our mistakes and following our game plan. Sure enough, in the semi-finals, we played a much better all-around game against them and put ourselves in a position to possibly win in the final minutes. 

STOL: What were the scores from your games and which game do you feel best reflects the skills on the Canadian team? 

Bodnar: After losing our first three pool games to three of the top five ranked teams in the world (USA, Venezuela, and Argentina), we found ourselves in a must win game with the Dominican Republic to advance to the medal rounds. After holding on in the last minute for a close 69-64 win to stay alive in the tournament, we then played Venezuela in the semi-finals (83-72 loss) and the United States in the Bronze medal game (67-56 loss). In both the semi-finals and the Bronze medal game, we found ourselves tied going into the final minutes of fourth quarter before eventually letting the game get away from us. 

STOL: What was the highlight from the entire experience? 

Bodnar: I'll share a couple of highlights. One was from our last pool game against the Dominican Republic. I found myself hitting two free throws in the final seconds with the chance to help us win and move on to the medal rounds. A loss in this game would've been the end of our tournament, so the pressure was high all game long for both teams. You practice these types of scenarios all the time and wonder how you would perform under pressure if given that opportunity. Stepping up to the line with a chance to test myself in such a big moment on that kind of stage was a pretty special feeling. 

The other highlight I will share is something that will probably sound cliche. We always hear National team athletes talking about what it means to represent their Country and how important that is. I believe I always understood what they meant, but this time I truly felt it in a way that I hadn't expected. There were many moments that I won't forget where I had emotional reactions to this amazing opportunity I had been given and realizing what it really meant to play for Team Canada on this type of stage. 

STOL: Now that you're back on Canadian soil, what did you miss the most? Food? Your own bed? The snow? 

Bodnar: Without question, I missed my wife Stacey the most. She's so incredibly supportive of the time and effort that I put into preparing for these types of opportunities, so it meant a lot to be able to spend time with her after being away for that long. She told me in advance that our weather in Manitoba had changed considerably since I'd left and that she had brought my winter jacket to the airport for the ride home. I insisted on riding home in shorts as I wasn't quite ready to accept the permanent change in season yet. 

STOL: You must have quite the cheering squad here in Manitoba, and in school. Were your students in Richer eager to have you back in the gym? 

Bodnar: It was quite a warm welcome that I received from our school community upon returning. We have a very supportive staff, and despite my best efforts to try and keep this experience on the quieter side, several of my co-workers made a point of finding our games online and watching them live in the classroom with the students. It was unique in the sense that I'm always telling our students about setting goals and chasing their dreams, and this was an opportunity for them to actually see me doing my own version of this as it was actually happening. 

STOL: What is next for you? I imagine you already have your sights set on something big. 

Bodnar: This tournament gave our National Team program some great perspective on where we are at on a global stage. To be able to really compete with three of the top five ranked teams in the world was very encouraging, but we are also not satisfied as we know we could be a lot better. The plan at this point is to schedule more time for our team to get together for training camps to continue building the chemistry of this core group of players and coaching staff that we have right now. There are some exciting opportunities further down the road, but we're still in the planning and preparing phase at this point.