By: Sport Nova Scotia Communications
In 2025, Kayla MacKinnon became an international gold medalist, and while her athletic journey continues, she is also working hard to give back to the wheelchair basketball community here in Nova Scotia.
The 22 year old from Cole Harbour was the captain of Canada’s Women’s 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball Team that won gold at the Chile 2025 Youth Parapan American Games this past November.
Capping off the team’s impressive 7-0 run, they came out on top with a 15-4 victory over Colombia.
“Our most competitive games were probably against Colombia. Playing them gave us the opportunity to work on some of our harder skills,” says Kayla. The Canadian team didn’t enter the competition with a lot of 3 on 3 experience, so they focused on improving their transitions from offence to defense and communication.
Playing to the best of their abilities was important throughout the tournament, but Kayla felt the competition really became about community and participation. “It was nice to experience a more fun side of things,” she says. “The teams were so kind and so nice, it was really fun to play against them.”
Kayla jokes that her basketball career started in a funny way. Born with cerebral palsy, the IWK’s recreational therapy department was helping her find a way to exercise more. Intensive exercise on her feet is challenging for Kayla, so they chose archery. And while it ended up not being the sport for Kayla, it was there that she met her now basketball coach, Cher Smith, who was in attendance as an occupational therapist.
“It was not an easy start, especially as someone who’s not a wheelchair user. It was a very difficult thing to get used to, and I didn’t exactly have the strength to shoot in the beginning either, but it’s a great community. People are so supportive and we all just kind of want the best out of each other. I love the sport, it’s changed my life in ways I didn’t even think it would,” says Kayla.
On top of being an athlete, Kayla has also taken on coaching. The wheelchair basketball community in Nova Scotia isn’t large, but Kayla says they have a few new players and watching them grow has helped her confidence as a coach.
“You get a sense of pride when you’re coaching someone and you see them learn new skills,” Kayla explains. “And I’m really starting to love it. I’m starting to come up with better lesson plans. That was my hardest part, trying to see what was going to work to teach someone. But it’s been great.”
When it comes to her own athletic goals Kayla hopes to one day compete at the Paralympics and to be a coach for Team Nova Scotia.
