MY NAME IS RYAN STRASCHNITZKI.

I am from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I first got into hockey when I was about four years old. My dad got me into the sport being a die-hard Flames fan. At the age of 16, I moved away to go play Midget AAA in Leduc, Alberta to try and pursue my career  to make the jump to Junior A hockey. My 17 year old year, I ended up playing a little bit of junior hockey.  I got traded to Humboldt that same year and we had a good season. I developed as a person and I developed as a hockey player as well. 

The coach out in Humboldt cared more about the person you were versus the hockey player you were. He  instilled that in all of us as being a good person around the community and always giving back. And that's something I'll always remember and something I’ll cherish, with me for the rest of my life .  

The day of April 6th, 2018 changed the lives of 29 families forever.

UNFORTUNATELY I REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY.

It was like any other game day, pre-game skate with the team , team breakfast at the local family-owned restaurant and then back home to our billet houses for a pre-game nap. We all got onto that bus that day to go win a hockey game when all of a sudden the bus driver screamed.  I poked my head  down the aisle and  there was a semi truck coming towards our bus at full speed. 

“ devastating news from Canadian officials. The Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team from Saskatchewan was involved in a serious accident when a semi-trailer truck broadsided the team bus, killing at least 15” 
Were the words my family had heard about the accident not knowing if I was still alive or not.

I don't remember how long after I gained consciousness, but I remember sitting up with my back against the semi truck,  looking around at all the mayhem, trying to collect my thoughts, trying to understand what just happened and seeing my teammates and debris around me. My first instinct was just to get up. That's all I could repeat in my head was just get up. So I go to move but I'm not moving. I'm stuck under something. So I go, look at my legs and they're just not moving and there's nothing on top of them.It's one of those things where unless you experience that, you don't understand the feeling of, Am I going to live or I'm going to die in this situation.

DURING THE COURSE OF MY RECOVERY THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I WAS IMMOBILIZED.

I couldn't move unless a nurse brought in a giant crane and lifted me out of bed just to get into a wheelchair to go to therapy. It was important for me to build up my mental fortitude to overcome that, if you can get past the little challenges every day is something as simple as getting out of bed every day that’s going to allow you to reach your goals. That's what I had to learn in the hospital. 

just around the same time, Canada lost in the Paralympics to the Americans in para-ice hockey. “I'm going to play sled hockey and try to win Canada the gold”  was one of the first statements I said to my dad from the hospital bed. I truly believe that if you're still breathing, you still have an opportunity to get a second chance at life and I’m not going to let opportunity be for nothing.

Everyone has their own story. The only disability you can have is a bad attitude in life. At Straz Strong our aim is to find those with a hard work ethic, those who show respect and kindness to everyone around them, those who aren’t afraid of taking a leap of faith to achieve goals beyond what they imagined and most importantly those who aim to make a beneficial difference in their communities. At Straz Strong we welcome all who exemplify those exact qualities and values to help benefit those with both mental and physical disabilities through adaptive sports , social awareness through public speaking and funding for rehabilitation needs.

OUR MISSION

  • PROVIDE ACCESS TO ADAPTIVE SPORTS FOR ALL. 

  • EDUCATION ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES THROUGH PUBLIC SPEAKING

  • PROVIDE ACCESS TO REHAB AND PHYSIOTHERAPY THROUGH DONATIONS

  • AIM TO FIND A CURE FOR DISABILITIES THROUGH FUNDRASING EVENTS 

  • INSPIRE THOSE TO WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE ALL QUALITIES OF LIFE

Lets get in touch.