Hosted by Paralympians Greg Westlake and Travis Murao, the AMI original series Beyond the Field debuts Monday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

With the Paralympic Games in Tokyo just weeks away, AMI is excited to announce the debut of Beyond the Field on Monday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv.

An AMI original production, Beyond the Field examines important issues impacting the world of sport, specifically parasport. Hosts—and Paralympians—Greg Westlake (AMI-tv’s Level Playing Field) and Travis Murao raise awareness and push the conversation forward through discussions with elite para-athletes, experts and coaches.

“I’m proud to bring Beyond the Field to audiences in advance of the Paralympic Games,” says Michelle Dudas, Senior Producer at AMI-tv. “The discussions that Greg and Travis have with their guests shed a light on important issues and challenges that need to be addressed.”

Beyond the Field, hosted by Greg Westlake and Travis Murao, episode premiere dates and synopses:

Monday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“Racial Diversity in Sport” 
Paralympians Kieran Block and Richard Peter talk diversity in parasport.

Monday, July 19, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Sport”
Paralympian Ness Murby and educator Christine Hsu discuss the growing fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports and what can be done for the future.

Monday, July 26, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“Mental Health Preparation”
We explore the topic of mental health and mental preparation with Paralympians Alison Levine and Lowell Taylor.

Monday, August 2, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“Coaching with a Disability”
Coaches David Willsie and Peggy Assinck discuss coaching in parasport.

Monday, August 9, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“Recruitment and Grassroots Support”
We explore the importance of recruitment and grassroots support for athletes of all ages with Variety Village’s Archie Allison and Paralympic curler Sonja Gaudet.     

Monday, August 16, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern 
“Life After Sport”
Paralympian-turned-lawyer Josh Vander Vies and nurse-turned-Paralympic hopeful Sarah Anne Cormier talk life after sport.

Additionally, the companion podcast Beyond the Field: Uncut offers deeper discussions with Greg, Travis and their guests. Download Beyond the Field: Uncut from your favourite podcasting platform.

In keeping with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians, Season one of Beyond the Field features Integrated Described Video (IDV) making it accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted.

Host Greg Westlake

Para ice hockey team captain Greg Westlake helped Canada to the silver medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

At the World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, in April 2017, Greg, a forward, helped Canada defeat arch-rivals U.S.A. to win a record fourth world title for the Canadians. The win marked his third world championship gold: Greg was on teams that won in 2008, 2013 and 2017.

Greg competed at his third Paralympic Games in 2014, in Sochi, and collected a second career Paralympic medal as Canada won the bronze. Greg finished the Sochi Paralympic Games tournament with four points in five games, including an assist on Billy Bridges’ insurance goal in the bronze medal game 3-0 victory over Norway.

Host Travis Murao

Travis Murao was introduced to wheelchair rugby by Duncan Campbell, one of the inventors of the sport. He started playing while still in G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre and quickly became hooked on the intellectual side of the sport.

Travis is known for his sense of humour and his love of reading. He’s blogged about wheelchair rugby and starred in the humorous web series “Wheelchair Rugby Talk with Trav n’ Trev,” with teammate Trevor Hirschfield.

Travis’ passion for both English Literature and wheelchair rugby took him to Tucson, where he studied English at the University of Arizona and won a United States Quad Rugby Association national championship title with the Tucson Pterodactyls. Now, Travis is living in Toronto and training full-time in the hopes of capturing gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Beyond the Field debuts Monday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Stream episodes post-broadcast on AMI.ca or using the AMI-tv App.