Inspiring Athletes

Last week, I witnessed the happy homecoming of some of Canada's Paralympic athletes. Their family members and close friends greeted them upon their arrival at Pearson International Airport.

Some of Canada's 2014 Sochi Paralympic athletes and their families

I interviewed two of these athletes. Michelle Salt, a para-snowboarder and Jim Armstrong, a wheelchair curler. Both of them have an incredible competitive drive and love life. 2 1/2 years ago, Michelle was in a motorcycle accident which resulted in the loss of her right leg. She was in a coma for a week.

Michelle Salt

I asked Michelle if she was a competitive athlete prior to her accident. I wondered/assumed that perhaps this was what propelled her to become a Paralympian. Michelle shared that she did not compete in sports before her accident although she had enjoyed snowboarding for several years. She was also a fitness model before her accident.

Michelle set the goal of becoming a competitive para-snowboarder for herself to help motivate her to get through months of physiotherapy. She had to learn to walk again. At the time that Michelle set this goal, her doctor had told her that the best that she could hope for was to walk with a limp. Michelle had no idea if she would be able to achieve this goal. However, it gave her the motivation that she needed to work hard each day. Her mother and her sister were a key part of her support system.

You can read more about Michelle's journey on her web site.
http://megaleg.myevent.com


At the tender age of 63, Jim Armstrong is an elite athlete. Jim started curling at the age of 8.

Jim Armstrong

After knee and back injuries, he had to give up the sport. A friend introduced him to wheelchair curling 6 or 7 years ago. Jim says that it relaunched him. Jim says, "Curling was a big part of my life and when I lost it, it was huge. So to get an opportunity to come back in just a little different form has been great."

There are a couple significant differences in the sport of wheelchair curling.
1. Throwing from a stationary position "so it's hard to generate the big weight."
2. No sweeping.

According to Jim, this changes the strategy of the game. He enjoys the challenge of competing in a relatively new sport that is continually evolving.

Congratulations to all of Canada's athletes who competed in Sochi.

Canada's gold medal wheelchair curling team.