Todd Nicholson built his first hockey sled in his garage. Growing up on a farm he was adept at welding, and fashioned the sled out of steel with metal runners on the bottom, and a seatbelt to hold him on. He figured it weighed about 45 pounds.
That was almost three decades ago.
B次元官网网址淔ast forward to today, our sleds are about seven-and-a-half, eight pounds, made out of either titanium or high-grade aluminum, the buckets are custom-made, so theyB次元官网网址檙e basically custom fit, so that as you move, it moves with you,B次元官网网址� Nicholson said.
The five-time Paralympian in para ice hockey B次元官网网址� formerly known as sledge hockey B次元官网网址� is the chef de mission for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 team at the Winter Paralympics, which open Friday at Pyeongchang Stadium.
Technological advances in equipment is just a drop in the bucket of Paralympic improvement. From sports science to coaching expertise to sheer participation numbers and the level of competition, the entire Paralympic movement has grown so much globally that Canada, while still a front-runner, faces some stiff competition at the top.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a good problem to have,B次元官网网址� said Nicholson. B次元官网网址淚f we look at our athletes who are here B次元官网网址� both the Canadian athletes and the majority of athletes from around the world B次元官网网址� and the level of professionalism, our athletes are competing at peak performance. ItB次元官网网址檚 very difficult now for somebody whoB次元官网网址檚 recently injured to basically jump into a spot, which 10 or 15 years ago you had the opportunity to do that within a very short period.
B次元官网网址淭oday our athletes, the physical demand, the mental strain, and the commitment thatB次元官网网址檚 required, they are high-performance athletes who are competing at the top levelB次元官网网址�. And with (new) technology also comes faster speeds, faster times, and a lot more in terms of the physical demand upon our athletesB次元官网网址� bodies.B次元官网网址�
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 goal for these Games is to improve on the 16 medals, including seven gold, won at the Sochi Paralympics four years ago. Canada was fourth in Russia in total medals. Four years earlier in Vancouver, Canada captured a best-ever 19 medals, including 10 gold, to finish third.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 team of 55 athletes and guides arrived in Pyeongchang less than two weeks after their Olympic counterparts, winning 29 medals for third overall.
Canada sure brought spirit to the flag raising ceremony! What a great way to start the 2018
B次元官网网址� CDN Paralympic Team (@CDNParalympics)
B次元官网网址淲e look upon all of the successes they had both on and off the field of play, and weB次元官网网址檙e looking to obviously improve on that,B次元官网网址� Nicholson said. B次元官网网址漌e do have a lot of pressure because they had a record number of medals for them, so that pressure is put on us as well to increase our medal count from previous Games and to make these the best Games that weB次元官网网址檝e ever had and witnessed.B次元官网网址�
Nicholson, 49, is a three-time Paralympic medallist in hockey, winning gold in 2006, silver in B次元官网网址�98, and bronze in B次元官网网址�94. He was the teamB次元官网网址檚 captain for 15 years.
Nicholson broke his back in a car accident on Dec. 18, 1987 B次元官网网址� the night of his high school prom. Growing up on a farm in Kilburn, Ont., proms were held in the winter, because people were busy working the fields during spring and summer.
He hadnB次元官网网址檛 been drinking. HeB次元官网网址檇 just dropped off his girlfriend and it had started to snow.
B次元官网网址淚 hit a snowdrift, lost control of the car about three kilometres from home, and I was thrown from the vehicle,B次元官网网址� Nicholson said. B次元官网网址滻 remember very little of the accident. I remember about 45 minutes before. My accident happened Dec. 18, and the next thing I remember in my mind is Jan. 28, which is my birthday. That was when I got to sit up again.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 remember Christmas that year. ItB次元官网网址檚 interesting how your body just blocks that stuff out.B次元官网网址�
Nicholson learned about Paralympic sports while still at the Ottawa Rehabilitation Centre. Three-time Paralympic medallist in hockey Herve Lord B次元官网网址渢ook me under his wing, got me involved in sport, and thatB次元官网网址檚 whatB次元官网网址檚 taken me around the world,B次元官网网址� Nicholson said.
He competed in six sports internationally B次元官网网址� wheelchair basketball, tennis, triathlon, duathlon, marathon, and hockey, in which he found the most success.
Now he and wife Emily Glossop B次元官网网址� a former para-skiing guide and a recreation therapist who works with kids from ages four to 18 B次元官网网址� are all about inspiring others.
Ben Delaney, a member of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 hockey team in Pyeongchang, is among numerous athletes who credit Nicholson and Glossop for introducing him to Paralympic sport. The 20-year-old Delaney suffers from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, that required leg amputation.
Nicholson said much of this Paralympic team has come up through grassroots programs, where Canada is doing a significantly better job at reaching kids with disabilities than 15 or 20 years ago.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 amazing to see our grassroots programs and our kids who love to play hockey, for example, but never thought they would get the opportunity to do it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭o see a kid whoB次元官网网址檚 never played hockey before because of a disability, to get on the ice, grinning from ear to ear, and getting off the ice and telling his parents B次元官网网址業 can play hockey.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Like CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Olympic team, the Paralympic team is funded through Sport Canada, Own The Podium, and various corporate sponsors.
Nicholson marvels at the improvement in sport science since he first glided onto the ice on his homemade sled. Sit skis for alpine skiing used to look like a toboggan, but are now high-tech machines with built in shock absorber systems similar to motorcycles. Skiers test their suits for aerodynamics in wind tunnels. Ski wax technicians have help from Canadian meteorologists who give weather updates in 15-minute intervals.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a really unique science,B次元官网网址� Nicholson said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just athletes just going out and getting on the slopes, or stepping on the cross-country and biathlon tracks.B次元官网网址�
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
