I was sad that I had no shoes until I met these guys

Listening to: Christmas Carols on the Muzak
Writing This: In a Tim Horton’s
Weather: Grey and wet

Got an early Christmas present. I had the good fortune to spend the past week shooting interviews for “Sledheads” a documentary about the Canadian Men’s National sledge hockey team.

Here’s a sample (I really should learn how to embed this stuff… maybe in another life) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YDE2pVXyQw

To say this was a humbling experience would be an understatement. These men have overcome all the hardships associated with becoming an elite athlete (separation from family, trying to shoehorn training around a day-job, aches, pains and strains) but have the added difficulty of doing all that while dealing with their various mobility disabilities as well. Getting around in wheelchairs (wheelies) or amputations (amps) is difficult at best but winter must be particularly difficult (imagine wheeling a chair through a snow drift or ankle deep slush). Throughout the interviews, though, I never heard one word of complaint about the disability. These guys just put their collective noses to the grindstone and do what it takes to get the job done and met every challenge with a stoicism and sense of humour that I am not sure I could muster were I in their shoes (or chairs or legs). Each and every one of them better men than me for how they deal with the daily challenges and casual humiliations in their lives. The story of their recent road trip to Norway ought to be required reading for any frequent traveler who grumbles about getting on and off planes.

Here it is: http://www.gabrielfilmsnorth.com/iWeb/Sledhead/Blog/05DB28A3-62EB-4AA6-823F-20D0267AEFB3.html

We should all count our lucky stars that we can walk onto any plane in the world under our own steam (not to mention going to the ‘little room’ at the back of the plane).

The games are hard & violent but some of the best hockey you will ever get to see. I am looking forward to seeing how they do in the upcoming World Championships in Boston this March and the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.

Thanks Greg, Rosie, Billy, Todd, Herve and Jean for giving me one more reason to be grateful every morning that my legs still work and for showing me that even if they didn’t that life would still go on.