Albertan only Native at Paralympics

Page R1

Being involved in a non-funded sport calls for an inventive mind when overcoming financial obstacles.

Which is nothing new for John Belanger. The 45-year-old gold medal athlete overcame the effects of a car accident which left him legless at the age of 24 to become one of Canada's top wheelchair athletes.

When faced with a lack of travel funds to make it to the Ottawa trials for the 1994 Paralympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Belanger did the next best thing.

He sent a video of himself and team mates doing drills. And they won a place for themselves at the March 5-20 games.

"I'm geared to playing hockey and I'm chomping at the bit," said the veteran athlete of the upcoming games. "I can't wait for practices."

Sledge hockey is relatively new for Belanger, who made a name for himself in track and field. Belanger took gold, silver and bronze medal for discus, shotput and javelin events across North America and at the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

He also enjoys wheelchair basketball, but seems focussed on sledge hockey now.

"It is very poplar in Ontario - there are 17 teams out east. But there are only two teams in Alberta and none in British Columbia.

"I think (sledge hockey) is good for youths because it offers an alternative to basketball," said Belanger, whose 21-year-old son is an avid basketball player.

One drawback to playing sledge hockey is that the sledge, which is made at Carleton University in Ottawa, costs $540. That is where community support comes in," he said.

Belanger's "second life" has been good to him since he started picking up the pieces left by the tragic accident. And his determination and success in sports is just one reason why.

"You realize that your problem will never go away and you have to live with it," said Belanger. "It's up to you as a person to make do with what you got."