LIVE QUICKIE BLOG

Just two years after competing for Canada in the Rio Paralympic Games, Sunrise Ambassador Liam Hickey of St. John's captures silver in the Paralympic Games, but this time he did it on the ice. The 19 year-old dual-sport athlete has changed his focus from wheelchair basketball to sledge hockey at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang.

As a Paralympian, I have had the opportunity to travel the world, ski the most beautiful mountains, and connect with some of the most compassionate and brilliant minds on the planet. The journey from Paralympic champion to ADA advocate, however, was not natural for me. It was easy to be a well-liked Paralympian in a ski town, but advocating for local ADA issues was an entirely different matter.

What kind of competition is this where the game plan is openly discussed for both sides to hear? Shouldn't scoring plans and defensive moves be whispered behind a clipboard like in so many other sports? How is it that players in wheelchairs and those without disabilities compete on the same team? Is this an alternate universe? No, this is the sport of curling, and it is rapidly gaining popularity as competitive and recreational leagues flourish across the country and around the world.

In the autumn of 2017 I spent six weeks traveling in Ireland. Early in my trip I unexpectedly ended up in Killarney. In my few days there I found that Killarney not only had an incredible traditional & modern music scene, great food & pubs, theater, and amazing opportunities for accessible outdoor activities, but it also had an award-winning hostel right in the heart of town and less than a quarter-mile from the Killarney National Park. I wanted in on that, but it would have to wait for my next trip back to Ireland...in six weeks.

In the summer of 2003, I was a 13-year-old girl who loved the Backstreet Boys & American Girl dolls and dreamed of traveling the world. I wanted to be a veterinarian, live in New York City, and own a bunch of cats. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd one day compete as an international soccer player. That summer I was introduced to power (wheelchair) soccer at MDA Camp. Of course at the time I had no idea this sport would have any effect on me, much less change my life.