Rob Napinuk was born in Manitoba 26 years ago without the ability to hear. He is now a competitive snowboarder who lives in Winnipeg part time, Patuanak,Saskatchewan part time, and trains in Calgary. Napinuk spent last weekend at Calgary's Olympic Park trying out for Canada's Deaf Olympic Snowboarding Team. He tells us he tried out with his best friend, fellow Manitoban Chris Stewart, and they are now waiting to find out if they will earn 2 of the 9 spots on the national squad.

 

The 17th Deaf Winter Olympics will be held in Slovakia this February. Napinuk shares there really is only one difference for deaf athletes who snowboard, pointing out they will use lights as a signal to start instead of a horn or gun. Napinuk says he was exposed to the sport of snowboarding by his foster family who developed the snowboard facility at Stony Mountain. Napinuk says fishing was his first love, but once he hit the slopes he was addicted. He feels there is an advantage to being a deaf snowboarder, because he can focus on tricks and not be distracted by music like many other athletes.

 

December 20th he will find out if he will make the trip to the Deaf Olympics.


MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEAF OLYMPICS:

The first Games, known as the International Silent Games, were held in Paris in 1924. They were the brainchild of Eugene Rubens-Alcais, who himself was deaf and President of the French Deaf Sports Federation.

After the initial Paris Games, deaf sporting leaders established the International Committee of Silent Sports, today the English title is more commonly used: International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, ICSD.

The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are among the world's fastest growing sports events. More than 4,000 deaf athletes and officials from 77 nations participated in the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei, Chinese Taipei, in September 2009. Over 600 athletes and officials participated in the 16th Winter Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, United States in February 2007.

The games are built on 85 years of tradition. The first winter Deaflympics were held in 1949. The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, IOC.

    * The first games, known as The Silent Games, in 1924, were the first games ever for athletes with a disability.
    * The number of athletes in the Summer Games has seen a sharp increase in the decade just past.
    * The first Winter Games, held in Seefeld, Austria in 1949, included 34 athletes from five countries. In 2007, the 16th Winter Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, United States, 298 athletes from 23 countries took part.
    * Taipei, Chinese Taipei, hosted the 21st Summer Deaflympics in September 2009.
    * Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia, will host the 17th Winter Deaflympics in February 2011.
    * Athens, Greece, will host the 22nd Summer Deaflympics in August 2013.
    * Vancouver, Canada, will host the 18th Winter Deaflympics in February 2015.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: http://www.2011deaflympics.org/en/foreword