FRASER CALDWELL 
The Silhouette (McMaster University)

HAMILTON (CUP) — These days, Kevin Rempel is best known for his exploits on a sled. But in 2006, it was another vehicle that changed his life unalterably.

The Dundas, Ont. native lived to ride his dirt bike. What he wanted most was to bask in the pure, adrenaline-fuelled freedom of the motocross jump.

Kevin Rempel has become a dominant member of Team Canada.

Four and a half years ago, Rempel realized this dream, only to see it quite literally crash down around him. Losing control of his bike in the midst of a jump, he found himself plunging to the ground. Lying in the dirt, Rempel knew that his life would never be the same.

“I remember staring up at the sky and thinking, ‘Oh crap, I’m paralyzed,’ ” the 29-year-old said of his fateful crash. “In that moment, everything just froze.”

Rempel had dealt with paralysis since 2002, when his father Gerald suffered an accident while hunting and became a paraplegic. Four years later, it was the younger Rempel’s turn to experience a life-changing injury.

“I recall that when I saw my dad fall out of the tree, my life was going to be little bit different forever in dealing with his injury,” said Rempel. “When I crashed, I knew once again that my life was again going to change.”

Rempel’s previous experience with the harsh reality of paralysis prepared him for the aftermath of his own injury.

That’s because in the wake of his 2002 accident, Gerald Rempel had struggled and ultimately failed to cope with his disability. He spiralled into depression, developed a gambling addiction and ended his own life.

When it came time for the younger Rempel to cope with his disability, he chose to pursue a different path.

“My dad was a great person, and I have nothing negative to say about him as a father,” said Rempel. “But unfortunately, he let his accident defeat him and he became a victim of his disability rather than seeing the bright side in that he still had a lot to live for.

“I took that experience and decided that I didn’t want to live like that. In my recovery, I wanted to do the opposite and live a prosperous life, regardless of what the outcome was going to be from my injuries.”

Two years after his accident, Rempel discovered the sport that would come to dominate and redefine his new life. He had played hockey as an able-bodied individual before the crash, but had never experienced the sled variety. When a friend introduced him to the sport, it took only moments before he was hooked.

“As soon as someone told me about it I wanted to try it, and as soon as I got on the ice, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for a long time.”

Rempel began to play with the Niagara Thunderblades team out of St. Catherines in 2008, and very quickly took to the game, ordering his own custom sled and gaining the attention of coaches at Sledge Ontario, the organizing body for sledge hockey in Ontario.

Battling through a prescription medication addiction to make the provincial squad, the Dundas native continued his climb to the very top of the national sledge hockey ranks. Within two years, a man who had known nothing of the sport saw his name on the roster of Team Canada.

Not only is Rempel donning the red and white these days, he’s thriving as part of the successful team. Most recently, the Canadians won the World Sledge Hockey Challenge in December, and look poised to be at the top of the heap when the World Championships roll around this year.

Despite the fact that the majority of his teammates are similarly paralyzed, Rempel says the atmosphere in the locker room is never one of commiseration. Rather, the athletes enjoy making light of their shared situation.

“We’re all troopers,” said Rempel of his teammates. “We’re all so strong in getting to this point. To be on Team Canada and to reach this level with a disability means that we’re pretty strong as it is. If anything, we poke fun at each other and joke about our disabilities.

“You’ve got to have that attitude, not just in the locker room but in life as well. You can’t take these things too seriously.”

In his continued search for improvement, Rempel works with the training staff at McMaster University’s Pulse Fitness Centre, being led in his routines by experienced trainer Jeremy Steinbach.

Steinbach indicates that the sledge standout’s success derives from his competitive attitude, a determination that sees him persevere despite his physical challenges.

“He is motivated to get better, that’s the main thing,” said the trainer of his charge’s mentality. “He works his tail off and comes in here with a good attitude, and is never afraid to try new things. We’ve tried things before and they haven’t worked because of his disability, but we troubleshoot things as we go.”

New things have come in droves for Rempel since his accident, and he has discovered a talent outside of sport that he never knew he possessed. Since the crash, the Dundas native has begun motivational speaking, through no design of his own.

“It was a total fluke that I got into it,” said Rempel of his public speaking engagements.

“Just by talking to people, they told me that I had a powerful story and that I should be a public speaker. It was through my college co-op program — where someone knew me and my story — that I was asked to do my first event.

“I did my five-minute speech and suddenly I was getting a standing ovation. Someone noticed me, got me my next gig, and I thought, ‘Wow, I guess I’ve got something here and people like hearing it.’”

Editor’s Note: On Jan. 22, Kevin Rempel and the Canadian men’s sledge hockey team won gold at the Four Nations tournament in Nagano, Japan. They defeated Norway 5-1 in the final. Their next action is a three-game series against the United States from Feb. 24 to 26 in Buffalo, N.Y. They will travel to Hamar, Norway in April for the 2012 International Paralympic Committee’s Sledge Hockey World Championship.

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Photo: Hockey Hall of Fame and Hockey Canada