"I have three older siblings. I was always on the basketball court getting beat up by them, so I had to assert myself on the court, around the kitchen table, everything. He said, 'Well, I train with the Paralympic rowing team here in the Cape. I saw you pushing up the hill back there. With your build, I could make you an Olympian in a year,' Emt recalled, referring to his wheelchair. And I heard 'Olympics,' I'm like: Let's go. What the hell is curling?"
"The pair notched three dramatic, back-to-back wins in the round-robin tournament to reach the semifinals, marking the first time the U.S. has qualified for a medal round in wheelchair curling since the 2010 Paralympics. After losing to Korea in the semifinals, Emt and Dwyer will face Latvia in the bronze medal match on Tuesday, in the hopes of winning the U.S. its first Paralympic medal in wheelchair curling."
Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer are competing for Team USA in wheelchair curling's inaugural mixed doubles event at the Winter Paralympics. The pair won three consecutive round-robin matches to qualify for the semifinals, marking the first time the U.S. has reached a medal round in wheelchair curling since 2010. After losing to Korea in the semifinals, they face Latvia in the bronze medal match. Emt, a 56-year-old with a distinctive booming voice, is the most decorated Paralympic curler in U.S. history, having won 10 national championships and competed in three Paralympics. Despite his current success, Emt discovered curling only a decade ago when recruited off the street in Cape Cod by someone who recognized his athletic potential.
Read at www.npr.org
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