People of 麻豆直播: Paralympian shares 鈥榰nreal鈥 experiences he nearly missed
May 20, 2022
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People of 麻豆直播: Meet Brad Bowden
It鈥檚 unreal. I can鈥檛 believe I did all that.
As I鈥檓 sitting in my car waiting for a coffee in the drive-thru at Timmy鈥檚 in Barrie, thinking a couple years ago I was playing in front of thousands of people.
Every is different.
, for me, I found it interesting that there was such a big doping scandal going on right under our noses. They might even make a movie about it one day.
With , being on home soil and my grandfather being able to watch, that had its own special meaning.
It鈥檚 just a surreal feeling to be able to finally make it and know that you鈥檙e there to represent an entire country and you鈥檝e worked hard and there鈥檚 no turning back.
For me, it鈥檚 just the empty rink. I think about those moments. The first time you get there it鈥檚 unreal. You鈥檙e playing in a stadium that鈥檚 like the here.
The play in front of sold out crowds all the time, but for someone like myself and my teammates when you get an opportunity to play a sport like there, it鈥檚 so different. There鈥檚 nothing like it.
There are not a lot of places you go in the world where you know, 鈥業 have to be the absolute best I can be 鈥 this week.鈥
Brad Bowden
We had a coach who made us practice with the volume up on the stereo of a crowd going so loud because that鈥檚 the environment. You can鈥檛 even hear yourself think it鈥檚 so loud.
It hits you that you鈥檙e on the grand stage, that there are going to be people watching this time.
There are not a lot of places you go in the world where you know, 鈥淚 have to be the absolute best I can be 鈥 this week.鈥
It鈥檚 so amazing to have had that Paralympics opportunity and be able to wear the jersey now.
鈥業 knew I was different. I didn鈥檛 like it鈥
And to think I didn鈥檛 want to play in the first place.
I was a very aware kid. I knew I was different. I didn鈥檛 like it.
I was a social kid, so I was always friends with everybody. But when it came to sports, I didn鈥檛 like it when everybody else had an advantage.
I guess my grandmother saw all the other kids were doing something on the weekends and so why shouldn鈥檛 I? I don鈥檛 know how she found any of these programs, but she found one in Brampton that had an open court so I tried that. It changed my mind. I really had a lot of fun. I鈥檓 glad I went.
For anyone out there who is reluctant to try inclusive sports, you might not like my advice: Get over yourself and try everything. Try something once.
鈥榃hat a shame it would have been if I never tried鈥
I look back at my own mindset as a child, even my early 20s, just attacking it all wrong with some things. You have to try some things.
You can鈥檛 know you don鈥檛 like something unless you try.
If I had never tried it and just said, 鈥淣o grandma, I don鈥檛 want to do it. I love Super Nintendo instead,鈥 I never would have travelled the world or inspired kids and people in an entire country.
All these things I鈥檝e woken up to. It鈥檚 not about the medals, it鈥檚 about the people you get to impact in the world.
Our limitations push us toward where we sometimes belong, toward better paths. My limitations pushed me toward the sledge hockey world I didn鈥檛 have an interest in, and it made me open my eyes
What a shame it would have been if I never tried.
Brad Bowden, alumnus of 麻豆直播鈥檚 Art and Design Fundamentals (class of 2009) and Graphic Design (class of 2013) programs.
He recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from 麻豆直播鈥檚 Board of Governors鈥 Awards of Distinction.
He鈥檚 one of a few athletes to win gold in both the summer and winter games. A force for Team Canada in , he captured gold in and played wheelchair basketball in , where Canada won gold. He is now Program Development Facilitator at聽.