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LisaG
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Steve Emt's incredible journey to a third Paralympics
Former UConn basketball player Steve Emt was paralyzed in a car accident at 25. Then he discovered his immense skill in Paralympic curling.
It was inconceivable. Emt was just one year removed from playing as a walk-on for the University of Connecticut men's basketball team alongside the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and Donyell Marshall. Playing sports had always been a core part of his identity. The next few days were a mix of despair and devastation. He was 25 years old, paralyzed and, in his words, had hit rock bottom.
While he was still in the hospital, members from a local wheelchair basketball team visited him in an attempt to recruit him. "I played for UConn; they were literally chasing the ambulance," Emt joked. So he tried that. There were stints with baseball, tennis, racing, even coaching high school basketball, but nothing truly filled the void.
Until, that is, a chance encounter on Cape Cod sparked what would become a life-altering passion. And now, 13 years later, Emt is competing in his third Paralympic Games in the mixed doubles curling event with his partner Laura Dwyer. The winner of 10 national championships, Emt, 56, is the most decorated Paralympic curler in U.S. history.