'God's given me a second chance,' paralympian says

COLORADO SPRINGS (Colorado Catholic Herald) - Chris Manns was not even a teenager when he lost the use of both his legs in a train accident. The Buffalo, N.Y., youngster was jumping train cars and fell. The accident didn't kill him, but it resulted in a bilateral amputation.

That's when an 11-year-old Manns was introduced to a sport that would give him direction and focus, and lead him to elite competition. "One Saturday afternoon I got a phone call from Western New York Physically Challenged Youth Sports asking me if I wanted to try out sled hockey. I went to Buffalo State College, tried it out and fell in love with the sport," said Manns, who was in Colorado Springs in early February for the USA Cup at World Arena. Sled hockey, also known as sledge hockey, has similar rules to standard hockey, except each player is seated in a sled composed of a bucket, frame, foot rests and blades. Each player uses two sticks, which are about one-third the size of standard hockey sticks and contain spikes on the butt ends to help players dig into the ice for propulsion. Manns, 25, was named to his second U.S. Paralympics sled hockey team and is with the national squad to Turin, Italy, for this year's Paralympic Games March 10-19. In Turin, the U.S. team will play in the bronze medal game March 18 against Germany. Team USA fell to Norway 4-2 in the semifinals March 16. Team USA has a 2-2 record in the tournament, with Manns notching two goals and one assist. While it's easy to get caught up in competing at a high level, he keeps it in perspective while maintaining a strong Catholic faith. "God's given me a second chance in life, as to where other people who go through this don't survive or don't have the ability to do what I have done," said Manns. "Every time I can praise the Lord for giving me a second chance and giving me the opportunity to be where I am today, I take advantage of it." He is also grateful to Western New York Physically Challenged Youth Sports, which started him on his way to athletic glory. He plays on the Buffalo Sabres sled hockey team of the Ontario Sledge Hockey Association and mentors younger players on the squad. "If it had not been for the Western New York Physically Challenged Sports, I wouldn't have a place to play as far as a club team, I wouldn't have the chance to get on the ice, play games and be competitive. Since they've done so much for me, now I give back to the kids in the community," Manns said. Gail Balsdon, a manager of the intermediate team for the organization, has known Manns for 13 years. She has seen him develop as a player and has had a chance to coach him. "Chris is definitely a role model to (the younger players). They all want to reach his goal," said Balsdon. "He feels comfortable talking to people about their disabilities. In that way he can inspire the younger ones in showing them this isn't a disability - it's just another hurdle you have to get over to move on to your next goal in life." Manns overcame the disappointment of being cut from the 1998 Paralympic squad that went to Nagano, Japan, using it to push himself as an athlete. "My goal after being cut was to work as hard as I could to make the 2002 team," he said. Manns is a practicing Catholic who sets aside time for prayer twice a day when he's on the road and cannot make it to Mass. When he is home, he attends St. Francis Xavier Parish with his grandfather. "(He) is a big inspiration to me. He goes to church every single day, twice a day. When I'm in town and I have some free time, I enjoy going with him," said Manns. The Buffalo State business management student is one of six players returning from a team that captured a gold medal at the 2002 Paralympic Games at Salt Lake City. A natural defenseman, Manns has seen an increased role both offensively and defensively on this year's squad. "The great thing about Chris is he can play both defense and forward. We're asking a lot of him right now," said U.S. sled hockey coach Keith Blase. "He's a very versatile player." The 2002 gold medal for the U.S. sled hockey team could be called the sport's version of "Miracle on Ice." Team USA was seeded last in the tournament and wasn't expected to come away with any medal. "The only reason we were in the tournament was because we were the host country," said Manns, referring to a Paralympic rule that grants an automatic berth for the hosting nation. Manns scored the first goal of the tournament, and the U.S. squad went undefeated through the gold medal game against Norway, which came down to a shootout. Manns' turn for Team USA was critical, with his squad trailing 2-1 in the shootout. "I was nervous as can be," said Manns. "It was a huge turning point. If you tie it up, you give your team a chance. If you don't score, you just put yourself in a bigger hole." Manns potted a goal on his try, and the U.S. eventually came away with a 3-2 edge in the shootout for the gold medal. "When he scored, everybody was hugging, screaming, crying," said Balsdon. While Manns has worked hard to put himself in a position to succeed, he knows it wouldn't have been possible without God's grace. "Without the Lord in my life, the dream of making the U.S. national team and winning the gold medal would not have come true," said Manns. "Family and friends' support has been great, but the man upstairs - he saved my life and gave me a second chance. I'm going to make the most out of it." - - - See the launch of the new Colorado Catholic Herald Web site at 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday, March 17, 2006.

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Republished by Catholic Online with permission of The Colorado Catholic Herald, the official publication of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, Colo. (www.ColoradoCatholicHerald.com).