ERIN - Erin's silver medallist says he has no regrets about how things unfolded at the Beijing Paralympics.
Rob Armstrong says his pride and hope remain unwavered.
“This was my second time being in the Paralympics, so I kind of have a good understanding of what was going on this time around. The opening ceremony playing in a stadium like that never gets old,” said Armstrong over the phone.
“I always compare my attitude to other gold medal games we’ve had and you can sense in the room before our final game, everyone was feeling confident. Honestly, I feel no regrets with the way I played. We all trained as hard as we could and we pushed each other.
Obviously, it wasn’t the game we wanted. But we’re such a tight knit group and we all love each other, we were proud of each other and we were proud to represent Canada on that stage. I wouldn’t do it with anyone else there.”
At the final game on March 13, Team Canada lost to Team USA 5-0, making it their second straight silver. Team USA has won four consecutive golds.
Armstrong noted he and the team arrived at Beijing six days before the opening ceremony to practice. The difference between this year’s games and the 2018 games, he said, was having less training camps due to COVID.
“We had a lot more camps in Canada pre-COVID. We would travel at least once a month for a week all over Canada just to get together. When COVID happened in 2020, we didn’t see each other for nine month, which is a long time in a four year process,” explained Armstrong.
“Due to this, we definitely faced some challenges trying to get 20 players plus staff due to the regulations – that was an absolute challenge, trying to navigate that. Leading up to the games, we all got into Calgary, luckily, two months earlier and we just bubbled together. That was where the bulk of our training occurred.”
Armstrong has been a big hockey fan from a young age. At the age of six, a virus attacked his spine and limited his mobility, but that hasn't slowed him down.
He initially enjoyed being a goaltender when he played road hockey with his friends, and eventually started playing para-ice hockey in 2006 with the Mississauga Cruisers.
Armstrong attended Erin District High School, and after graduation went on to Carleton University to study law.
“I still have family and friends in Erin, so even though I now live in Ottawa for school, I still go to Erin frequently to visit them. It’s still home. Family and friends weren’t allowed to travel to Beijing to watch but I know they were watching back home. They’re really proud of me,” he said.
Armstrong noted it’s an honour to not only represent Canada and Paralympians, but also athletes in small towns such as Erin.
“I look up to fellow Erinites and Olympians, Zoe Bergermann and Rachel Karker. I’m honoured to share my name along with those great athletes.”
