Georgian College student a member of the Ontario Deaf Hockey League
Anthony Rumolo (pictured), a third-year Hotel and Resort Administration student attending Georgian’s Barrie Campus, first took to the ice at five years of age.
Over the years, he’s played minor league hockey, representative house league and competitive pick-up hockey, but it wasn’t until he joined the Ontario Deaf Hockey League (ODHL) that he truly found his niche.
Anthony was born with profound hearing loss and is considered deaf when he’s not wearing hearing aids. He’s learned how to read lips and has undergone extensive hearing, audio and speech therapy to help him maneuver the hearing world.
The majority of the ODHL players are deaf, including the coaches and trainers, and they communicate through American Sign Language (ASL). Anthony doesn’t know ASL, so he focuses on their body language and reads lips to figure out game play. Cody Nash, a first-year student in the same program as Anthony, is also on the team.
“It’s was something of an ‘aha’ moment when I found out there are sports out there for people with disabilities,” he says. “Feeling accepted in a different part of society, even though I wasn’t brought up in the deaf culture, was fantastic. It’s great to be able to converse with hearing, hard of hearing and deaf people when the situation calls for it.”
Anthony’s now preparing for the Canadian national championships in Montreal May 14 to 16 that will double as a tryout for the Canadian team. The majority of the teams will be from Quebec, the western provinces and British Columbia. If the team makes the Canadian team roster, they will be selected to represent Canada at the 2011 Deaf Winter Olympics.
“I’m looking forward to the experience and the chance to meet deaf people from across the country,” says Anthony. “It’s great to be able to play a game with people who share the same disability.”
The ODHL team will practice against Ron Ellis’ charity foundation team at the Allandale Recreation Centre May 8 at 5 p.m. in preparation for the tournament. Those who want to watch the practice session are invited to attend.
PHOTO: Courtesy of J.T. McVeigh, The Barrie Examiner
