It was a time to reflect on a successful showing in Sochi for Paralympians Matt Hallat and Nick Brush.
The duo were the guests of honour at the new CIBC in 麻豆社国产on Saturday (March 29) and dozens of locals came out to pay tribute to the efforts of both athletes.
Hallat, a 麻豆社国产resident since 2009, said he arrived home on March 17 and it鈥檚 been nice to unwind.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see the community come out and support us and it鈥檚 exciting because before the Games, everything is so focused and sports-specific and now we get to relax a little,鈥� he said.
Hallat placed sixth in the sit-ski slalom in Sochi and said he was pleased with his performance in Russia.
鈥淚 was super proud of my performance,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was about me being able to lay down my best performance and I was able to do that. It was also amazing because I had 12 family members there and I really embraced it more than I had in past games, so it was a really positive experience for me.鈥�
He competed in both 2010 and 2006 but the result in Sochi was the first time he has placed in the top 10. Hallat admitted he was a little disappointed with his showing in 2010, but Sochi helped soften the blow.
鈥淚t totally made up for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith Vancouver, there was a lot of pressure and I put pressure on myself to perform above what my ability was at that time. This time I was a better skier and was more prepared. I performed to my potential and that鈥檚 all you can ask for.鈥�
North Vancouver鈥檚 Brush got to show off his bronze medal in 麻豆社国产after he placed third as visually impaired skier Chris Williamson鈥檚 guide in the slalom event. Brush said he didn鈥檛 originally plan to go to Sochi but was glad he got the last minute call to join the team.
鈥淚 went with Chris in 2010 and came back with no medals when we should have won some,鈥� he said, noting they finished fourth.
Brush had essentially retired but then received a call to help out at Sochi days before the Games.
鈥淎fter 2010, I got married and wanted to be home more and do some coaching,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey called me on about three days鈥� notice but it鈥檚 really cool because it was so unexpected and a cool experience to win a medal.鈥�
Hallat will continue competing and head to the world championships next year at Panorama, while Brush will return to coaching future para-athletes. For more information on Canadian Paralympians, visit .听
