And without the first one, it’s doubtful he would have discovered the second.

Emt, 54, an Army Veteran and a two-time Paralympian with Team USA’s wheelchair curling team, moved to Wisconsin two years ago from the East Coast.

The move was solely based on curling, as most of his teammates live in Wisconsin. And he doesn’t regret the change one bit, praising the friendliness of Midwesterners and the excellent care he receives at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center’s Spinal Cord Injury Center.

“That place is amazing,” he said, adding that his first comprehensive exam in the SCI center left him in tears of happiness. “I’ve been in a chair for almost 30 years … and I was blown away (by the care). I’d never had that in my life. I’m so glad to be associated with it. I look forward to that day every year.

“And the ‘Midwest Nice’ is absolutely the real deal,” he said. “I love it out here. The people are amazing. I miss my family and friends in New England, but I’m home now in Wisconsin, and I won’t be going back.”

Emt, a native of Hebron, Connecticut, was a star athlete in high school, earning a spot on the University of Connecticut basketball team, playing alongside Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall and Kevin Ollie.

But all that ended in 1995 when he got behind the wheel drunk, the resulting crash leaving him paralyzed.

He then became a teacher, coach and motivational speaker, talking to students about overcoming obstacles and making good decisions.

Chance meeting

He tried other wheelchair sports for a while, but nothing stuck. Then he was in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, one day in 2014, pushing himself up a hill when he was approached by a stranger.

That man, Tony Colacchio, was a coach for the national curling team. He told Emt he was impressed by what he saw and invited Emt to come to a curling club and try his hand at the sport.

Emt was immediately hooked.

“It just absolutely bit me,” he said, marveling at the chance encounter with Colacchio, whose own life growing up with a cousin who used a wheelchair inspired him to do all he could for wheelchair users.

“He changed my life, and the sport changed my life,” Emt said. “He gave me this opportunity, and now, here I am, a 10-time national champion and two-time Paralympian … all because somebody went out of their way to include me. He was an incredible human being.”

Before long, Emt was spending every weekend in Cape Cod curling. The competitive nature that made him a star high school athlete had returned, and he dedicated himself to curling.

His commitment required sacrifice — missing holidays, family gatherings and the like — to hone his skills. But it also led to almost immediate success: Within three months of picking up the sport, he had earned a spot on Team USA.

Team leader

He’s now been on the team for 10 years and has become a leader and inspiration.

“He’s been a really big mentor,” said teammate Shawn Sadowski. “He’s like big brother out there. He keeps us all in check.”

Teammate Laura Dwyer agreed, noting that like Emt, she was a college athlete who found purpose when wheelchair curling entered her life.

“We just hit it off right away,” she said. “I saw the athlete in him and knew that it was something I wanted to ascribe to.”

“This is more than a team; it’s a family,” Emt said. “We have an incredible group of athletes and coaching staff. It’s about teamwork and the individual. It’s everything I love about life. I absolutely love it.”

Camaraderie of curling

While Emt is as competitive as any athlete, he emphasizes the family feeling of curling, noting that what takes place off the ice among teams is just as important as the competition on the ice.

“That camaraderie is everywhere you go,” he said. “I have met hundreds of curlers around the world and I have yet to meet a jerk.

“You can go to any curling club in the world and within two hours you’ve got new friends.”

The team, coming off a key international tournament victory in Finland, will be heading to Scotland in February for the world championships, with a berth in the 2026 Paralympics in Italy on the line.

Making a difference

Emt’s life is now consumed by curling and his speaking engagements, at which he describes his life before his crash, the aftermath of his injuries and then his motivation to overcome the obstacles brought on by the crash.

“My slogan, which I live by, is, ‘It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you decide to do with what happens,’” he said. “Life is going to throw everybody curveballs, but what are you going to do with it?”

He ends his talks by telling the teens they can reach out to him at any time with questions, concerns or whatever is on their minds.

And, inevitably, they do.

“At every presentation, I get at least two dozen messages; my phone blows up,” he said, noting about half are to thank him for his inspiration while the other half are from teens struggling with serious problems and looking for a way out.

“I get incredible responses from my presentations,” he said. “I know I’m making a difference, and I love it.”

It’s not the life that Emt imagined for himself during his days at UConn or while teaching math to middle schoolers. But he’s grateful for where he is now.

“I’m either curling somewhere or I’m off impacting teenagers’ lives all around the country,” he said. “With those two things, I have some really good harmony going on in my life. I’m in a great place.”