James Binsfeld races down the slope en route to a provincial championship in 2007.
Aurora
October 07, 2008 10:11 AM
Sean Pearce, Staff Writer
For the spectator standing at the base of the hill, James Binsfeld is little more than a blur as he carves his path down a vast, open, snow-covered slope.
White powder flies in his wake as he makes his way from gate to gate, occasionally reaching speeds common on Hwy. 404.
You only need to see the 23-year-old in action once to remove any doubt he has the soul of a champion athlete.
Talking to him, it quickly becomes clear skiing is his all-consuming passion. But you would probably never guess Mr. Binsfeld’s greatest challenges have taken place far from the slopes, but in hospital where he has fought for his very life.
He was born with a complex cardiac condition, which means his aorta and pulmonary artery are reversed, causing his heart to essentially pump backwards.
In 2000, Mr. Binsfeld had to make an incredibly difficult decision. He could choose a heart transplant or a procedure that had only been performed on a few dozen people in the world.
In the end, he decided against the transplant and opted for the new procedure. The operation was very complicated and Mr. Binsfeld was forced to stay on life support for a time. He now depends on a pacemaker.
Because of these cardiac conditions, Mr. Binsfeld’s childhood was fraught with peril. He has had several strokes and many heart operations. Many doctors predicted he would never live to adulthood.
Yet Mr. Binsfeld has proven them all wrong.
The heart scares made for some frightening times for Mr. Binsfeld’s mother, Gwen, but the family has always been committed to ensuring he lived a normal life.
“His three brothers got him going and moving around more than any motivational speaker or physiotherapist ever could,” she said.
For the most part, Mr. Binsfeld said he doesn’t recall much about his childhood ailments.
That’s just the kind of person he is, his mother said fondly.
“Most of the time, he only remembers the good times,” Mrs. Binsfeld said.
“Still, when his dad had a cardiac event, it was pretty scary. Now he really understands how hard it was for his brothers to see him sick.”
Mr. Binsfeld began his studies at Holy Name Catholic School in King, but transferred to the All Canadian Hockey School, a private school in Maple, before being home-schooled for a brief period.
His time in the private school was beneficial, his mother said, as it let him be with his brothers and also play hockey.
He attended King City Secondary School briefly before switching to the Bloorview Hospital School. He finished up his post-secondary studies at Alexander Mackenzie High School.
“There were reasons for all of these school changes,” Mrs. Binsfeld said. “Holy Name was a good school, but had a lot of stairs... (and) King High couldn’t accommodate some of his special needs.”
After graduating from high school, Mr. Binsfeld took a vocational program and graduated from Seneca College. Today, he works as a fire prevention officer with King Fire and Emergency Services. His twin brother is a firefighter and his father a fire captain.
At about age nine, Mr. Binsfeld was introduced to skiing by the Ontario Trac 3 program. He took to it right away and downhill skiing quickly became his sole raison d-etre.
“As I was learning, I loved it, because it was something I could do at the same pace as my brothers,” he said. “I don’t remember it being hard to learn, but I might have blocked all that out.”
The more the young Mr. Binsfeld learned, the more he was inspired to get better.
“I wanted to go faster and I decided I wanted to get competitive one day,” Mr. Binsfeld said, adding he “just kind of stumbled” into Paralympics.
He found himself medalling almost right away.
“I went out the week after I met (some Paralympians) to the provincials and placed first overall and then I went to the nationals and won a bronze,” he said. “It really just kind of snowballed from there.”
Over the years, Mr. Binsfeld has won many skiing competitions and amassed countless medals.
His endeavours have taken him all across North America and his love for the sport continues to grow.
“I still like going fast and racing against my brothers and being able to beat them,” Mr. Binsfeld said. “It’s something I can do with all of my friends and relatives that ski.”
The fact he has limited use of the left side of his body on the slopes in of little consequence. He just leaves his wheelchair behind and soars down the hill.
And he believes in giving back.
Over the years, Mr. Binsfeld has volunteered his time teaching other children with disabilities how to ski as part of the same program through which he learned the sport.
He has also spent many hours giving speeches and serving as a representative for the York Region chapter of Easter Seals.
As if that wasn’t enough, twice he has donated his hair to make wigs for cancer patients.
His efforts away from the slopes has been noticed.
He was selected to receive the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers this year after being nominated by King Mayor Margaret Black. He was supposed to receive the medal last year, but couldn’t attend the ceremony as he was at a ski training camp.
“It happened to be that same week,” Mr. Binsfeld said. “I said, ‘That’s all very nice, but I’m going skiing. Can I send my brother instead?’ I didn’t realize what a big deal it was.”
Fortunately, organizers were very accommodating and Mr. Binsfeld was able to accept his award this year at a special ceremony at Queen’s Park, receiving it from Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley.
As the weather turns colder, Mr. Binsfeld is once again turning his thoughts to the slopes. He is getting his gear together for the coming season and despite a few recent health scares, his heart seems to be going strong.
The biggest challenge, Mr. Binsfeld said, is coming up with the finances necessary to continue chasing his dream.
As a member of the Canadian Paralympic development team, he’s required to raise funds for training, travel and equipment.
“Being from a small community like King is a huge advantage,” Mrs. Binsfeld said. “You’d never get this level of support in a large city.”
Donations to help Mr. Binsfeld can be made to the North Newmarket Lions’ James Ski Fund, care of Tom Gordon, 84 Cardinal Cres. Newmarket, ON, L3Y 5Y4. Receipts are available.