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By Josh Cohen
Zone staff

There’s nothing cold about Kevin Frost. 

In fact, the Orleans resident is heating up the rinks at the Orleans Recreation Complex by trying to become the first hearing and visually impaired Olympic speed skater. 

Some would say it can’t be done, but try and tell that to Frost. 

After all, this is a man who has lived with Usher’s Syndrome his entire life, a rare syndrome that slowly disables an individual’s hearing early on in their life and then eventually their vision. 

Therefore, with only 20 per cent of his hearing and 10 per cent of his vision, Frost already knows what it takes to tackle challenges in life, which makes him a prime candidate and inspiration to pursue his goal of one day achieving Olympic greatness. 

“I’m not only trying to become the first deaf blind Olympic speed skater, but I also try to educate
the public about Canadian athletes and the funding and sponsorship [issues] involved in amateur
sports,” said Frost. 

“I also want to encourage others that they can achieve their goals too if they put their mind to it, and it’s amazing how people get caught up in my own story and use it as inspiration. That’s a great feeling." 

Prior to being diagnosed with Usher’s Syndrome in March of 2002, Frost was already an on-ice afficionados who refereed more than 20,000 hockey games in 25 years. 

When he was told that he could no longer referee games, he decided to turn his attention to speed skating when he was approached by Ron Guerard, a speed skating coach who offered his time to develop and hone Frost’s skating talents. 

Practice makes passion 

After 100 hours of practice on the big oval at Brewer’s Park, Frost found a passion for the sport, while Guerard had a genuine feeling that Frost would continue to be a success. 

Since then, the two have been working closely together, along with a slew of other coaches, including fitness trainer Dan Guay and spinning instructor Jennifer Steers, in the hopes that one day all their work will eventually pay off. 

“Right now, my biggest hurdle is balance, but I’ve been taught some excellent exercises by Dan and Jen which make me stronger,” said Frost. 

“But the more I can get out there [on the ice], the more I can achieve my goals. I’ll be doing some small meets in the future in order to work my way up. It’s definitely a tough thing to pursue,
but that’s exactly why I want to pursue this dream.”  

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