Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor is on a fast track to Paris Paralympics

Jacob Wassermann's meteoric rise in the sport of Para rowing has put him on a fast track to the Paralympics in Paris this summer, something the 24-year-old could never have imagined even just a year ago when he first started getting serious about the sport.

The goal initially was to get to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles — Wassermann wanted to set a realistic expectation, considering he was fairly new to the world of Para rowing. He admits those first few times on the water were a little shaky.

What wasn't factored into that calculation was his unwavering commitment to being the best he can be at any sport he competes in, his resilience and desire to never quit.

Wassermann is one of 13 people who survived the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Saturday will mark six years since the tragedy that left 16 dead.

Rowing has come naturally to Wassermann, who is a gifted athlete in every sense. As he powers his way across the water he says he feels free.

"One of my old teammates used to say you leave your wheelchair at the dock and leave your disability at the dock. And it's a very freeing experience to be out there," he told CBC Sports. "I'm out there with the other high-performance athletes and everybody's working hard. I just get to go out there, perform and be an athlete, do my thing."

For Wassermann, who was the Broncos' No. 1 goaltender, sport has been a constant. The thrill of competition, striving for athletic excellence, is in his DNA. And his disability wasn't going to change that. Wassermann has remained steadfast in his desire to continue a life filled with sport, even though it might not be taking shape the way he imagined.

"I've been an athlete my whole life. I've always, from the time I started sports from a very young age, wanted to be a pro athlete. I've always just strived to be the best I could compete in events against the best in the world," he said. "I found rowing and kept putting in the work.

"I've been fortunate to work with some great coaches throughout my short time and they've shown me a lot of progress really quickly."

He's tried Para ice hockey, adaptive water skiing and just last fall found Para rowing after a chance meeting at a grocery store with "one of his buddies," also in a wheelchair, who told him about an opportunity to try rowing at the Saskatoon Rowing Club.

"I didn't have a sport at the time. I was just sort of training on my own, just kind of trying to figure out where I wanted to go in my athletic career," he said. "I just decided to go and give it a try and I sort of just stuck with it and got into the boat that summer."

WATCH: Wassermann finds freedom on the water:

Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann finds freedom on the water | CBC Sports

50 minutes ago

Duration 5:57

Jacob Wassermann has turned to rowing and is on path to compete at the Paralympics in Paris this summer. Devin Heroux spoke to him about his newfound love of being on the water and how he keeps in touch with his former Humboldt Broncos teammates.

That fateful meeting has led Wassermann down a rowing pursuit that has him on the precipice of a major breakthrough.

After capturing a silver medal at a qualifying event in Rio de Janeiro last month, and in the process clinching Canada a quota spot in the PR1 men's single event, it appears Wassermann might just get the opportunity to represent Canada on the grandest athletic stage this summer in Paris.

"Being an athlete is a huge part of my identity and I've been an athlete since I could walk basically, so the crash and being in a wheelchair now didn't change that for me," Wassermann said.

International acclaim

In the wake of his silver medal, Wassermann's story of triumph has gone viral, capturing international headlines and praise across the globe. He's been flooded with messages of support and blanketed with congratulatory messages — something Wassermann says keeps him going.

"It's been all over and once the hockey world got a hold of it, it kinda went crazy," he said. "The hockey world is super connected and actually really small, and they love to show support for athletes that are either still in the sport or have moved onto other sports.

"I'm very fortunate to be still a part of the hockey community and I have a lot of feelings toward how much they have supported me and supported all the guys since the crash."

Former Humboldt Broncos teammate Ryan Straschnitzki, who was also paralyzed in the crash, is playing wheelchair basketball now and is also looking to one day compete for Canada at the Paralympics.

There is an unbreakable bond between the young men who experienced that horrific night — they have stuck together through their healing and are paying attention to what each other are trying to accomplish, supporting one another at every turn.

"I think it's incredible what he's been able to do and achieve. He's going to continue reaching all his goals and inspiring others on that journey, and I'm just excited to see him win gold," Straschnitzki told CBC News. "He's such a great person and there's no other person more deserving than him.

"He works hard for his goals, and I know that me and the boys are going to support him along the entire journey. So very, very proud of him."

Humboldt support

Wassermann, who's from Humboldt, says the support from his former teammates, family, friends and perfect strangers has made the challenges through all of this easier to navigate.

"That city itself has stood behind me incredibly. Every time I go back home to see my mom and dad, it's the people, our community, that check-in and ask how I'm doing. And the whole city of Humboldt has stood behind all of us and me, especially being a local and my whole family being from there," Wassermann said.

"I get tons of support all the time. And the guys, we keep in contact all the time, we try to get together, as many of us as we can once a year. I think coming up here on the anniversary, we're actually going to try to get together, which is nice that we get to see most of the guys."

What Wassermann is doing in Para rowing, his commitment to staying involved in sport with the hopes of representing Canada at the Paralympics, is something he says is just human nature. He doesn't see it as something overly extraordinary.

"What else is there to do, right? This horrible thing that happened a long time ago, but we have no other choice but to just keep moving forward, keep living life, and just making the best out of it," Wassermann said.

WATCH | Humboldt Broncos player who died inspires community:

Humboldt Broncos player who died in crash inspires 1,500 rural Sask. kids so far

2 days ago

Duration 2:24

Adam Herold's father, Russ Herold, speaks about his son's legacy. The family started a foundation after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018, and each year, it offers a free three-day hockey and leadership program to children in three rural Saskatchewan communities. Applications for next season are due April 7.

And to know that the other survivors of the bus crash are on this journey with him is making all the difference.

"We're all still very close and we try to get together all the time. Everybody supports each other, and I think maybe that is a big part of it that helps everybody just want to keep pushing and keep doing the great things that I know everybody else has been doing," he said.

Wassermann will keep training this summer with the hopes of being officially named to the Canadian Paralympic team. That is likely to happen in June.

As for the messages of support, Wassermann says he hears them, feels it and is unbelievably grateful for it.

"It sounds simple but I just say 'thank you.' I know it's not a lot of words that I can say for how much the country is behind me, supporting me and interested in what I'm doing and hoping that I'm doing okay," he said.

"So it means a lot. I'm very, very proud to have gotten to wear the maple leaf like I did in Rio and hopefully I get to do it again moving forward in the future."

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