PLEASANT VALLEY, N.S. — The winding cobblestone streets of an Italian town were a completely new world for Brent Walters.
The Pleasant Valley athlete was in Italy for the first time as a Team Canada hockey player in the Deaflympics, held in the Alpine resort of Chiavenna last month. On the ice, Walter discovered Italian hockey has a smarter style and harder shots, while off-ice he sampled ‘La Dolce Vita’, from marble sculptures in churches to cold Italian bacon.
“It was nerve-wracking being so far away, but being with the team we bonded and then it was much better,” recalled Walters. “I was so lucky and happy.”
As some players were completely deaf, no-one was allowed to wear hearing aids on the ice. Instead, players use sign language to communicate and play is stopped with flashing lights.
Team Canada won silver and Walters, who was goalie, earned most-valued player, but the real fun was had off-ice with some tasty Italian gelato.
“The whole team ate it and they all loved how it tastes way better than Canadian ice cream,” said Walters.
He worked off the gelato by walking through the tightly-packed streets of Chiavenna, its buildings jammed so close together there was barely room to squeeze through. At night, the town lit up with a display of Christmas lights.
It was a far cry from the rolling fields and forests around Pleasant Valley.
But Walters was never far away from nature, as the Italian Alps surrounded Chiavenna and he hiked up a nearby mountain to take in the view.
He had a chance to explore more of northern Italy, venturing to the towns of Varenna, near Lake Maggiore and Sondrio. There, he saw more old buildings nestled in the foothills of the Alps, their windows graced by wooden shutters.
Walters enjoyed venturing into streetside stores selling a wide spread of Italian candies. These included cakes, chocolate and other desserts studded with fruits.
Even the pasta, which Walters eats at home, looked and tasted different to its Canadian counterpart.
“I learned their way of life is different, for example the cars don’t stop for you and you have to be attentive when crossing the street,” said Walters.
Throughout their travels, Walters and his hockey team mates were often treated as minor celebrities by their Italian hosts.
“They were kind and a lot of people saw my Team Canada jacket, some of them asked for autographs,” said Walters.
He was proud to represent his country far from home, a sentiment shared by his brother Glen-Ryan.
“This must have been very exciting and he played well, for sure,” said Glen-Ryan.
