ARTHUR – Sussman’s Men’s Wear in Arthur will be holding a book signing on Aug. 19 from 11am to 3pm for Chris Stoddart’s new book Life in the Fast Lane.
Being born with spina bifida (a condition that affects the development of the spine) Stoddart said he was picked on a lot by classmates while living in Toronto.
When his parents bought a Red and White Grocery Store and moved Stoddart to Arthur, he said he entered the “Twilight Zone.”
“When I moved to Arthur from the big city, frankly, it was like I wasn’t disabled anymore,” said Stoddart.
“I went from being picked on to nobody giving a damn that I was disabled.”
Stoddart added he did everything with his buddies growing up that he could. He played baseball on his hands and knees, played goalie and said he did everything to the best of his ability.
His autobiography is about his experiences in sport growing up.
Stoddart played wheelchair basketball for 16 years and was on the very first Ontario wheelchair basketball team in 1971.
He said the book talks about the evolution of the racing chair from what he said started out as basically the hospital chair to the bigger and higher-end ones people race on now.
“I also swam on the national team, as well as track and marathon,” he stated.
Stoddart also did some downhill skiing and won a national championship in racquetball.
In 1992 he retired and six years later he began playing sledge hockey.
He played until last year, when he was trying to publish his book.
The new author began his book a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic and said he was still doing other sports and activities at the time.
“It was a slow process,” Stoddart said, adding that during the pandemic he basically stayed away from everybody.
“Between writing the book and doing puzzles, that’s what kept me sane for the last three years,” he added.
When asked about his book, Stoddart explained that the main message is, “you either try or you don’t.”
“You might start out with a perfect body, and you might not. You’re gonna get older and you have to adapt,” he said.
“Everyday things stare you in the face, and life’s like that journey.
“There’s thousands of things that stare you in the face and who you are is where you decide to go.”
Visit christopherleestoddart.ca to learn more.
