Hearing loss not slowing player
SAIT’s Austin Dick can’t recall when he could hear out of both ears
It’s not superstition that forces Austin Dick to always sit on the right side of the classroom. It’s not because that’s where the exit is, either.
The first- year SAIT Trojans men’s hockey player has to sit there because a car accident five years left him deaf in his right ear.
“I usually sit on the right side of the class so I can hear a bit better,” the rookie defenceman said with a laugh. “It’s not so bad on the ice because the echoes from the glass and walls make it loud enough to hear my defence partner. On the bench, however, it can get a little difficult, depending on where the coach is.”
The 21- year- old Business Administration student will play his first games for SAIT this weekend when they open their Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference ( ACAC) season against the University of Alberta- Augustana Vikings.
Friday’s game goes in Camrose at 7: 30 p. m. Saturday, the Trojans play their home opener at 7 p. m. at SAIT Arena.
Dick played the last three seasons with the junior A Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League ( BCHL), taking part in 153 games and accumulating 30 points ( 10 goals, 20 assists) and 176 penalty minutes.
He owns Canadian and U. S. citizenship after being born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho — joining fellow Trojans defenceman Cody Castro ( Pasadena, Calif.) as the only U.S.born players on the team.
The car accident happened when Dick was 16 years old and living in Kelowna, B. C. He was in the back seat of the vehicle and the impact of the crash caused him to suffer a concussion, breaking the cochlear bone in his ear that surrounds the cochlear nerve. The damage to the nerve was so severe his hearing was lost.
Initially, it was thought his hearing might come back, but it’s been more than five years since the crash, so he’s not crossing his fingers. He says he’s lived with it so long, he can’t remember a time when he could hear out of both ears.
“I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s weird to think about a time when I was able to hear out of both. When it happened, it affected my balance a lot, but that wasn’t as hard to regain. It took a while, but it did come back over time.”
Dick admits he doesn’t talk about his hearing loss. That includes not telling Trojans head coach Dan Olsen prior to tryouts. Olsen was surprised to hear about it after the fact, but said it obviously did not affect the way he played during camp.
“If he’s used to it, then you don’t worry too much about it,” said Olsen, who is entering his second season as SAIT’s bench boss. “We would have never known, because he’s such a good and intelligent hockey player. ”