Shoes or Wheels - UPDATED

An article by Trevor Kerr

Shoes or Wheels

It’s hard to believe that someone would take a pair of sport shoes that belong to somebody else; but the equivalent of that happened recently.

Some inconsiderate and thoughtless individual went onto the property of Tom Killin, a top-level wheelchair curler from Scotland, and removed Tom’s competition wheelchair to places unknown.  It’s bad enough this person took something that did not belong to him; but especially abhorrent he did not use some of his brains to think what the owner of the chair would do without his “feet”.

 For a moment, let’s wonder what we would do if we could not find the basketball or soccer or track shoes that we need to practice or compete.  I’m sure we would be devastated, furious, incredulous or heartbroken (or perhaps all of these) to think one human being would do that to another.  Now a pair of shoes might cost fifty to a hundred dollars and specialized ones might set you back two or three hundred dollars.  A competition wheelchair can run anywhere from two thousand to five or six thousand dollars.

Perhaps this detestable individual thought he could make some easy cash by selling the chair and gave no thought to what Tom would need to do to replace it.  Perhaps this person did it for a lark.  Perhaps, for some reason, this person wanted to penalize Tom.  If the latter supposition is correct he certainly was successful.

Tom represents Scotland and Great Britain on the national team and needs the chair as he and the team enter bonspiels in preparation for the 2014 Paralympics.  Without his chair Tom cannot set himself properly, deliver the rock accurately or be comfortable and helpful to his teammates.

Let’s hope the individual who perpetrated this heinous crime comes to his senses and finds a way to return Tom’s chair.

UPDATE - Tom Killin via facebook reports

"BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE INSPECTOR GARY Gary Grant Snr brilliant man my wonderful daughter Shona for all her help today with the police and a big thank you to all of you for your support out there GETTING MY WHEELCHAIR RETURNED and maybe an arrest would be good ."