Staying Focused on the Ice When It Matters Most: Q&A with Steve Emt of the U.S. Men’s Paralympic Curling Team
In wheelchair curling, performance is shaped long before the stone ever leaves the hand. Preparation, confidence, and mental focus are critical, especially in cold, demanding environments where athletes spend long stretches on the ice.
Through its commitment to designing heated apparel for cold-weather performance, ororo Heated Apparel is proud to support members of the United States Paralympic Curling Team, helping athletes stay comfortable, focused, and ready for competition.
We sat down with U.S. Wheelchair Curling Team Member, Steve Emt, to talk about training, competition, and how staying warm plays a role in performance and daily life.
Q: How does ororo Heated Apparel help you stay comfortable and focused during training sessions or competitions?
Steve Emt:
“Our sport is more mental than physical. If I’m not comfortable, confident, or in a good place mentally, I have no chance of success on the ice. Wearing ororo Heated Apparel keeps me warm, focused, and right at the optimal level of performance. I’m competing at the highest level and with the highest confidence. A major reason for that is my comfort and warmth while I’m on the ice training or competing. The main reason for that is my ororo apparel.”
Q: Are there specific moments on the ice where heated apparel makes the biggest difference?
Steve Emt:
“With wheelchair curling, during training and competition, there are many times where I am just sitting around…pun intended! It’s during those moments where my confidence in my ororo apparel never falters. I stay warm, focused, and ready to go.”
Q: What does representing your country mean to you as an athlete?
Steve Emt:
“Representing my country is the ultimate honor. I’m blessed to travel the world representing the greatest country on the biggest stages. It’s an honor that never gets old.”
Q: How does maintaining warmth impact your performance, mobility, or recovery?
Steve Emt:
“If I’m cold on the ice, it’s impossible for my brain to perform at the level I need it to. It’s impossible for me to deliver the stone the correct way, and it’s impossible to recover properly…My body—my legs, my core—would be frozen for many hours after training or competition, making it hard to recover or get a good night’s sleep. Since I’ve been wearing ororo, that’s not an issue anymore.”
Q: How do you use ororo outside of competition on travel days or in everyday life?
Steve Emt:
“I have a few ororo heated vests, and they’re always charged and ready. I use them daily—whether I’m curling, running errands, or just hanging around the house. I don’t turn the heat on until the latest day possible, so ororo keeps me toasty.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about wearing ororo day to day?
Steve Emt:
“Obviously, the warmth is huge, but also the ease of use. As a wheelchair user, I need my core to stay warm for my entire body to stay warm. At the same time, I need freedom in my arms to propel my manual chair. ororo heated vests are a lifesaver.”
Q: Has heated apparel changed how you approach cold weather in general?
Steve Emt:
“Definitely! I recently moved to Wisconsin where temperatures can get into the negatives really fast. No worries for me, I put on my ororo gear and go.”
Q: If you had to describe ororo in one sentence, what would it be?
Steve Emt:
“If you want to be at your best physically and mentally, start with ororo heated apparel to get you to the level of success you’re looking for.”
Designed for Cold. Trusted by Athletes.
ororo Heated Apparel is proud to support athletes who refuse to let cold conditions define their limits on the ice, in training, and in everyday life. Steve’s favorite ororo Heated Apparel pieces for competing at the highest level of Curling include:
Vanguard Unisex Ultralight Adjustable Heated Liner Vest
Men's Heated Softshell Vest
Tahoe Unisex Heated Socks 4.0
Duluth Unisex Heated Leather Chopper Mittens
