Dr. Joseph Panza Annual Sport Management Lecture

The Dr. Joseph Panza Annual Sport Management Lecture sponsored by the Southern CT State University Sport Management Student Association, The SCSU Department of Recreation, Tourism, & Sport Management, and the SCSU Institute for Adaptive Sport & Inclusive Recreation was held Thursday, November 8, 2018, and featured Steve Emt.

Steve Emt has been an athlete his entire life. In high school he lettered in three different sports, finishing his high school career as an All-New England soccer goalkeeper and an All-State basketball player. He is the all-time leading scorer in the history of his high school for boys’ basketball team, and his abilities brought him to the University of Connecticut where he earned a spot on the men’s basketball team as a walk-on from 1992-1994.

Things changed for Steve in 1995 when he was involved in a car accident which left him paralyzed. In the years following the accident, he went back to school to earn his teaching certificate and coached high school boys’ basketball for twenty years.

After trying many different wheelchair sports, including racing in the 2010 New York City Marathon, Steve was introduced to the sport of wheelchair curling in the summer of 2012. In the years since, he has progressed up the ranks and was eventually chosen for the 2015 World Team. Steve is currently the vice-skip of Team USA and recently returned home from competing in the Paralympic Games in South Korea.

Steve is also an accomplished motivational speaker. He shares his story of overcoming life’s challenges, achieving his dreams on and off the ice while inspiring others to achieve their dreams in the face of adversity, and his journey to compete on the world’s stage.