GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — He's about as modest as they come, but his story is nothing short of a miracle.
It has an update.
READ MORE: 'A miracle': Sand Lake man finds silver lining after violent hiking accident
FOX 17 first introduced you to Francis Sylvester about a year ago when he was rehabbing at Mary Free Bed after losing his leg falling off a 200 ft. cliff as a cadet in the Air Force Academy.
His life changed forever, but his love for sports hasn't gone anywhere.
Now, he's taking his talents to the ice.
It's a bit of a foreign feeling for Sylvester.
“It's odd not being you know, above average, or, you know, at the top of my game," he said. "Trying to start at the bottom — it's a new experience, but it's coming.”
Sylvester never played organized hockey before his injury, and he certainly never thought this is how his career would start.
"How were you at pond hockey?" FOX 17 asked.
"Better than I am at this," he said.
Sylvester is a defender on the Grand Rapids Sled Wings, an adaptive hockey program for athletes with physical disabilities.
The program started in the early 2000s, but Sylvester is only in his second season.
“Those first few practices were rough," he said. "I'm falling all over the place looking like a fool, but it's slowly coming."
That comment came as no surprise to Molly McKinney, the Sports Coordinator for the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program.
She's been with the Sled Wings for two years now as well.
"(Francis) is gonna be very modest about his skill set," she said. "Don't let him be so modest. He's actually a lot better than many things."
For a guy who was training to fly F-22's in the Air Force and lost his right leg in a freak hiking accident that should've taken his life, this is just another obstacle.
Sylvester said you don't have to go through a traumatic experience to relate.
"Whether my challenge is larger than the next person's, or just comparable with some of the hockey teams, we all face our own challenges," he said.
He said one of the biggest challenges isn't even trying to match the skills of the other 15 players on the roster. Rather, it's trying to keep up with the hockey slang.
“Every practice, coach will say something and, you know, I'll have to ask a teammate," he said. "I have no idea what that means and they kind of fill me in on what it is.”
As Sylvester works to get better every time he takes the ice, McKinney said his real impact won't show up in any box score.
“I really think he's an inspiration," she said. "I actually said that to him last week. I think he's a wonderful role model for not only the other adult players, but all of our younger athletes too.”
The Sled Wings have three teams — Sylvester plays with the adults, but there's a Junior and a Novice squad as well.
The season starts in late September and they play once a month, including a tournament that runs Friday through Sunday this weekend.
The Sled Wings' first game is at 8:30 p.m. at the Patterson Ice Arena in Grand Rapids.
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