{"id":2453140,"date":"2020-01-12T15:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-12T22:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics\/"},"modified":"2020-01-12T15:36:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-12T22:36:00","slug":"silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Silence is golden: Glenwood\u2019s Troy Benson takes gold in hockey at Deaflympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5593220338983\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-319003-134\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent | Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.<\/strong><br \/>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent | Troy Benson at the Glenwood Springs Communty Center ice rink where he works as a city employee.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Troy Benson at the Glenwood Springs Communty Center ice rink where he works as a city employee.<\/strong><br \/>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Troy Benson at the Glenwood Springs Communty Center ice rink where he works as a city employee.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent | Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.<\/strong><br \/>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/TroyBensonProfile-gpi-011220-1-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">In the rink, deaf hockey player Troy Benson can\u2019t hear the ref\u2019s whistle or the shouts from a coach. But that didn\u2019t stop him from helping team USA end a 20-year losing streak to Russia at the 2019 Deaflympic Games in December.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Benson, 29, has loved hockey since he was a child. Growing up in Michigan, Benson\u2019s whole family played hockey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMy dad was a hockey player and I got into it. Then, I realized I got really good at hockey, and I fell in love with it,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Throughout his youth, he played hockey for his school teams, despite having progressive hearing loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Growing up, and growing deaf<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As an infant, Benson suffered from a hernia and had to be put on machines to oxygenate his blood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But the treatment also damaged his hearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhatever they gave me helped me survive, but that\u2019s what affected my hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As he grew, his hearing continued to deteriorate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI remember in high school I could hear OK, but as the years went by my ears got worse slowly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">His hearing loss could be challenging. He remembers pushing to be at the front of the line so he could make out the coaches\u2019 instructions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen I was growing up playing in regular hockey teams for peewee sports and stuff like that, it was hard for me because not everybody understands what it\u2019s like not to hear, or sometimes I was the only (hearing impaired) one on the team and they didn\u2019t pay attention to me,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The whistle is also out of Benson\u2019s hearing range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cSometimes you\u2019ll see me playing hockey, and when the whistle\u2019s blowing I\u2019ll still be skating and shooting, which is embarrassing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But the hardest part was during practice when a coach would blow the whistle and shout instructions from the sidelines. If Benson didn\u2019t catch the words, he would have to follow what his teammates were doing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That system must have worked, because Benson continued playing offense on regular hockey teams throughout his youth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Once Benson found the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA) hockey camps during high school, he realized what he was missing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat really changed my life because I was able to learn a lot more about hockey. They would give me accurate answers that I could understand, and I became a better hockey player,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Finding success<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After high school Benson attended a few years of community college, and even tried out for the NHL (he was cut in the second round). That\u2019s when he came to Glenwood Springs, where his eldest brother, Trace, lived and fell in love with the friendly people and gorgeous views.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Benson first made it on the American team for the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships in 2013, and even though Team USA didn\u2019t place, he was hooked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In 2015, Russia took the ice hockey gold and Canada the silver, leaving the USA with bronze at the Deaflympics that took place in Russia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Two years later, Benson helped his team win the gold at the 2017 World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Deaf means different things<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There are treatments, like cochlear implants, that Benson could try, but he\u2019s also learned to adapt to his disability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI just have to accept the fact that I have to deal with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The term deaf covers a broad range of hearing impairment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEverybody thinks when they hear a person say \u2018I\u2019m deaf,\u2019 they think they can\u2019t hear (anything),\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Benson can hear certain mid-range frequencies, but high pitched or especially low voices are out of his hearing range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cPeople need to understand that being deaf is unique, everyone is different,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">No limits on the ice, or off<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tryouts for the USA teams happen in the summer, and Benson tries to keep his skills up in the off-season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe hardest part here is motivating myself. I have to go out on the ice and remind myself that I represent team USA,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When not playing competitively, he still gets out on the ice as often as possible for drop-in games and asks the other players to be extra aggressive so he can keep his skills tight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cDuring hockey season here, I always tell everybody, please try to get me, try to hack me, trip me, push me, whatever you got to do to take the puck away from me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">His fellow hockey players confirm this.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI get him a couple of times,\u201d said Keith Pleva, who also plays drop-in hockey at the community center. Usually, Pleva can take the puck when Benson tries something fancy and Pleva is in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019ll get him once in a great while,\u201d Pleva said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When not playing hockey, Benson still seeks action and speed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m an athletic freak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what sport it is, I\u2019ll get involved even if I\u2019m terrible at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Deaf or not, nothing holds Benson back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI always live by the quote I heard from one of my teammates: The only disability you have is your attitude,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">Miracle on Italian ice<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When Benson arrived in Valtellina-Valchiavenna, Italy for the December 2019 Deaflympic winter games, Team USA hadn\u2019t defeated the Russian ice hockey team head to head in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The U.S. was first to score in the Dec. 17 game, with Benson, left wing, giving the assist. Team USA never lost their lead, and ended with a 7\u20133 victory over Russia. Benson was named most valued player for that game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI had a couple of assists and played really well that game, but I wasn\u2019t expecting to be player of the game,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Team USA went on to beat Canada 7\u20133 for the gold, with Benson scoring in the second period.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With a gold medal, a silver, and a world championship title, Benson says he\u2019ll keep trying out for the deaf hockey team representing America until he can\u2019t cut it anymore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"> \u201cI just love the game of hockey,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><span class=\"Body Copy Italic\"><a href=\"mailto:tphippen@postindependent.com\">tphippen@postindependent.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/silence-is-golden-glenwoods-troy-benson-takes-gold-in-hockey-at-deaflympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold last December.Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent Troy Benson at the Glenwood Springs Communty Center ice rink where he works as a city employee.Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent Troy Benson helped Team USA win three medals in the Deaflympics, including the gold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2453140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 21:11:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}