Nothing could stop these two Sault men from earning black belts

Earning a black belt in karate is a major achievement for anyone.

But the Sault’s Andrew Snell and Mason Fremlin have overcome personal obstacles in reaching that level of expertise in martial arts.

Snell, a Toronto native who has lived in Sault Ste. Marie since 2009, is in a wheelchair, has the use of only his right hand for karate after suffering a brain injury.

Sault native Fremlin is on the autism spectrum.

The two athletes, members of the Sault Ste. Marie International Karate Daigaku on Wellington St. W. and instructed by Sensei Chris Troch, officially received their black belts last week.

Snell was seriously injured in a collision with a distracted driver when he lived in Toronto in 1992.

“When I was in Grade 6, I was coming home from school on my bicycle. I started to go across the crosswalk with my bike. I was flung into the air and came down and hit my head on the road. I was taken to hospital and I was in a coma for two months,” Snell told SooToday.

“When I woke up I couldn’t make my body move the way I wanted it to. Lots of people were praying for me. I’m a Christian and lots of people were praying for me after my injury and that is totally what kept me alive and saved me. My brother brought my dog into the hospital. He ran up to my bed, started licking me on my face and that’s what brought me out of the coma.”

Snell was in physiotherapy for 13 months.

“I was so happy that I was alive.”

A big cheer-up for Snell in those early days after being struck by his life-changing injuries was to see the Toronto Maple Leafs in action and meet the team.

“Hockey was my first love, but now it's karate,” he said.

Involved with Community Head Injury Resource Services in Toronto, Snell took up judo and worked his way up to an orange belt.

After Snell moved to the Sault, Sensei Chris Troch of the Sault Ste. Marie International Karate Daigaku began instructing Snell in karate in 2013.

“I totally wanted to do martial arts and Chris reached out,” Snell said.

With Troch as his teacher, Snell learned karate and gained the ability to break wooden boards with his right hand.

“Sensei Chris is a great teacher. He has transformed regular karate into one-handed karate for a guy in a wheelchair and I just think that’s wonderful,” Snell said.

“Karate’s given me a whole new meaning to life. I realize I can do something. It’s not kicking people’s butts, but it’s an exercise that I can do and it’s a really empowering thing. I used to love hockey but now I have something else I can do.”

Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Fremlin began practicing karate with Troch in 2016.

“Through my seven years in karate, I’ve accomplished a lot. After getting my black belt I believe karate’s my thing for the rest of my life. It’s very enjoyable,” Fremlin said.

Fremlin has won medals in karate competitions.

“He never wants to quit. He keeps pushing himself to the limit. Everybody here is really proud of him,” Troch said.

“In karate, you never fail unless you quit. I think Andrew has achieved an amazing goal. He’s the first person in a wheelchair and the first person with a brain injury in our organization to get his black belt. He’s set the bar for other people in wheelchairs. We have quite a few laughs here. He has tons of puns but when he gets down to it, he gets serious. Mason is an inspiration, so is Andrew. Both of them are.”

“Stick to it and never say die,” Snell said when asked if he has words of advice for others dealing with obstacles who want to stay active and be athletic, adding he has the support of his family and strength from his Christian faith.

“Do it. There’s no excuse. Just do it,” Fremlin said.

“Don’t give up, be brave and confident. If you’re struggling in life, do karate to protect yourself and defend yourself. The more you do, the better you feel. Overall, despite having autism, I have overcome a lot of things.”

“Karate is for everybody,” Troch said.

“It doesn’t matter what ability you have or your age. You adapt with your own body. We adapt to suit Andrew, for his ability. For someone else with a different ability, we adapt it to that.”

Kritika Ughadpagan, 13, and Alex Burdeniuk, 12, also received their black belts from the Sault Ste. Marie International Karate Daigaku last week, Troch said.

Snell works out at the Wellington St. W. facility every Friday.

Snell’s parents and Chantal Scopacasa of the Sault Ste. Marie Brain Injury Association were on hand at the Sault Ste. Marie International Karate Daigaku when SooToday spoke to Snell and Fremlin.

June is Brain Injury Awareness Month in Canada.  

“Chris has been a real encouragement and has worked with Andrew one on one, and Chantal has been a big help,” Snell’s mother Sandy said.