But later on he decided to focus on boccia and won the 2003 Boccia Canada Championship before representing his country at the 2004 Paralympics.
Deriving from the popular Italian game of Bocce, boccia tests an athlete's hand-eye coordination in a game not too far removed from lawn bowls.
It is played indoors with a set of 13 hand-made leather balls on a flat surface.
The sport can be played by individuals, pairs or teams, with the goal of rolling colored balls closest to a smaller white one (jack).
"I love the game, as it is a combination of strategy, position and technique. You have to outsmart your opponent," he explained.
Despite suffering jet lag, Vander Vies enjoyed the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics at the Bird's Nest on Saturday night.
Even though he wasn't officially a part of it this time, he was highly impressed once again by the sight of athletes from all over the world gathering in a spirit of peace and harmony.
"If countries could act like the way Olympics and Paralympics do, there would be a lot of better places in our world," he commented.
Away from his sporting career, Vander Vies is now majoring in political science and French at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
"I have an ambition - to enter politics and become a member of parliament. I want to show people that perception is not always everything," he said with confidence.
(China Daily September 8, 2008)