Story by Kurt Miller
It all started with 140 characters, but the journey that ensued shortly thereafter could hardly be put into words.
Like many Americans during the summer of 2015, Drew Bremer closely followed the Women's World Cup and the United States' run at a first place finish. And while the team's play inspired millions around the country, it was a tweet from the team's official Twitter account that really caught the eye of Bremer.
"They sent out a video to the US Paralympic National Team when they qualified for (the Paralympic Games in) Rio, so I clicked on the profile for the USPNT," Bremer said. "It said right under the caption 'for players with CP, TBI, or a stroke' and I was like 'what is this?'"
Bremer, who was born with cerebral palsy (CP) which affects certain muscle movements on the right side of his body, reached out to USPNT Head Coach Stuart Sharp and he was quickly invited to participate in the team's upcoming training camp.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2016 and Bremer was training in the Atlanta heat with a select pool of players who would represent the US at the Paralympic Games in Rio in September.
"We go from having war veterans, to kids with CP and guys that have had a stroke," Bremer said. "Everyone is from all across the country, so I'd get mocked for being from up north and liking hockey a lot. And apparently we have a weird northern accent. But it was a good mix of people—it's a unique mix. We've come together and become a strong family."
As training camp came and went, the team's road to Rio truly went into motion in September as the group met in Houston to go through team processing before catching a flight to South America's largest country. Publicized on the US Men's National team's Instagram account, Bremer and the team loaded up on more US gear than imaginable thanks to Polo Ralph Lauren and Nike.
Each player received a duffle bag from each of the outfitters stuffed to the brim with gear.
"We got three pairs of shoes, two pairs of sandals, two pairs of swimsuits, like 25 t-shirts and 13 jackets. My entire closet is USA stuff now," Bremer said jokingly.
Sure to try everything on and make certain the Opening Ceremonies' outfit was a correct fit, the team eventually made its way to Rio.
Upon arriving each player was given 15 USA pins to trade with the other Olympians throughout the Olympic Village and the team had a week to acclimate itself before the first game. But even a week of familiarization couldn't prepare Bremer and his teammates for what they'd experience in their first two games of the tournament.
"We played our first game in a primetime match against the Netherlands," Bremer said. "That was sweet, but our second game was against Iran and there were 11,000 people there. It was a Saturday afternoon and the Brazilians were just chanting the entire time. We couldn't hear anything."
Bremer and the USPNT ended the group stage with a 0-2-1 record but Bremer did score the team's game-winning goal with four minutes left in the consolation match against Ireland and his parents were there to see it happen.
"My parents were there from the Opening Ceremonies until the end," he said. "My little sister was there for our final two group games which was pretty cool. Then my other sister and brother were there from the Opening Ceremonies through the group stage so they were there for about a full week.
"It was super nice having them in the stands and watching because they'd always see me go off to these random training camps in Los Angeles and Atlanta but they'd never actually seen me play for USA."
Bremer made his mark and impression on the field, but he also made his breakthrough in the world of social media.
"It's cool to be able to say 'hey, I'm verified on Twitter,'" Bremer said with a laugh. "I don't have that many followers but I have the blue check and people are like 'oh my gosh—how did you get that?'
"I think my first tweet after I got verified, NBC retweeted me and it got a lot of likes and everything. It's pretty fun. I'm still waiting on it for Facebook and Instagram."
With the team's time in Rio coming to an end and Bremer and his teammates going their separate ways once they returned to the States, the group of Olympians had one more opportunity to get together and reflect on the experience they had. Bremer, his teammates and all the US Paralympians and Olympians attended the Team USA Awards on Sept. 28 honoring the most outstanding achievements during the athletes' time in Rio.
To cap it off, the group of athletes traveled to the White House to meet President Obama the following day.
"Literally from top to bottom, all the way from the beginning of our games to after our games this has been just fantastic."
Now, back on campus and settled into his role once again with the Kalamazoo College men's soccer team, Bremer isn't positive what his future holds but another stint with the USPNT isn't out of the picture.
"Our first training camp back is in November when we're off of school so I'll definitely go to that," he said. "We have a World Cup next August in Argentina and that just kind of depends on what my situation is after graduation. If I could get a job and push it back to a fall start, then I'd definitely continue to go through with the team."