Emery's father was a general in the Royal Canadian Navy, which caused his family to move frequently around locations in Canada, though they would spend time each summer in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

[1] Victor Emery watched a bobsleigh race at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy, and became passionate about the sport, which John soon came to love, too.

Though the bobsleigh runs at Lake Placid were available to them, they could not frequently travel, and often practiced "dry" at the local gymnasium.

[3] These opinions prevailed as the nation had no training program or even a bobsled course,[2] though the other teams instead saw the Canadians as intellectuals who had entered into the race by fluke, rather than playboys, as they all had advanced degrees and professional careers outside of sport.

He met his future wife, Deborah, the year he started his practice; she was a model who had been recommended his services.