Overcoming Disabilties Team Room

[brotherjim]

I thought I might post a poem today . Kind of apropos as some of you are rowing HUGE meters. Though all meters are approx. 39 inches.

On Pain
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses
your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its
heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the
daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem
less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart,
even as you have always accepted the seasons that
pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the
winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within
you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy
in silence and tranquillity:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by
the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has
been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has
moistened with His own sacred tears.

Khalil Gibran

[rivka]

Jim, a meter is exactly 100 centimeters. You Americans
Rivka

[Izzzmeister]

Jim, a meter is exactly 100 centimeters. You Americans
Rivka

Sorry, Rivka, Jim's not wrong - he's talking inches, you're talking centimeters. A meter is 39.37 inches.

[brotherjim]

Stats for today 1/3. We are currently in 7th place in the challenge. Pretty amazing for 14 super rowers and their captain.
We rowed 264923 meters . Congratulations to Samuel and Rivka who both passed 300K meters for the season.

Stats
Allie-----------------------230
Benny---------------------3500
Michelle------------------26460 Hm plus
Sarah----------------------8800
Ronnie--------------------29000 HM plus
Rivka---------------------9925
Elton---------------------15050
Samuel-------------------33805 HOO-BOY
Bobbie--------------------4750
Zander--------------------25060 HM plus
Anita----------------------20658
Harold--------------------16450
Andy-----------------------10130
Rosi------------------------26260 HM plus
Jim-------------------------34845

Great rowing team, very impressive meter totals. Again, ( I know, SHUT UP) please don't overdue it.
jim

[brotherjim]

This is a cute little story.
jim


Turtles Share Life Lesson in Giving a Hand
November 9, 2010
When one turtle is on his back, the other doesn’t fault him for getting himself in that position and walk away. He doesn’t tell him he just needs to try harder and he doesn’t stand there giving advice. He simply walks over and helps him up in his time of need.

Of course, when dealing with a chronic condition, friends and family would most likely do the same if it were that easy. They would simply turn their loved one back onto their feet and on their way. The problem is that there is not always a quick fix, so people often get frustrated with their efforts seemingly not helping, since the issue remains.

Nonetheless, we can still assist those living with illness, pain or injury by lending an ear or a hand around the house. Just a little bit of our time and love can make a huge difference!

[rosita]

Cute story Jim, I like turtles.
Great rowing Sammy, you are showing us all something!
Rosita

[brotherjim]

The Power of Persistence
To get where he is today, Special Olympics power lifter David Hill has moved mountains – or at least his mom thinks so. The 26-year-old has come a long way over the years – and his mother, Corrine Pearson, gives much of the credit to Special Olympics.

"If it was not for Special Olympics, David would not have a normal quality of life,” she says. “Since he became involved, I have seen him blossom."

David has Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, a rare disorder often associated with seizures. Among other things, LKS can lead to the loss of the ability to understand and use spoken language. David's mother says he appeared to be developing normally until he was a toddler, when he suffered his first seizure. She says that event robbed him of the language skills he'd acquired by then – and after that David did not speak. Pearson recalls that "he could not even tell me he wanted a glass of water."

One day, David's little sister, Sara, was about to touch an iron and David yelled out, "No Sara! Hot!" Pearson realized that David was capable of speaking, but didn’t seem to be interested in doing so -- or confident enough to try.

That’s where she says Special Olympics has been a huge help. Because of his language barrier, David had not been able to take part in sports programs. He was also too shy to talk, even when he learned how. But she says Special Olympics has given David confidence and an opportunity to express himself among peers. "It's become his whole social network," says Pearson. She says the program has also helped him overcome the frustration that can come with a disability. "David used to be so hard on himself. But he has learned through sport that once you give your best, you’re a winner."

She also says David's thought process is sharper – because of organized practices and competition, David has had to learn organization. As a result, he's become more constructive with his time. These days, David is speaking very clearly. His hard work has brought him gold medals in tennis, basketball and bowling, as well as powerlifting.

And Pearson says David's increasing confidence has helped beyond the sports arena. He now works at his local Home Depot, where he's had to learn to something he had never been able to do: interact with the public – meaning people he doesn't know. "He is able to do all that because of Special Olympics. It is the only thing I can attribute it to – It has increased his confidence that much."

[anitah]

Jim, Did you see we went over a million meters in the challenge? Very inspiring to keep rowing. I am trying to keep up with you and Samuel.
Anita

[brotherjim]

Hi Anita, yes, 1 million meters!!!! Pretty neat.
Congrats to Harold for passing 800K season meters
Congrats to Ronnie for passing 300K season meters
Congrats to Michelle for passing 100K season meters

I love the new team photos Zander and Michelle

Stats for 1/4

Allie--------------------250 Allie passed 2K
Benny------------------6370
Michelle---------------28950
Sarah------------------35300
Ronnie-----------------33500
Rivka------------------32300
Elton------------------23550
Sam-------------------31500
Bobbie----------------6347
Zander----------------35110
Anita------------------23415
Harold-----------------12050
Andy--------------------10115
Rosita-------------------31200
Jim----------------------37540

Stats for challenge
Virtual Team Challenge 2011 Individual Standings
Name Gender Age Total Event Meters
1 Jim Kielma M 57 130,143
2 Samuel Johnson M 74 102,425
3 Zander Fraser M 36 98,370
4 Michelle Donavon F 21 92,860
5 Rosi Delacruz F 35 92,285
6 Ronnie Mills F 43 89,625
7 Anita Holub F 42 88,273
8 Sarah Hallbeck F 30 75,905
9 Elton Giogri M 55 75,255
10 Rivka Levitt F 41 73,384
11 Harold Janusek M 60 45,875
12 Andrew Augenstein M 59 40,535
13 Benny Delacruz M 18 25,520
14 Bobbie Kielma F 58 20,369
15 Allie B F 5 930
1,051,754

Awesome rowing team! I still say, please stay within your comfort zone of erging. I am pleased and excited at the amount of meters each of you are rowing but I am primarily concerned with your health. Are you all skipping other workouts that you do along with rowing during the challenge? Sorry for being an old gramps, I just worry. Take care of yourselves.
jim

[rivka]

Jim, quit worrying. Sarah and I are skipping weight training, treadmills, and exercycling during the challenge. We checked with our PT and she says that is fine for the month. We are rowing and swimming. I am sure everyone else is doing much the same. We are athletes and know what we are capable of.

[Kona2]

Woot! Congratulations to Jim and Samuel for passing the 100K milestone marker of the Virtual Team Challenge! You are walloping us on the average meters per team member statistic!

[brotherjim]

Thanks Kona for the "Woot" I think it is way cool that Samuel and his daughter Cathie are in the top 25 rowers during this challenge. It would be neat if they both were able to finish in the top 25.
jim

[rosita]

Jim. don't worry about us. Like Rivka and Sarah, I have lessened the amount of running I do. I will pick up next month. Good rowing team!!!!
Rosi

[Dave_H]

Brilliant erging you guys! You have totally blitzed the Lunatic's team average, and it will take a lot of work to catch you up!
All the best for the challenge, and look forward to seeing you guys at our Loony Lunar Landing celebration later this year!

Best wishes,
Dave

[brotherjim]

Brilliant erging you guys! You have totally blitzed the Lunatic's team average, and it will take a lot of work to catch you up!
All the best for the challenge, and look forward to seeing you guys at our Loony Lunar Landing celebration later this year!

Best wishes,
Dave

Thank you so much Dave. We appreciate it
Dave was kind enough to forward me this incredible story about Kurt Fearnley. Please read it if you have the time. Kurt is more than an amazing and humble man.
jim



Kokoda Trail proves Kurt Fearnley's hardest achievement
BY TYRON BUTSON
19 Nov, 2009 09:04 AM
NEWCASTLE paralympian Kurt Fearnley conquered the treacherous 96-kilometre Kokoda Trail yesterday.

But he labelled his superhuman effort "minute" compared with the efforts of the diggers who braved it almost 70-years-ago.


"It's amazing, it's a very special moment for me but if you put it in perspective what I've accomplished in the last 11 days is minute compared to the actions that took place here 60-odd-years-ago," he told The Herald from Papua New Guinea only hours after finishing the trek.


"When this is all over I'm able to go home, return to my family, to my life, but some of those bloke didn't have that chance.


"They overcame amazing odds and suffered through hardship . . . we were not fighting the Imperial Army every step of the way, here."


Fearnley, 28, was born missing the lower part his spine and is unable to use his legs.


Earlier this year he committed to tackle the Kokoda Trail to raise awareness for men's health groups beyondblue and Movember. He finished the 10-day journey shortly after 8am PNG time yesterday.


The four-time New York wheelchair marathon winner had to drag himself on his hands along the infamous track.


His finish was made even sweeter by the surprise visit of his parents Jacqueline and Glenn, who travelled from their home in Carcoar to see their youngest son finish.


While Fearnley had assistance from 15 close friends and family members during the trek he said it was easily the hardest thing he had done.


"I think we're all exhausted, we're all worn out," he said.


"It has to be the toughest thing I've done."


Four Australians have died this year while walking the track, which was the scene of some of Australia's bloodiest action during World War II.


The 96-kilometre thoroughfare that cuts through the Owen Stanley Range crosses some of the world's most rugged and treacherous terrain and is considered an exceptionally difficult trek.


But Fearnley said more people needed to keep their experiences "in perspective" with the heroic actions of the soldiers who battled along the Kokoda Trail between July and November 1942.


He said he had been inspired by the story of Corporal John Metson who was badly wounded in the legs in 1942.


The non-commissioned officer refused to be carried on a stretcher and started crawling along the track until he was gunned down in a Japanese ambush almost three weeks later.


"[After finishing the track] we visited a war cemetery in Port Moresby, those guys were the real heroes," he said.


While training for the journey in July, Fearnley told The Herald he had not only spent time preparing himself physically but researching the significance of the area.


"You've got to keep it in perspective, it's going to be tough, it's going to be hard, but it's do-able," he said in July.


Veteran trekker and Kokoda Spirit team leader Wayne Weatherall said he was blown away by the paralympian's drive and commitment.


"This is a huge win for everyone involved but most of all for Kurt, he's done an amazing thing," he said.


Fearnley flies home to Australia on Friday and will be back in Newcastle on the same day, where he says he'll lie on Bar Beach and soak up the sun.