Overcoming Disabilties Team Room

[brotherjim]

Nice new team pics from Christa and Michelle. Michelle, I am happy you have new prosthesis's. Looks like they are working well!
I am sorry I am so fatigued lately, not really pulling my share.

Stats

Gene----------------3000
Benny---------------4050
Andy----------------4980
Jim------------------9900
Zander--------------11000
Christa--------------12000
Anita----------------12010
Ronnie---------------15000
Rosita----------------15535
Michelle--------------16189

Have a great weekend

[brotherjim]

My, oh my, what a wonderful weather day here today. Bobbie and I took a long walk and it was nice after having had snow last week. Saw 6 huge does in a field, they crossed in front of us.

Stats for the day

Benny---------------4300
Jim------------------8415
Zander--------------8500
Rosita---------------7400
Christa--------------12200
Michelle-------------14787
Anita-----------------14925
Ronnie----------------15400

Stay safe, row strong.

[brotherjim]

I think Dara is very amazing. Though swimming is a lifelong sport and activity, to compete with much younger athletes is mind boggling.

Dara Torres returns to pool Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The youthful swimmers who keep waiting for Dara Torres to retire -- again -- can breathe easy: the five-time Olympian says she definitely won't compete in the 2016 Games at age 49.

As for the 2012 London Olympics, Torres took her first step back on Saturday from a 16-month layoff for major knee surgery, qualifying for next year's U.S. Olympic Trials at the Missouri Grand Prix.

"I really just wanted to come here and make my trial cut, and I did," Torres said after earning a time of 25.9 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries. She finished sixth with a slower time in the Saturday night finals, nearly one full second behind winner Jessica Hardy.

Torres, 43, has not raced competitively since the 2009 world championships and only recently resumed water training following a reconstructive procedure that involved transplanting cartilage to her left kneecap.

The lengthy recovery period proved as challenging as the physical hurdles that left her unable to climb stairs or freely play with her 4-year-old daughter Tessa.

"It definitely tested my patience," she said. "This was the first surgery where I actually had to listen to the doctor. ... You always kind of push the limits a little bit, and this one I couldn't."

Her comeback has been complicated by her 60-year-old coach Michael Lohberg's battle with a rare, life-threatening blood disorder. He remains hospitalized in Florida after a recent heart attack and is listed in intensive care.

"It's been such an emotional roller coaster ride," Torres said. "You don't realize how much emotions can drain you physically until you go through something like that."

Torres owns four Olympic gold medals, earning her first in the 1984 Games -- well before most of her current teammates and competitors were born. She earned three silver medals at the Beijing Games in 2008 after twice retiring from competitive swimming.

The 2012 Games, should she qualify, will truly be her last hurrah, Torres said.

"I don't want to be that athlete who's at the top of their game and goes down real quick," she said.

When it was pointed out that Torres had previously called the 2008 Olympics her last, she quickly dispelled any doubts that 2012 will be her last Games.

"You can quote me. There is no more [after 2012]. I'm done," she said. "If you ever see me in a pool again, it will be hanging out with my daughter, or maybe swimming a little master's [division] here and there."

Torres, affectionatey called "Grandma" by her teammates and rivals, said she draws inspiration from the working mothers and weekend warriors who cite her as a role model.

"I have so many people who tell me I'm motivating them, this motivates me to keep going," she said.

Hardy, a full two decades younger, called Torres' staying power "mind-boggling."

"At 23, I'm still considered young, when 10 years ago I would have been one of the oldest in the sport," she said. "It's exciting. Maybe I'll be 43 and still racing."

[brotherjim]

This is part of a long article so I just picked a snippet. If you would like to read more, it is on the longridersguild website.

Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh - Although he was born with no limbs in 1831, Kavanagh and his brother rode to India via Denmark, Norway and Sweden and Russia. They sailed down the Volga into Circassia and rode on towards Persia. The unemployed, and limbless, Arthur Kavanagh then obtained employment as an official government dispatch rider! Kavanagh went on to become a Member of Parliament.

[brotherjim]

This is from Guide Dogs for the Blind
jim


Kim Kilpatrick smiles knowingly when she reads stories about how wonderful it was for others on their first walk with their new Guide Dogs. Her first dog was gentle and calm so she was ready for a repeat of that great experience when she returned for training with a new dog. This dog was, however, much different. "As soon as I picked up the handle and said 'Forward!' it felt like we were shot out of a cannon!" she exclaimed.

Although she's enthusiastic about her dogs, she is careful to not be pushy when talking to people who are in the process of making such an important decision. "People would say to me, 'If you had a dog, you wouldn't have run into that.' Well, when I was ready, I was ready. So I'm happy to answer questions if people ask, but I don't push it."

Blind since birth, Kilpatrick made the decision to get her first dog while working at an Alzheimer's unit shortly after graduating from college. "I kept bumping into my patients and they couldn't remember that I was blind and they would say, 'What are you doing?' I knew it was time."

Kilpatrick, 43, lives in Ottawa, Ontario, where she is a contract music therapist and storyteller. She typically visits area schools for half or full-day sessions. She also does disability awareness education for various agencies and companies. She lives with her husband, Richard, and her retired Guide Dog, Gia. Recently she was at the Oregon campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind to train with her fourth dog, Tulia, a black Lab.

"Tulia is a real sweetheart," she cooed, rubbing Tulia's tummy as the dog sprawled on her back during a break in training at the Guide Dog Lounge in Gresham, Oregon. "She is very petite -- the smallest dog I've had -- but very happy. She just kind of bounces along." She recognizes that it takes time to bond and become a good working team. "These dogs aren't robots. They make mistakes and so do I. We just have to work through the challenges."

She was anxious to get Tulia home to meet Gia and see how they got along. "Gia is almost 11 years old now but she has been a great guide and she has lots of friends." Once Kilpatrick knew the dates for her class she sent a blanket email to friends looking for a dog-sitter. "Within three hours I had more than 20 responses from people who would love to take her."

One of her favorite memories with Gia happened the day Kilpatrick wrenched her knee. As she limped from the doctor's office to the pharmacy, dreading the flight of stairs she would have to negotiate while in pain, Gia stopped her. "I didn't know where we were, but a man asked if I was trying to get to the pharmacy. He said my dog had stopped me at a ramp instead of leading me to the stairs. I didn't even know there was a ramp. The whole time I was recuperating she knew to slow down and take special care. She was terrific."

Recently Kilpatrick had to use a cane and she was reminded of the difference. "Using a cane is mentally exhausting. You find every little thing and you have to figure out what it is and how to get around it. With a dog you are just going along, listening to the birds, thinking about the big picture. And you walk a lot more. With a cane I only walked where I had to. With a dog, I will take a walk just to get a coffee or enjoy the neighborhood. They are also a great icebreaker. People are much more natural around you if you have a dog."

Through the years Kilpatrick has kept in close contact with all of her puppy raisers. "I really enjoy that. It's a fun to stay in touch and Gia's raisers, Scott and Debbie Gordon, came to visit us in Ottawa. It was so funny watching her. She was saying, with her tail wagging, 'I love you, and I love you, and I love that man over there, too.' I let her decide which room she would sleep in and she stayed with me, but first thing in the morning she jumped up and ran down the hall to see them."

Contacted back home in Ottawa, Kilpatrick said, "Tulia travelled like a pro. We had to stop once and change planes but she settled down each time and was totally relaxed during the take offs and landings. It's great having her home."

[brotherjim]

Taylor Chace Home: Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
Birthday: May 9, 1986
Taylor Chace first got started in sled hockey through a program called Northeast Passage at the University of New Hampshire. The opportunity to compete and gain experience in the sport led Taylor to the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, where he won a bronze medal with the U.S. team.

Two years later, Chace helped Team USA secure yet another bronze medal at the 2008 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championships in Marlborough, Mass. Chase also helped Team USA secure the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.


Chace, a once junior Olympic level hockey player, sustained his injury after sliding violently into the boards of a hockey rink in Cannington, Ontario, shattering the L-1 veterbra in his spinal cord. Although the accident left him partially paralyzed, after countless hours of physical therapy, Chace learned to walk – and play hockey – again.

[brotherjim]

Scott Smith

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tandem Cycling competitions are tough even when you have sight. It takes dedication, and a lot of hard work. For Scott Smith of Tucson, Ariz., his black Lab guide Scully figures into the mix, because the Guide Dog lifestyle is an active lifestyle. Scully is from Guide Dogs for the Blind.

"Today, I'm in better shape than ever before, and that's partly a direct result of having my Guide Dog Scully," Scott said. "I wanted a high spirited dog, and that's what I got. I'm a competitive cyclist. With Scully, I'm able to go every place. I race with total confidence.

"I started losing my vision when I was 19 due to retinitis pigmentosa. Before that, I loved bicycle racing. It's what kept me on the straight and narrow. But after my vision deteriorated, I had to give it up. I hadn't ridden in 15 years until my sister introduced me to a guy who raced with a tandem bicycle and we started working together as a team. I was amazed at how fast it all came back. After three months of training, we placed second in tandem racing at the national championship, and we won the state championship in 2005. Someday I'd like to win a medal for the US in the Paralympic Games.

"Tandem cycling involves teamwork and so does working with a Guide Dog. You have a sighted pilot that steers the bike and the follower or stoker who stays in sync with the cues. It's similar to the relationship I have with Scully. In guidework, I'm the one with the mental map; I give Scully the command to go forward. It's his job to steer me around obstacles. I stay in sync with the cues he communicates through the harness handle.

"Scully's great when I have to traverse strange airports with armloads of gear. I enjoy having him along on trips. There's not just "I" or one, there are two of us. He and I are a team."

[brotherjim]

Wendy Booker, Multiple Sclerosis patient, heading to the North Pole with dogs
Posted: Apr 13, 2011 01:25 pm EDT
(NewsDesk) When first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1998, Wendy was crushed. But she was also determined to see how hard and how far she could push back at her diagnosis. She started running marathons and climbing mountains, and is currently in Longyearbyen busy with the final preparations for her Last Degree dog sled expedition to the North Pole.

Wendy Booker is a 56 year old mother of three from Manchester, MA, with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who really has a remarkable story to share.

Diagnosed in 1998 with MS, Wendy would never have dreamed that within thirteen years of her diagnosis, she would have scaled 6.5 of the world’s Seven Summits [she climbed Everest up to the Lhotse face] and be on her way to the North Pole.

Polar expeditions

In mid-April, she’ll embark on her new quest and mission - the Polar Trilogy, which will begin with a dog sled expedition to the North Pole. Then she’ll go on to the South Pole with a cross country ski trek in December 2011, and last (but not least), skiing across Greenland. A director/cinematographer will also be accompanying Wendy to the North Pole as part of a documentary film project about her Polar Trilogy expeditions.

Marathon runner

In 1998, at age 43, Wendy Booker was diagnosed with RMSS (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis) after experiencing balance problems, blurred vision and numbness on her left side, symptoms characteristic of the disease. She could never have imagined with within a little more than decade, she’d be one of fewer than 30 women in the world to have scaled nearly all the “Seven Summits”.

Before her diagnosis, Wendy’s exercise consisted of the occasional jazzercise class and casual running. However, upon her diagnosis, she committed to a healthy lifestyle and diet, and also became a serious runner. Just two years following her diagnosis, she ran her first Boston Marathon in 2000 and by 2010 competed in 10 major marathons.

Marathons: Since her diagnosis, Wendy has competed in 10 Marathons, including the New York Marathon (2010), Marine Corps Marathon (2004), Chicago Marathon (2006), and the Boston Marathon (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006) – where she has served as captain of the Marathon Strides Against MS team for the Boston-Area MS Society.

Mountain Climbing

Soon after she began running, Wendy set her sights on her next major quest – climbing the world’s tallest summits on the seven continents. Never mind that the average mountain climber is generally a male in his thirties.

Wendy was determined to show that MS does not have to be a debilitating disease and to be an inspiration to the 400,000 Americans who suffer from MS, their caregivers, friends and families.
Even more, her personal resilience is testimony to all who face adversity and doubt about what they can accomplish.

In June 2004, at age 49, Wendy became the first woman with MS to ever conquer Summit #1, the 20,320 foot summit of Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali), on her second try. “It’s hard, it’s steep, it’s scary, we don’t always get to the top (and sometimes) we have to do things more than once,” Wendy said about her experience.

In addition to Denali, Wendy’s indomitable spirit led her to scale these summits:
June 2005: Summit #2, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa, 19,340 ft. followed by:
July 2006: Summit #3, Mt. Elbrus, Russia, 18,481 ft.
January 2007: Summit #4, Aconcagua, Argentina, 22,834 ft. (her 2nd attempt)
January 2008: Summit #5, Mt. Vinson Massif, Antarctica, 16,067 ft.
November 2008: Summit #5, Mt. Kosciuszko, Australia, 7,310 ft.
May 2009 and 2010: Attempted Summit #7, Mt. Everest, Asia, 29,035 ft.

Other sports: Wendy is also an avid cyclist and also enjoys ice climbing as well as sky diving.

About Multiple Sclerosis

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. In the U.S. today, there are approximately 400,000 people with MS — with 200 more people diagnosed every week. Worldwide, MS is thought to affect more than 2.1 million people. (www.nationalmssociety.org for more).

News sent over to ExplorersWeb NewsDesk by Patricia Tobin.

[brotherjim]

This is sad news about a terrific athlete and person.

9-time NYC Marathon winner Grete Waitz dies at 57


OSLO, Norway – Grete Waitz, a Norwegian runner who won nine New York City Marathons and the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, has died after a six-year battle with cancer. She was 57.

Helle Aanesen, the manager of the Active Against Cancer Foundation in Norway, said Waitz died early Tuesday at the Ulleval University Hospital in Oslo.

A former Oslo schoolteacher, Waitz won her first New York City Marathon in 1978, setting a world best in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 30 seconds in her first attempt at running the distance. She went on to win eight more times — more than any other runner, male or female — with her last victory coming in 1988.

She won the London Marathon twice, in 1983 and '86, and earned five titles at the world cross-country championships from 1978-81 and 1983.

Waitz also won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1983 world championships in Helsinki, Finland. A year later, she took second behind Joan Benoit in the first women's Olympic marathon.

Waitz competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics in the 1,500 meters, but missed the 1980 Moscow Games because of the American-led boycott.

"Grete is in my eyes one of the greatest Norwegian athletes of all time," Norwegian Athletics Federation president Svein Arne Hansen said. "Not only through her performances in the sport, but also as a role model for women in sports."

In a Twitter posting, marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe remembered Waitz as "an amazing champion and more amazing person."

Aanesen said a private funeral ceremony is planned for next week, according to Waitz's wishes.

Waitz is survived by her husband Jack Waitz and her two brothers, Jan and Arild.

Waitz had never run a marathon when she started the New York City race in October 1978. Her husband had talked her into trying, but after about 18 miles she regretted it.

"I was hurting. I was mad. I was angry. I told Jack: 'Never again," Waitz recalled in 2008.

She broke the world record three more times: In New York in 1979 and '80 and in London in '83.

Waitz started undergoing cancer treatment in 2005 but rarely discussed her condition in public.

"That's not my personality," she said in November 2005. "I've always been a private person. ... I'll do that when I cross the finish line and win this race."

At the time she was optimistic she could conquer the disease.

"I'm crossing my fingers," she said. "I will beat it."

Like Waitz, Aanesen declined to specify which type of cancer she had.

"She didn't wish to put too much focus on herself and her disease, but hoped she could contribute in some way to help others," said Aanesen, who got to know Waitz through her work with the foundation.

"She was a fantastic and immensely successful sports practitioner and also a role model and pioneer in women's sports," Aanesen said. "She showed that women too can run longer distances than 1,000 meters."

[brotherjim]

Lindsey is part of the U.S. Paralympic archery team

Lindsey Carmichael Home: Lago Vista, Texas

At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, Lindsey Carmichael set a world record in the ranking round before she fell in head-to-head competition and finished sixth overall. At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Carmichael made the jump to the medals podium, winning a bronze medal in the women's individual recurve - standing.

Carmichael has McCune Albright Syndrome, which is a bone disease contracted at birth, consisting of soft lesions, or weak spots, in the bones. She has been shooting in able-bodied divisions since 1998 and in disabled divisions since 2003. In the summer of 2006, she represented the U.S. at the World University Archery Championships in Vinicne, Slovakia. She finished the year ranked eighth among all able-bodied U.S. adult female recurve archers and ended 2007 ranked fourth in the world in her division among Paralympic archers.

Carmichael lives with her family in the Austin area. She is double majoring in English and History at the University of Texas and is Vice President of the school's Archery Club. She is also in the process of writing a novel.

Major Achievements:

•2008: Bronze Medal, Women's Ind. Recurve - Standing - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China.
•2007: 15th place, AR3 Recurve - IPC Archery World Championships, Cheongju, Korea
•2006: Member of World Collegiate Archery Team - Vinicne, Slovakia
•2004: Sixth place - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
•2004: World Record, ranking round - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
•2003: Fourth place - IPC Archery World Championships, Madrid, Spain
•2002: First place, AR3 Standing Recurve - National Target Championships
1999-2001: Texas State Outdoor Champion

[brotherjim]

BOSTON — About 20 years after she first dressed up on Halloween as the winner of the Boston Marathon, Anjali Forber-Pratt realized her dream of competing in her hometown’s most storied race.

“As a young kid I used to watch people in racing wheelchairs go zipping by,” said the U.S. Paralympian who grew up in Natick, Mass., near Mile 8 of the legendary 26.2-mile course. “That’s what made me interested in the sport of wheelchair racing, really teaching me to set my goals high.”

Speaking at a U.S. Olympic Committee reception on Sunday night, before finishing fourth in the women’s wheelchair division with a time of 1 hour, 53 minutes, 22 seconds, the University of Illinois Ph.D. candidate was blown away by being back home and couldn’t count the number of friends and family who planned on lining the course.

“Oh my goodness, a lot,” she said. “We actually set up a wiki page so people can sign up along different miles. I know for a fact I have representation at every mile along the way and there are still some people who didn’t sign up.

“So I’m banking on the roar of that crowd.”

The crowd also roared for several other Americans, including Desiree Davila. The former Arizona State star finished second, missing out on becoming the first U.S. woman to win the historic marathon in 26 years by a mere 2 seconds. She finished in 2:22:38, behind only Kenya’s Caroline Kilel.

Fellow American Kara Goucher raced to a fifth place finish at 2:24:52 after giving birth to a son in September.

On the men’s side, Ryan Hall finished fourth in 2:04:58 — the fastest time ever run by an American.

But unlike those distance-running dynamos, Forber-Pratt and her chair were built for pure speed. The sprinter won bronze medals at the Beijing 2008 Paralymic Games in the 400 meters and 4x100 relay.

“I don’t see myself becoming a marathon aficionado because my focus and love is truly in the sprints,” said Forber-Pratt, who qualified for Boston by clocking a 2:02 at the Chicago Marathon on her second try. “For me, the marathon training (helps with sprinting) because, first of all it gives me a rock solid foundation to build the rest of my training off of and second, of all I think anyone who competes in a marathon, whether in a wheelchair or otherwise, it helps with mental toughness.

“You will certainly hit the psychological roadblock in your head during that time. I think it helps you be a better person and a better athlete.”

Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for Forber-Pratt, who was adopted by a Massachusetts family two months after being born in Kolkata, India, and two months before transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by inflammation to the spinal cord, paralyzed her from the waist down.

The 26-year-old likes to joke that a marathon is just 422 100-meter sprints.

“In reality I break it down to 5K increments; 422 can be a daunting number,” she said. “You gotta’ break it down into something manageable. With any goal you have to break it down to manageable chunks.”

And that’s why she sees the Boston Marathon as a stepping-stone to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where she hopes to compete in the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meters, along with the relays. But not unlike most U.S. Olympians, Paralympic hopefuls also carry a great financial burden when it comes to getting to the Games.

“We absolutely need more money for athlete support for the Paralympics athletes, both for training and travel,” said USOC Managing Director Stephen Whisnant. “Another thing we’re trying to do is raise additional dollars so Paralympians can take classes during training or so we have resources for them after the Games.





One thing is for sure, Forber-Pratt wouldn’t be here, in Boston, if she hadn’t fallen in love with the marathon, bugged her adopted parents when she was 6 years old to compete in wheelchair sports, and, of course dressed up as the Boston Marathon champion for Halloween.

“Maybe that’s because I wanted to show off my racing chair,” she recalled. “It’s kind of surreal to be here all these years later.”

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Justin A. Rice is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

[brotherjim]

I believe today is the 83rd anniversary of Mr. Frank and Buddy becoming a team.
jim

MORRIS FRANK (AND BUDDY)

Morris Frank was a blind man from Nashville who helped start the first school that trained seeing eye dogs. His dog Buddy is considered to be the first seeing eye dog in America.

This amazing story started in November 1927, when Morris Frank was a 20-year-old student at Vanderbilt University and a man very unhappy about his dependency on others to get around. Frank's father read him an article by Dorothy Eustis, a woman living in Switzerland who had seen shepherds training dogs to lead blind people get around. Excited by the idea, Frank wrote a letter to Eustis and received a response letter 30 days later inviting him to come see for himself. Frank then took a ship to Europe and trained extensively with a dog that had been bred specifically to lead a blind person. The training was hard, but after weeks with the dog, Frank could get around the nearby Swiss village holding tightly to a harness to which Buddy was strapped.


Morris Frank and Buddy With Eustis as his financial backer, Morris Frank returned to America with a goal of spreading the word about seeing eye dogs. From the day he got off the ship, he was successful. At one point, in front of a group of dumbfounded reporters, Buddy led Frank safely across a busy New York street. "She (Buddy) moved forward into the ear-splitting clangor, stopped, backed up, and started again, " Frank later wrote. "I lost all sense of direction and surrendered myself entirely to the dog. I shall never forget the next three minutes, Ten-ton trucks rocketing past, cabs blowing their horns in our ears, drivers shouting at us . . . When we finally got to the other side and I realized what a really magnificent job she had done, I leaned over and gave Buddy a great big hug and told her what a good, good girl she was."

A statue of Morris Frank and Buddy in Morristown, New Jersey When Frank returned to Nashville, people were amazed at the sight of the blind man and his dog successfully navigating busy sidewalks and couldn't believe that it was the same blind boy they had so recently taken pity on. "Now strangers spoke freely to me," Frank wrote years later. "In the old days, at a streetcar stop, for instance, I often envied two sighted persons, who obviously did not know each other, their ease in striking up a conversation . . . They did not wish to be rude, leaving me out, but they just did not know how to go about bringing me in without referring to my blindness. With Buddy there, however, it was the easiest and most natural thing in the world for them to say, 'What a lovely dog you have!'"

What amazed people the most was that Buddy had an ability best known as "intelligent disobedience," which meant that he would obey Morris except when executing that command would result in harm to his master. If there was a low hanging branch ahead on the sidewalk, for instance, Buddy knew how to navigate around it to the point where Morris wouldn't hurt his head on it.


About this time, Frank, Eustis and several others cofounded The Seeing Eye, an institution set up to train guide dogs and their blind masters. It operated in Nashville for two years and then moved to Morristown, New Jersey (mainly for climate reasons; they found it to be too hot in Tennessee to train German Shepherds year round.)

Buddy remained a national hero for the rest of his life. When the dog died in May 1938, the event was noted with a long obituary in the New York Times. "Buddy had appeared on hundreds of lecture platforms and barked in response to applause; she had been received by Presidents Coolidge and Hoover and other notables; and she had been led into the homes of poor among the blind and had given them hope while they patted her and fingered her harness," the obituary said. By that time, The Seeing Eye had trained 350 dogs to lead blind people in America.

Today, the organization reports that it has, in its 80 year history, trained 14,000 dogs. Buddy is considered the first. And to read more about The Seeing Eye, click here.

[brotherjim]

Athlete Updates

Doctors said Lani is “never going to achieve anything.” She defies their low expectations every day. She is a graceful gymnast and leads by example, mentoring other athletes.


Remember Lani DeMello? She was born with intellectual disabilities and a heart defect, and her doctors didn’t believe that she was ever going to amount to much. As they discharged Lani from the hospital as an infant, doctors told her mother, “Take her home. She’s never going to achieve anything.” Flash forward 25 years and Lani is a Special Olympics gold medalist many times over and a source of inspiration to her friends and family. Now, when not competing, Lani gives back to the community both through her work at a local health clinic and as a Special Olympics coach, serving as a mentor and role model to other athletes.

As a young girl, Lani showed an interest in dance and spent several years taking classes at a local ballet studio. Ana recalls watching her daughter’s recitals and straining to see Lani at the back of the stage. Although she tried hard, Lani could never quite keep up with the other dancers and was never given the opportunity to shine. Then, when Lani was 13, a friend recommended that she sign up to participate in Special Olympics. There, Lani finally had the support she needed. The change, Ana says, was almost immediate. At Lani’s first gymnastics competition, she won almost exclusively gold medals and, for the first time in her life, realized her own potential.

From that day on, Ana and her husband Donald made the commitment to drive their daughter 52 miles twice a week to the nearest gymnastics training facility in Georgia. To them, the commute was nothing if it meant that they could bring happiness and achievement into their daughter’s life. Now, 52 miles seems insignificant when compared with the distances that Lani has traveled to compete nationally and internationally. Ana says she is still astonished at the opportunities her daughter has had in her life. “When you have a child with an intellectual disability, you think your world is going to be closed. Special Olympics has opened a whole new world for Lani and given her opportunities that we never dreamed would be possible for our daughter.”
Road to Athens
This summer, Lani will be traveling to the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece as an intern for the Special Olympics International Technical Delegate for Rhythmic Gymnastics, Cindy Bickman. There, she will be assisting Cindy with logistics and helping to prepare other athletes for competition. This should be a piece of cake for Lani – four years ago she received her coaching certification and has been assisting with the Georgia gymnastics program ever since.

The DeMellos are thrilled about this opportunity and are confident that their daughter will be an asset to the team. “Lani is such a great assistant,” Ana says with pride, “She can be the performer and she can be the cheerleader.” For her part, Lani is looking forward to sharing her experience and skills with her peers.

Unwilling to miss the action, both Ana and Donald will be accompanying their daughter to Greece to support her in her new role. While Ana performs her duties as the official hair and makeup artist for the U.S. gymnastic team, Donald will be helping to cheer the athletes on.

Discipline to Succeed
When not coaching or training, Lani applies her incredible discipline and drive to pursuits outside of athletics. Once a week, she works at a local health clinic pulling charts and interacting with patients. Ana says that employment brings Lani a lot of satisfaction and gives her the opportunity to display all the skills she has developed through Special Olympics. “Special Olympics is at the root of her success in a job environment. She is great at dealing with people and talking to people of all circumstances.”

Help Us Reach Out to One More Person
What does the future hold for Lani? The DeMellos have no doubt that their daughter will continue on her road to success, both as a coach and an athlete. Still, they maintain that Lani is more focused on the present and on doing her best each day. Regardless of what lies ahead, there is one thing, Ana says, of which they are sure. “Without Special Olympics, none of this would have been possible.”

[brotherjim]

Sweat for a Vet
by admin on November 30, 2010

(Terry Smythe‘s impressions of her participation on behalf of Concept2 at the first annual Sweat for a Vet event)

On November 13th, hundreds of people in fitness centers around the world came together to Sweat for a Vet to celebrate Veteran’s Day and one of the greatest lessons we have to learn from them, their resilience. I represented Concept2 at the main Sweat for a Vet venue, Tysons Sport & Health, where well over 100 able-bodied and disabled people pedaled Spin bikes, Krankcycled and rowed for three hours to raise funds to buy fitness equipment for disabled vets.

Rowers were represented well by the crew from Capital Rowing Club’s Capital Adaptive program. They kept the flywheels spinning on five rowing machines throughout the three hours and racked up nearly 145,000 meters in the process. Big thanks and congratulations to all of them!

Sweat for a Vet was organized by Project VisAbility, which works to get disabled people jobs in the fitness industry and in so doing both help them find new careers and change perceptions of people with disabilities.

Based on what I saw, that formula is a winner. The biggest thing that struck me was the event’s inclusiveness: wheelchair tires and sneakers mixed in beautiful synchronicity on the floor, able and disabled bodies working together. Everyone was there for the best reason, creating power strokes of endurance for a good cause, through pedal strokes, bike strokes and rowing strokes.

There were some notable people in attendance, including Spinning and Krankcycle creator Johnny G, but for me the real stars were the incredibly fit Project VisAbility “Inspirations,” fitness instructors who shared their stories of how they were disabled and came back from their injuries, in part through fitness.

In addition to their tales of bravery, you couldn’t help but be inspired by these people’s leadership on the workout floor, sweating as much or more as anyone else. It was a great reminder that “disabled” doesn’t mean “unable.” On the contrary, I often find in my work with UCanRow2 that disabled people have a much better work ethic and attitude than their able-bodied counterparts.

No matter our size, age or ability, there is a workout that’s right for us all and we have no excuse not to keep doing as much as we can with our bodies, every workout, every day.

So what’s your workout for today?

[Bob S.]

So what’s your workout for today?

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Well, I could make this old vet (USAAF '43-'46) sweat, but I ain't gonna do it today.

Bob S.