Thank you Kona for posting this-
The newsletter is hard to find when you are signed in to your logbook, so I have done a copy and paste of the article.
Here's the newsletter article: and a very complimentary one it is. Well deserved accolades for Overcoming Disabilities. I'll bet you get your top ten finish in the next virtual teams challenge. You are all inspirational.
Overcoming Disabilities—Not Just a Name
Every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you meet someone who inspires you. In our case, we were
especially lucky to “meet” a group of people who have inspired us—a virtual rowing team called
Overcoming Disabilities. Every year in January, Concept2 hosts the Virtual Team Challenge. It’s a month-long challenge
with the goal of rowing or skiing as many meters as possible. A virtual team is not based on or around
a specific physical location, but is made up of anyone from anywhere who wants to participate.
Team members connect online through the Concept2 Online Logbook—a free web-based
application that allows you to record your rowing and skiing workouts, track your total meters and
compare your results with other participants from around the world. Overcoming Disabilities’ 20 team members all
have a physical or intellectual disability. Despite this, their team had the highest number of meters rowed per
participant during the Virtual Team Challenge—an impressive 550,237 meters per person! They finished in
11th place overall with 11,004,742 total meters rowed.
Team captain Jim Kielma spoke for the team and said, “We all love the erg and the way it makes
us feel fit. It allows us to compete on an even playing field and reenter the world
of athletics. The Concept2 Indoor Rower makes it possible for anyone to enjoy a great workout no matter
what their ability or disability. We had hoped for a top ten finish but were so blown away by the meter/rower
numbers. We do hope to inspire everyone, able or challenged, to never give up, keep trying and enjoy life.
These teammates/ friends inspire me daily, and I am proud to say we are friends.”
Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
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brotherjim
- 10k Poster
- Posts: 1241
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
-
brotherjim
- 10k Poster
- Posts: 1241
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
ARLINGTON, Texas - Though confined to a wheelchair, Shawn Beam took up the sport of bowling nearly 22 years ago, seeing it as a great opportunity to spend competitive time with his friends. Last week, the Burleson, Texas, resident's hard work and dedication to the sport led to the accomplishment of a lifetime.
Beam, 36, put together 12 consecutive strikes for a 300 game in his TGIF league at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth on May 18. The American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA) reports Beam is the first freehand wheelchair bowler to shoot a certified perfect game. The United States Bowling Congress, the sport's national governing body, has certified the score as official.
For Beam, who suffered from a pinched nerve in his spine at birth and has always required the use of a wheelchair, the perfect game was a realization of a dream he has had since he started bowling competitively as a teenager.
"There are not a lot of sports for people in wheelchairs where you can feel like you can compete on the same playing field as everyone else, and that has always been the big draw for me," said Beam, a mailroom supervisor for American Airlines who maintains a 190 league average. "I've never let my chair keep me from doing what I want to do. Wheelchair basketball guys will never be in the NBA, but you can compete with anyone in bowling."
The AWBA has been working to raise awareness of its organization and hopes Beam's accomplishment will spread the word about wheelchair bowling.
"For the AWBA, it brings to its members a sense of pride in what we do and how we do it," AWBA Chairperson Joe Fox Sr. said. "It has already opened the eyes of many to the sport of wheelchair bowling. We will continue to teach those in chairs the sport of wheelchair bowling, continue to build our organization around ability not disability, and continue to work with those that govern the sport at USBC to plant seeds throughout our great country about our sport."
At age 15 when Beam began bowling, it wasn't something he really wanted to do, but after his family, which had always been involved in the sport, insisted, he gave it a try.
The first season he bowled, Beam averaged just 69 but said the sport "got into his blood" and he never looked back.
Over the past few years, Beam has become more serious about his abilities as a wheelchair bowler. He joined the AWBA and began competing in the organization's tournaments. He will compete in the AWBA National Championships next month in Milwaukee.
But the most important thing Beam wants people to take from his accomplishment is that bowling is a sport for anyone confined to a wheelchair, not just those who want to be the best.
"The best thing about wheelchair bowling is you have that sense of camaraderie you have in sports," Beam said. "You don't have to be good, because anyone can bowl and it's fun for anyone no matter what your average is. But people can't get discouraged because I'm a testament to how you can start with a low average and make it to the top with hard work and perseverance."
Even with all the hard work Beam has put into the sport, he never imagined he would be celebrating a perfect game.
"Bowling a 300 game was something I never thought was possible, and I can't explain what it feels like," Beam said. "I threw the last ball and I knew I had hit my mark and everything was right. When it struck, I was overwhelmed. If I could have fallen to my knees, I would have."
The American Wheelchair Bowling Association, which certifies its competition with the United States Bowling Congress, has more than 500 members and conducts an average of 10 tournaments each year. For more information on the AWBA, visit AWBA.org.
Beam, 36, put together 12 consecutive strikes for a 300 game in his TGIF league at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth on May 18. The American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA) reports Beam is the first freehand wheelchair bowler to shoot a certified perfect game. The United States Bowling Congress, the sport's national governing body, has certified the score as official.
For Beam, who suffered from a pinched nerve in his spine at birth and has always required the use of a wheelchair, the perfect game was a realization of a dream he has had since he started bowling competitively as a teenager.
"There are not a lot of sports for people in wheelchairs where you can feel like you can compete on the same playing field as everyone else, and that has always been the big draw for me," said Beam, a mailroom supervisor for American Airlines who maintains a 190 league average. "I've never let my chair keep me from doing what I want to do. Wheelchair basketball guys will never be in the NBA, but you can compete with anyone in bowling."
The AWBA has been working to raise awareness of its organization and hopes Beam's accomplishment will spread the word about wheelchair bowling.
"For the AWBA, it brings to its members a sense of pride in what we do and how we do it," AWBA Chairperson Joe Fox Sr. said. "It has already opened the eyes of many to the sport of wheelchair bowling. We will continue to teach those in chairs the sport of wheelchair bowling, continue to build our organization around ability not disability, and continue to work with those that govern the sport at USBC to plant seeds throughout our great country about our sport."
At age 15 when Beam began bowling, it wasn't something he really wanted to do, but after his family, which had always been involved in the sport, insisted, he gave it a try.
The first season he bowled, Beam averaged just 69 but said the sport "got into his blood" and he never looked back.
Over the past few years, Beam has become more serious about his abilities as a wheelchair bowler. He joined the AWBA and began competing in the organization's tournaments. He will compete in the AWBA National Championships next month in Milwaukee.
But the most important thing Beam wants people to take from his accomplishment is that bowling is a sport for anyone confined to a wheelchair, not just those who want to be the best.
"The best thing about wheelchair bowling is you have that sense of camaraderie you have in sports," Beam said. "You don't have to be good, because anyone can bowl and it's fun for anyone no matter what your average is. But people can't get discouraged because I'm a testament to how you can start with a low average and make it to the top with hard work and perseverance."
Even with all the hard work Beam has put into the sport, he never imagined he would be celebrating a perfect game.
"Bowling a 300 game was something I never thought was possible, and I can't explain what it feels like," Beam said. "I threw the last ball and I knew I had hit my mark and everything was right. When it struck, I was overwhelmed. If I could have fallen to my knees, I would have."
The American Wheelchair Bowling Association, which certifies its competition with the United States Bowling Congress, has more than 500 members and conducts an average of 10 tournaments each year. For more information on the AWBA, visit AWBA.org.
-
brotherjim
- 10k Poster
- Posts: 1241
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
This sounds like a great league. Makes soccer sound fun for once (sorry Rosi 
)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utah wheelchair soccer league offers an escape
League lets kids take control of specially adapted chairs to play soccer for an hour or two.
By Dana Ferguson
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: May 29, 2012 11:33PM
Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune
. Sounds of zooming and clicking filled the air as 10 soccer players in their power wheelchairs sped across the basketball court, moving a soccer ball toward the goal.
The kids spun and whacked the ball with custom racks attached to the front of their chairs as they tried to score on their opponents at the opposite side of the gym.
A taunt from goalie Gidget Winward, 12, echoed across the gym as the opposing team approached her goal.
“Bring it over,” Winward said, leaning forward in her chair. “Bring it.”
The 13-inch ball made its way to her side of the court, propelled forward by a power play from the opposing team, but Gidget quickly deflected the shot with the rack on her chair. A huge grin dawned. Gidget, along with the nine other players who came to Sorenson Multicultural Center to practice and scrimmage the night of May 23, make up the Salt Lake City youth wheelchair soccer league.
With greater hand-eye coordination than most, the players steer their chairs using handheld control sticks, which can propel them up and down the court.
The league, established by Shriners Hospitals for Children, Salt Lake County and Ability Found, offers the opportunity for children ages 7 to 18 to hop out of their everyday chairs and into specially adapted soccer chairs to play for an hour or two.
Shriners refurbished chairs donated by the county, and Ability Life donated funding to help add baskets to the front of each chair.
Program coordinator Ken Kozole said getting the funding to refurbish all the chairs proved challenging and that some of the chairs still do not have official baskets. Instead, some push soccer balls forward with white plastic boxes.
“It’s a minor miracle that we have 10 chairs up and running,” Kozole said.
Official equipment aside, Adriana Ibarra, mother of 14-year-old player Hugo, said the program has created an escape for her son. After fully losing his ability to walk a year ago from muscular dystrophy, Hugo found a way to do something he loves again.
“He gets tired of sitting in the same position all day,” Ibarra said. “So this helps distract his from his reality, from his problem.”
Hugo, one of the league’s best players, said he looks forward to the game each week.
“It’s a sport that I can play and enjoy,” Hugo said.
Nik Winward, Gidget’s 14-year-old brother, said he, too, enjoys the game each week. The only part he felt less than thrilled about was spending time with his sister.
“She pushes my buttons all the time. These buttons,” Nik said, pointing down at the control buttons on his chair. Leisha Roberts, mother to Drew, 14, and Noah, 12, said her sons enjoy the opportunity to improve their skills.
“It’s the only sport they can do themselves,” Roberts said. “It really gives them their independence.”
Ibarra said when Hugo went into his power chair full time, he lost some of his friends because they did not understand what he was going through.
For Ibarra, the diagnosis came with intense emotional repercussions as well.
“The world came down on top of me,” she said.
Changing their family’s lifestyle has been challenging, but the wheelchair-soccer league helps bring some normalcy.
Despite her language barrier (Ibarra speaks primarily Spanish), she has found community with the other parents in the soccer league.
“Every day is hard, everything we face, and there is no how-to book for this,” Ibarra said.
After an hour and a half of speeding around, spinning and socializing for players, and after their parents have gathered to support their children and one another, the game ends.
Game chairs get pushed into a supply closet in the gym. There they charge until the next week’s game.
Outside, the players roll to their vehicles, where many are lifted into their seats or roll up ramps to their designated spots.
They leave looking forward to next week’s game.
dferguson@sltrib.com
—
Youth Wheelchair Soccer League
The league practices and scrimmages Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Sorenson Multicultural Center, 855 W. California Ave., Salt Lake City. For information, call program coordinator Ken Kozole, 435-640-1325.
)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utah wheelchair soccer league offers an escape
League lets kids take control of specially adapted chairs to play soccer for an hour or two.
By Dana Ferguson
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: May 29, 2012 11:33PM
Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune
. Sounds of zooming and clicking filled the air as 10 soccer players in their power wheelchairs sped across the basketball court, moving a soccer ball toward the goal.
The kids spun and whacked the ball with custom racks attached to the front of their chairs as they tried to score on their opponents at the opposite side of the gym.
A taunt from goalie Gidget Winward, 12, echoed across the gym as the opposing team approached her goal.
“Bring it over,” Winward said, leaning forward in her chair. “Bring it.”
The 13-inch ball made its way to her side of the court, propelled forward by a power play from the opposing team, but Gidget quickly deflected the shot with the rack on her chair. A huge grin dawned. Gidget, along with the nine other players who came to Sorenson Multicultural Center to practice and scrimmage the night of May 23, make up the Salt Lake City youth wheelchair soccer league.
With greater hand-eye coordination than most, the players steer their chairs using handheld control sticks, which can propel them up and down the court.
The league, established by Shriners Hospitals for Children, Salt Lake County and Ability Found, offers the opportunity for children ages 7 to 18 to hop out of their everyday chairs and into specially adapted soccer chairs to play for an hour or two.
Shriners refurbished chairs donated by the county, and Ability Life donated funding to help add baskets to the front of each chair.
Program coordinator Ken Kozole said getting the funding to refurbish all the chairs proved challenging and that some of the chairs still do not have official baskets. Instead, some push soccer balls forward with white plastic boxes.
“It’s a minor miracle that we have 10 chairs up and running,” Kozole said.
Official equipment aside, Adriana Ibarra, mother of 14-year-old player Hugo, said the program has created an escape for her son. After fully losing his ability to walk a year ago from muscular dystrophy, Hugo found a way to do something he loves again.
“He gets tired of sitting in the same position all day,” Ibarra said. “So this helps distract his from his reality, from his problem.”
Hugo, one of the league’s best players, said he looks forward to the game each week.
“It’s a sport that I can play and enjoy,” Hugo said.
Nik Winward, Gidget’s 14-year-old brother, said he, too, enjoys the game each week. The only part he felt less than thrilled about was spending time with his sister.
“She pushes my buttons all the time. These buttons,” Nik said, pointing down at the control buttons on his chair. Leisha Roberts, mother to Drew, 14, and Noah, 12, said her sons enjoy the opportunity to improve their skills.
“It’s the only sport they can do themselves,” Roberts said. “It really gives them their independence.”
Ibarra said when Hugo went into his power chair full time, he lost some of his friends because they did not understand what he was going through.
For Ibarra, the diagnosis came with intense emotional repercussions as well.
“The world came down on top of me,” she said.
Changing their family’s lifestyle has been challenging, but the wheelchair-soccer league helps bring some normalcy.
Despite her language barrier (Ibarra speaks primarily Spanish), she has found community with the other parents in the soccer league.
“Every day is hard, everything we face, and there is no how-to book for this,” Ibarra said.
After an hour and a half of speeding around, spinning and socializing for players, and after their parents have gathered to support their children and one another, the game ends.
Game chairs get pushed into a supply closet in the gym. There they charge until the next week’s game.
Outside, the players roll to their vehicles, where many are lifted into their seats or roll up ramps to their designated spots.
They leave looking forward to next week’s game.
dferguson@sltrib.com
—
Youth Wheelchair Soccer League
The league practices and scrimmages Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Sorenson Multicultural Center, 855 W. California Ave., Salt Lake City. For information, call program coordinator Ken Kozole, 435-640-1325.
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
This sounds like a great league. Makes soccer sound fun for once (sorry Rosi )
jim
Very funny Jimmy
Baseball is as much fun as watching sand dry on the beach
Rosi
jim
Very funny Jimmy
Baseball is as much fun as watching sand dry on the beach Rosi
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brotherjim
- 10k Poster
- Posts: 1241
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Ouch! You must be watching Cubs, Rockies, and Padres gamesrosita wrote: This sounds like a great league. Makes soccer sound fun for once (sorry Rosi )
jim
Very funny Jimmy
Rosi
-
brotherjim
- 10k Poster
- Posts: 1241
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Here is a touching and moving story for those of us that really, truly love dogs Taken from lifewithdogs.com
jim
Update (5-31-12) We have been in contact with Dan Page, and he has agreed to relay funds to David after so many of you asked how you could help with donations. A Chipin widget has been added at the end of this article – thank you for your overwhelming response to this story.
–
“David” lost his job after a devastating back injury. With no money to pay rent, he was forced to live on the street, surviving on donations. Living outside in the bone-chilling Colorado winter, David has seriously considered spending nights at the local shelter for the homeless. The only thing that stops him from taking that step is his love for his six-year old German Shepherd. The shelter cannot accommodate pets.
“Being homeless with a dog isn’t easy,” explains David. All I have to do to get a roof over my head is give up Hope (“Hope” is the name of his dog). But she depends on me. I’ve had her since she was a pup and I figure she probably has another six years or so to live. I’ll live on the street for as long as I need, if that’s what it takes to keep Hope safe.”
The Boulder County Humane Society provides David with food for Hope, in an effort to keep her in his care. They even took care of her for a few days this winter, when David became stricken with pneumonia.
“I’m very willing to work,” states David. “I just need to be able to take Hope with me to the job site, since I have nowhere to leave her. Most people aren’t willing to let me do that.”
Dan Page first met David and his dog on a cold winter evening in February. The owner of Skill Highway, the business consultant is an ardent dog lover, and says he was so moved by one man’s dedication to his dog that the story needed to be shared.
Giving up Hope
On February 11th, it was 14 degrees above zero, and I decided to go for a bike ride in the snow.
It’s hard to explain why I like riding in the snow and cold. Perhaps because the raw exposure to the elements makes me feel alive. But it doesn’t matter, because that’s not what this story is about.
Three miles into my ride I stopped to adjust my face mask, attempting to cover a section of open skin (If you’re riding 15 mph on a bike, the wind chill is about zero degrees at that temperature). About a hundred yards or so up the trail, I noticed a fellow with his bike pulled over. He was hauling a ragged trailer behind his bike, covered with a green tarp, tied down tight. It looked as if he may be trying to repair a flat tire.
There was a dog, a shepherd mix, prancing around, playing with sticks and blocks of ice from the side of the trail.
I guessed this fellow was homeless, living out of his bike trailer. So I dug out my wallet, snagged five singles, and rode up to him, inquiring if he had a flat tire.
He answered cheerily that he did not, and he had just stopped to dig some food out for his dog. There was a can of tuna under his kickstand, holding his bike up, so it didn’t keel over from the weight of the trailer. He had pulled out a few pans and a mug, which were laying on the trail beside the bike.
I asked him rather sheepishly if he could use a few bucks. He hesitated a moment, and said “Yes, I’ll buy some food for Hope”. I handed him the cash and he thanked me.
Then he started to tell me his story, explaining the circumstances that led to living on the street, in the dead of winter. He had been working “fire mitigation” in Nederland, a small mountain town to the west. In June of this year, he had injured his back pretty badly, ending up in the hospital. He was unable to go back to work at his job, and could not find another that didn’t involve using his back.
So he lost his ability to pay rent, and ended up homeless.
In June, he had another spasm attack in his back, ending up in the hospital again. Anyone who has a bad back knows that sometimes you can’t predict what is going to throw your back out. It could be lifting that 80 lb. bag of concrete, or bending over to tie your shoes.
He scratched his dog lovingly, and explained that if he were to take his dog to the Humane Society and give her up, he’d be able to find a place to live immediately. But in his situation, he can’t find anyone who will accept pets. And he is “Not Going to Give up Hope”.
Then I got it. Hope was the name of his Dog.
He went on to explain that Hope was six years old, and he’d had her since she was a pup. He described how the Humane Society here in Boulder gives him food for Hope, and he supplements it by buying her tuna (that explained the can of tuna under his kickstand).
He figures he probably has another six years or so with her before she dies, and he’s willing to spend it living on the streets, with his bike and his trailer, if it means keeping Hope safe.
I was speechless, never having witnessed such devotion between a man and his dog. This man was well spoken and articulate. Life had thrown him a few curveballs, but he kept standing back up. And he loves his dog.
He wasn’t asking for charity. I just happened to stop and offer it. My reward was a lesson on love of animals, and the kindness of human spirit.
We went on chatting for another twenty minutes or so, on the side of the trail in the snow and cold, like old buddies hanging out together. He told me of other spasm attacks he had recently with his back, ending up on the ground for several hours at a time, unable to move, with Hope licking his face. I asked where he spent his nights and he answered that he keeps moving, so he won’t get a ticket. (Boulder just recently enacted a new law after the “Occupy” event on the courthouse lawn, outlawing sleeping in the parks).
At a certain point in every conversation there comes a time when it is over. Both of us sensed that moment, and he stated that he knew I had other things to do besides standing on the trail talking with him. He asked me what my first name was, and stretched out his hand.
I answered “Dan”. He shook my hand and introduced himself with his full name. Then he added “Today is my 50th birthday. I really appreciate the five bucks you gave me, and Hope will enjoy it too. But mostly, I appreciate you just taking the time to talk with me. I don’t have many friends. I spend all my time with Hope.”
Choking back my emotions, I thanked him for talking with me as well, mumbling something about how much it meant to me. And continued on my ride. As I rode on through the cold and snow, I couldn’t get this chance encounter out of my mind. In thirty minutes, this gentleman had given me a raw lesson on life and love. On the side of a trail in the snow.
My destination for this wintery ride was the grocery store, picking up some dinner for my family. I found myself in the canned food aisle, buying tuna, hoping to find Hope on the ride home.
I took the same route home, searching for this man and his dog. I rode around the area for awhile, poking my head under bridges and other places where I would camp on a snowy night if I had a dog and wanted to avoid getting ticketed.
But he was nowhere to be found.
I look for him on my daily rides, with a stack of tuna cans in my backpack, searching for Hope. Maybe we’ll meet again. I guess it doesn’t really matter though. This man and his dog had a profound impact on me, reinforcing my faith in human nature and my desire to do some bit of good in the world, however I can.
jim
Update (5-31-12) We have been in contact with Dan Page, and he has agreed to relay funds to David after so many of you asked how you could help with donations. A Chipin widget has been added at the end of this article – thank you for your overwhelming response to this story.
–
“David” lost his job after a devastating back injury. With no money to pay rent, he was forced to live on the street, surviving on donations. Living outside in the bone-chilling Colorado winter, David has seriously considered spending nights at the local shelter for the homeless. The only thing that stops him from taking that step is his love for his six-year old German Shepherd. The shelter cannot accommodate pets.
“Being homeless with a dog isn’t easy,” explains David. All I have to do to get a roof over my head is give up Hope (“Hope” is the name of his dog). But she depends on me. I’ve had her since she was a pup and I figure she probably has another six years or so to live. I’ll live on the street for as long as I need, if that’s what it takes to keep Hope safe.”
The Boulder County Humane Society provides David with food for Hope, in an effort to keep her in his care. They even took care of her for a few days this winter, when David became stricken with pneumonia.
“I’m very willing to work,” states David. “I just need to be able to take Hope with me to the job site, since I have nowhere to leave her. Most people aren’t willing to let me do that.”
Dan Page first met David and his dog on a cold winter evening in February. The owner of Skill Highway, the business consultant is an ardent dog lover, and says he was so moved by one man’s dedication to his dog that the story needed to be shared.
Giving up Hope
On February 11th, it was 14 degrees above zero, and I decided to go for a bike ride in the snow.
It’s hard to explain why I like riding in the snow and cold. Perhaps because the raw exposure to the elements makes me feel alive. But it doesn’t matter, because that’s not what this story is about.
Three miles into my ride I stopped to adjust my face mask, attempting to cover a section of open skin (If you’re riding 15 mph on a bike, the wind chill is about zero degrees at that temperature). About a hundred yards or so up the trail, I noticed a fellow with his bike pulled over. He was hauling a ragged trailer behind his bike, covered with a green tarp, tied down tight. It looked as if he may be trying to repair a flat tire.
There was a dog, a shepherd mix, prancing around, playing with sticks and blocks of ice from the side of the trail.
I guessed this fellow was homeless, living out of his bike trailer. So I dug out my wallet, snagged five singles, and rode up to him, inquiring if he had a flat tire.
He answered cheerily that he did not, and he had just stopped to dig some food out for his dog. There was a can of tuna under his kickstand, holding his bike up, so it didn’t keel over from the weight of the trailer. He had pulled out a few pans and a mug, which were laying on the trail beside the bike.
I asked him rather sheepishly if he could use a few bucks. He hesitated a moment, and said “Yes, I’ll buy some food for Hope”. I handed him the cash and he thanked me.
Then he started to tell me his story, explaining the circumstances that led to living on the street, in the dead of winter. He had been working “fire mitigation” in Nederland, a small mountain town to the west. In June of this year, he had injured his back pretty badly, ending up in the hospital. He was unable to go back to work at his job, and could not find another that didn’t involve using his back.
So he lost his ability to pay rent, and ended up homeless.
In June, he had another spasm attack in his back, ending up in the hospital again. Anyone who has a bad back knows that sometimes you can’t predict what is going to throw your back out. It could be lifting that 80 lb. bag of concrete, or bending over to tie your shoes.
He scratched his dog lovingly, and explained that if he were to take his dog to the Humane Society and give her up, he’d be able to find a place to live immediately. But in his situation, he can’t find anyone who will accept pets. And he is “Not Going to Give up Hope”.
Then I got it. Hope was the name of his Dog.
He went on to explain that Hope was six years old, and he’d had her since she was a pup. He described how the Humane Society here in Boulder gives him food for Hope, and he supplements it by buying her tuna (that explained the can of tuna under his kickstand).
He figures he probably has another six years or so with her before she dies, and he’s willing to spend it living on the streets, with his bike and his trailer, if it means keeping Hope safe.
I was speechless, never having witnessed such devotion between a man and his dog. This man was well spoken and articulate. Life had thrown him a few curveballs, but he kept standing back up. And he loves his dog.
He wasn’t asking for charity. I just happened to stop and offer it. My reward was a lesson on love of animals, and the kindness of human spirit.
We went on chatting for another twenty minutes or so, on the side of the trail in the snow and cold, like old buddies hanging out together. He told me of other spasm attacks he had recently with his back, ending up on the ground for several hours at a time, unable to move, with Hope licking his face. I asked where he spent his nights and he answered that he keeps moving, so he won’t get a ticket. (Boulder just recently enacted a new law after the “Occupy” event on the courthouse lawn, outlawing sleeping in the parks).
At a certain point in every conversation there comes a time when it is over. Both of us sensed that moment, and he stated that he knew I had other things to do besides standing on the trail talking with him. He asked me what my first name was, and stretched out his hand.
I answered “Dan”. He shook my hand and introduced himself with his full name. Then he added “Today is my 50th birthday. I really appreciate the five bucks you gave me, and Hope will enjoy it too. But mostly, I appreciate you just taking the time to talk with me. I don’t have many friends. I spend all my time with Hope.”
Choking back my emotions, I thanked him for talking with me as well, mumbling something about how much it meant to me. And continued on my ride. As I rode on through the cold and snow, I couldn’t get this chance encounter out of my mind. In thirty minutes, this gentleman had given me a raw lesson on life and love. On the side of a trail in the snow.
My destination for this wintery ride was the grocery store, picking up some dinner for my family. I found myself in the canned food aisle, buying tuna, hoping to find Hope on the ride home.
I took the same route home, searching for this man and his dog. I rode around the area for awhile, poking my head under bridges and other places where I would camp on a snowy night if I had a dog and wanted to avoid getting ticketed.
But he was nowhere to be found.
I look for him on my daily rides, with a stack of tuna cans in my backpack, searching for Hope. Maybe we’ll meet again. I guess it doesn’t really matter though. This man and his dog had a profound impact on me, reinforcing my faith in human nature and my desire to do some bit of good in the world, however I can.
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brotherjim
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Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
I have tears in my eyes after watching the video, oh my, inspirational. Not sure if the vid copied but check out the story.
Inspiring elementary schooler with cerebral palsy runs amazing 400-meter race
By Cameron Smith
Prep Rally – Thu, May 31, 2012 11:45 AM lLeave it to an elementary school field day to bring us the most inspiring video of the week.
The young man who refuses to be beaten by his own limitations in the video above is Matt W. (last name unknown), who attends Worthington (Ohio) Colonial Hills Elementary School. Like most elementary schools in America, Colonial Hills has a once-a-year track and field day, and like most kids, Matt was clearly eager to take part.
However, unlike most of his peers, Matt suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, a debilitating condition that limits his ability to undergo rigorous physical exercise of any kind. Incredibly, despite knowing those limitations, Matt decided to run the 400-meter event (roughly quarter of a mile) on the school's 200-meter track.
The result was absolutely inspiring. While all the other students in the event finished far in front of Matt, the student athlete simply refused to stop running, chugging his way around the track on his own, even as it appeared he might collapse.
Naturally, the inspirational Colonial Hills student needed plenty of encouragement, and he first got that from the school's gym teacher, John Blaine, who trotted up alongside his pupil and walked and then ran alongside him for the remainder of the race.
Then, after all the other fifth- and sixth-graders in the race had finished, they joined in, running over to follow Matt around the track and chanting, "Let's go Matt, let's go!" until he finished, spun around, hugged his gym teacher and then accepted a series of high fives from fellow students, all while his mother watched on, sobbing with emotion from the kindness shown to her son.
It's an inspiring video that shows the power of positive thinking and what children can do with a little encouragement. No matter what Matt's athletic future holds, he, his family and his classmates will always have his gritty, inspiring and joyous 400-meter jaunt during an elementary school field day to look back upon and smile.
Inspiring elementary schooler with cerebral palsy runs amazing 400-meter race
By Cameron Smith
Prep Rally – Thu, May 31, 2012 11:45 AM lLeave it to an elementary school field day to bring us the most inspiring video of the week.
The young man who refuses to be beaten by his own limitations in the video above is Matt W. (last name unknown), who attends Worthington (Ohio) Colonial Hills Elementary School. Like most elementary schools in America, Colonial Hills has a once-a-year track and field day, and like most kids, Matt was clearly eager to take part.
However, unlike most of his peers, Matt suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, a debilitating condition that limits his ability to undergo rigorous physical exercise of any kind. Incredibly, despite knowing those limitations, Matt decided to run the 400-meter event (roughly quarter of a mile) on the school's 200-meter track.
The result was absolutely inspiring. While all the other students in the event finished far in front of Matt, the student athlete simply refused to stop running, chugging his way around the track on his own, even as it appeared he might collapse.
Naturally, the inspirational Colonial Hills student needed plenty of encouragement, and he first got that from the school's gym teacher, John Blaine, who trotted up alongside his pupil and walked and then ran alongside him for the remainder of the race.
Then, after all the other fifth- and sixth-graders in the race had finished, they joined in, running over to follow Matt around the track and chanting, "Let's go Matt, let's go!" until he finished, spun around, hugged his gym teacher and then accepted a series of high fives from fellow students, all while his mother watched on, sobbing with emotion from the kindness shown to her son.
It's an inspiring video that shows the power of positive thinking and what children can do with a little encouragement. No matter what Matt's athletic future holds, he, his family and his classmates will always have his gritty, inspiring and joyous 400-meter jaunt during an elementary school field day to look back upon and smile.
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Jim, the last 2 stories were just so beautiful. The video didn't copy but went to the yahoo story and watched.
I love the dog story too. I don't use a service dog, pretty able to use my chair for anything. But, if the time should come, I would love a dog. I am thinking with heat and humidity here, will have to be short hair dog.
Ronnie
I love the dog story too. I don't use a service dog, pretty able to use my chair for anything. But, if the time should come, I would love a dog. I am thinking with heat and humidity here, will have to be short hair dog.
Ronnie
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Watching sand dry on the beach....hahaha! I love that comment! Rockies doing much better lately -- lots of home runs, stolen bases, and starting pitchers that can finally make it through the 7th inning.brotherjim wrote:Ouch! You must be watching Cubs, Rockies, and Padres gamesrosita wrote: This sounds like a great league. Makes soccer sound fun for once (sorry Rosi )
jim
Very funny Jimmy
Rosi
I liked those dog stories, too. Thanks for posting them.
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brotherjim
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Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Sorry, off topic but beautiful
jim
A loyal canine has earned hero status after he was found cradling an abandoned baby that he had spent the night protecting. According to authorities, a two week old child was discovered under a bridge in after being abandoned by its mother.
Left alone in a hostile environment, the baby did not have to fend for itself – it was saved by a loyal local farm dog.
According to authorities, the two were found together many hours after the dog went missing. A search party spent the night combing area fields and forests in pursuit of the wandering canine, but it was not until morning that they made a stunning discovery when they found him under the bridge, near the farm, with a human baby nuzzled against him.
The remarkable tale was reported by Madam Rosemary Azure, Talensi-Nabdam District Director of Health, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
According to Madam Azure, the chief of police said the vulnerable youngster had been abandoned by its mother for reasons unknown before being saved by the dog. His umbilical cord was still uncut and had been infected, but the young child was otherwise unscathed after spending the night with the protective canine.
A local health directorate has taken custody of the child until a new home can be found for him.
jim
A loyal canine has earned hero status after he was found cradling an abandoned baby that he had spent the night protecting. According to authorities, a two week old child was discovered under a bridge in after being abandoned by its mother.
Left alone in a hostile environment, the baby did not have to fend for itself – it was saved by a loyal local farm dog.
According to authorities, the two were found together many hours after the dog went missing. A search party spent the night combing area fields and forests in pursuit of the wandering canine, but it was not until morning that they made a stunning discovery when they found him under the bridge, near the farm, with a human baby nuzzled against him.
The remarkable tale was reported by Madam Rosemary Azure, Talensi-Nabdam District Director of Health, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
According to Madam Azure, the chief of police said the vulnerable youngster had been abandoned by its mother for reasons unknown before being saved by the dog. His umbilical cord was still uncut and had been infected, but the young child was otherwise unscathed after spending the night with the protective canine.
A local health directorate has taken custody of the child until a new home can be found for him.
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brotherjim
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- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 12:49 pm
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Dear Jim,
I am very glad to have a chance to tell you about Brittany Tagliareni. Brittany’s life has been changed forever because of Special Olympics. She still faces daily challenges but Special Olympics gave Brittany a welcoming world and opportunities to make friends.
As a baby, Brittany did not crawl or make babbling sounds, and the doctors told her parents that it was no big deal. Finally at age 3, she was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder, called autism today, with complications of apraxia, which is control of her tongue and mouth muscles, and dyspraxia, which impacts fingers and fine motor skills.
Brittany has worked hard in speech therapy on sounds and in occupational therapy to help her hold scissors and utensils. Her mother Cathy has worked tirelessly with her daughter to build coordination skills and it was Cathy who first introduced Brittany to tennis, breaking out each step into basic moves for her Brittany to repeat.
Today Brittany plays tennis year-round, she goes to a tennis academy where she continues her homeschooling studies five days a week, and competes for Special Olympics on a local, national and world level. With Special Olympics, she has a life now. She still has some difficulties with her fine motor skills and is unable to focus eyes on objects, but she can play tennis. Her self-esteem, her confidence, everything has grown exponentially.
Cheers of fans mean a great deal to Brittany so I ask you to take a moment to send your note of encouragement to Brittany as she trains for the upcoming tournaments.
Being part of Special Olympics, Brittany has experienced a world that she would never have been exposed to. It not only brings her joy and achievement on many levels, but it also gives her something to look forward to on a day-to-day basis. Because of Special Olympics Brittany tells her mother every day, “I love my life.”
Thank you for being a fan,
Brady Lum
President and Chief Operating Officer
Special Olympics International
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brotherjim
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Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
Jun 08, 2012
First of its Kind, Adaptive Rowing Camp… A Huge Success
By: Aerial Gilbert, Outreach Manager Guide Dogs for the Blind and Rowing Coach
A landmark rowing development camp for Veterans and civilians who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability took place in Oklahoma City, May 20-25. The camp was sponsored by the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) in partnership with USRowing, Disabled Sports USA and U.S. Paralympics. Grant funding for this program was awarded by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, through funding provided by the Veterans Affairs and Disabled Sports USA. The grants are provided to facilitate the growth of Paralympic sport programming for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. Ten men and one woman, 80% of which have a direct connection with the military, traveled from around the country to the Devon Boathouse; home of the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center. The experience of the participants ranged from very beginner to experienced rowers. All of the athletes transformed their techniques dramatically over the five days starting with basic technique on the rowing machines to learn the stroke, advancing to the world’s first dynamic indoor rowing tank and then out on the river in rowing shells on the second day. By the end of camp, participants were rowing by all eight and really moving the boat. Griffin Lynch, who rows for his college team at the University of North Carolina, said “We weren’t rowing by all eight for three months in my novice year."
Rich Cardillo, Military Sports Program Coordinator at USABA spent a couple of days observing the camp and explained the Paralympic Military Program where the VA provides a stipend for potential Paralympic Athletes that meet the standard for one of the Paralympic sports. All of the participants worked very hard over the five days, but also had a lot of fun. At the wrap-up at the end of camp, Sklar Lao, a wounded Veteran, told the group, “I have been doing four types of therapy this past year for balance, physical therapy and speech -- rowing has it all; I want to do it more!”
The coaching staff for the event included: Garrett Klugh, World Champion and Olympic rower; Matt Muffelman, Adaptive Rowing Coach and former US National Team athlete; Marina Traub, collegiate rowing coach; and Aerial Gilbert, former National Adaptive Team athlete. Garrett, the program coordinator for the event said, “This camp exceeded our expectations in every way. We are extremely appreciative of the generosity of the Devon Boathouse to allow us to use this world class facility. This was truly a remarkable group of people supported by great partners. I could not be more pleased with the camp and how it evolved. This group really set the standard high for the future.”
First of its Kind, Adaptive Rowing Camp… A Huge Success
By: Aerial Gilbert, Outreach Manager Guide Dogs for the Blind and Rowing Coach
A landmark rowing development camp for Veterans and civilians who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability took place in Oklahoma City, May 20-25. The camp was sponsored by the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) in partnership with USRowing, Disabled Sports USA and U.S. Paralympics. Grant funding for this program was awarded by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, through funding provided by the Veterans Affairs and Disabled Sports USA. The grants are provided to facilitate the growth of Paralympic sport programming for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. Ten men and one woman, 80% of which have a direct connection with the military, traveled from around the country to the Devon Boathouse; home of the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center. The experience of the participants ranged from very beginner to experienced rowers. All of the athletes transformed their techniques dramatically over the five days starting with basic technique on the rowing machines to learn the stroke, advancing to the world’s first dynamic indoor rowing tank and then out on the river in rowing shells on the second day. By the end of camp, participants were rowing by all eight and really moving the boat. Griffin Lynch, who rows for his college team at the University of North Carolina, said “We weren’t rowing by all eight for three months in my novice year."
Rich Cardillo, Military Sports Program Coordinator at USABA spent a couple of days observing the camp and explained the Paralympic Military Program where the VA provides a stipend for potential Paralympic Athletes that meet the standard for one of the Paralympic sports. All of the participants worked very hard over the five days, but also had a lot of fun. At the wrap-up at the end of camp, Sklar Lao, a wounded Veteran, told the group, “I have been doing four types of therapy this past year for balance, physical therapy and speech -- rowing has it all; I want to do it more!”
The coaching staff for the event included: Garrett Klugh, World Champion and Olympic rower; Matt Muffelman, Adaptive Rowing Coach and former US National Team athlete; Marina Traub, collegiate rowing coach; and Aerial Gilbert, former National Adaptive Team athlete. Garrett, the program coordinator for the event said, “This camp exceeded our expectations in every way. We are extremely appreciative of the generosity of the Devon Boathouse to allow us to use this world class facility. This was truly a remarkable group of people supported by great partners. I could not be more pleased with the camp and how it evolved. This group really set the standard high for the future.”
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brotherjim
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Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
By: Dave Arnold, newsnet5.com
WESTLAKE,OHIO - Inside Building 2 of St. John's Westshore Hospital, is Hanger Clinic's workshop. Looking more like something found in a spotless factory, this workshop behind the clinic's office, examination and waiting rooms, churns out prosthetic limbs for amputees.
Certified prosthetist Christie Ferraro works the shop's tools like a life-time machinist despite her age. With a degree in engineering and now a specialty in prosthetic limbs, Ferarro has found her niche.
"I started volunteering for a prosthetist in Chicago and I really loved it, so I went back to prosthetics school. I really love my job," said Ferraro.
Good thing for Cleveland cyclist Matthew Bockbrader. Losing his leg in a boating accident in 1988, Bockbrader had a tough time feeling any motivation for years. At one time, he weighed 215 pounds, until he found success in cycling.
On Wednesday, he was in for a final tune-up at the Hanger Clinic for the special attachment at the bottom of his prosthesis for his bicycle's pedal. Ferraro tweaked and tightened his attachments in preparation for his trip to Augusta, Georgia where Bockbrader, 42, will vie for a coveted spot on the 2012 Paralympic Cycling Team and a trip to London, England.
He will have to do well in the time trails and the road race against the country's top riders to qualify.
"I eventually started to ride with a group that rides out of Spin's Bike Shop. I gravitated toward riding with the faster riders and I'd try and try to keep up with them every week and hang on. I found out about the races in the area and started competing," said Bockbrader. "I got tired of being the fat guy in the neighborhood before that, started working out and lifting weights."
Matthew's perseverance has paid off, looking trim and lean gliding through Westlake's neighborhoods. He is ready to go for the gold.
"I'd like to get a podium place in the time trials and the road race," said Bockbrader.
His words said it was "a long shot," but the look in eyes Wednesday was anything but.
WESTLAKE,OHIO - Inside Building 2 of St. John's Westshore Hospital, is Hanger Clinic's workshop. Looking more like something found in a spotless factory, this workshop behind the clinic's office, examination and waiting rooms, churns out prosthetic limbs for amputees.
Certified prosthetist Christie Ferraro works the shop's tools like a life-time machinist despite her age. With a degree in engineering and now a specialty in prosthetic limbs, Ferarro has found her niche.
"I started volunteering for a prosthetist in Chicago and I really loved it, so I went back to prosthetics school. I really love my job," said Ferraro.
Good thing for Cleveland cyclist Matthew Bockbrader. Losing his leg in a boating accident in 1988, Bockbrader had a tough time feeling any motivation for years. At one time, he weighed 215 pounds, until he found success in cycling.
On Wednesday, he was in for a final tune-up at the Hanger Clinic for the special attachment at the bottom of his prosthesis for his bicycle's pedal. Ferraro tweaked and tightened his attachments in preparation for his trip to Augusta, Georgia where Bockbrader, 42, will vie for a coveted spot on the 2012 Paralympic Cycling Team and a trip to London, England.
He will have to do well in the time trails and the road race against the country's top riders to qualify.
"I eventually started to ride with a group that rides out of Spin's Bike Shop. I gravitated toward riding with the faster riders and I'd try and try to keep up with them every week and hang on. I found out about the races in the area and started competing," said Bockbrader. "I got tired of being the fat guy in the neighborhood before that, started working out and lifting weights."
Matthew's perseverance has paid off, looking trim and lean gliding through Westlake's neighborhoods. He is ready to go for the gold.
"I'd like to get a podium place in the time trials and the road race," said Bockbrader.
His words said it was "a long shot," but the look in eyes Wednesday was anything but.
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brotherjim
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Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
From Disabled Sports website,
HERE'S THE STORY:
5 Wounded Warriors. 4 Good Legs. 3 Wars. 2 Generations. 1 Mountain.
On June 10, 2012, a team of five wounded warriors will begin their challenge to summit Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, at 20,320’ the highest mountain in North America and one of the coldest in the world. Team Warfighter Sports will test their limits, stamina and endurance while raising awareness of the abilities of our nation’s wounded warriors and inspire others with disabilities.
The Denali Challenge will begin shortly after Memorial Day to honor the sacrifices of America’s heroes and end around Independence Day, a day that celebrates the freedoms won by military service members.Team Warfighter Sports includes two double leg amputees, two single above knee amputees and one wounded warrior with severe muscle damage in the legs. The team includes warriors from two generations (the oldest is 64 and youngest is 29) and three wars, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cheer on their commitment by pledging your support! Funds raised will ensure that sports rehabilitation programs for wounded warriors continue to be offered free of cost through DSUSA's Warfighter Sports!
Facts about Denali
• 20,320 feet – highest in North America
• One of the coldest mountains on earth
• Temperatures reaching as low as 40o F below zero. Click here to check the current weather in Denali!
• Wind speeds on the upper mountain can reach over 150mph
• Glaciers, separated by razor edge ridges and massive granite rock
Facts about Team Warfighter Sports
• Seeking to reignite their competitive, athletic spirit that military service members possess and motivate those recently injured as to what is possible
• Includes severely wounded from Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam
• Disabilities sustained in war include single and multiple leg amputees, nerve and bone damage, traumatic brain injury
• 6 months of intensive training, including mountains in Colorado and Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2 mile, one day hike in the desert of southern New Mexico
•Mountain Trip, an experienced guide group, will lead the challenge
Team Warfighter Sports Members
•Army Capt. Jesse Acosta (Ret.) Severely wounded by an IED in Iraq. Permanent damage to his hip, leg, back and arm. Scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2011 and twice completed a 100-mile bicycle ride and the Capital of Texas Triathlon. West Point graduate currently working on Wall Street.
•Army Sgt. Kirk M. Bauer, JD (Ret.) As disabled Vietnam veteran (left above knee amputee) and the Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA for the past 29 years, at age 64, Bauer still leads an active sports life participating with wounded warriors, youth and others in skiing, biking, hiking, golf and other sports. In 2010, he led a team of all amputee veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on a successful summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
•Marine Capt. David Borden (Active Duty) After losing his leg above the knee to a suicide bomb in Iraq in 2008, Captain Borden returned to combat in Afghanistan in 2011. Borden has golfed, skied and run the Army Ten Miler through Disabled Sports USA's military program.
•Army Sgt. Neil Duncan (Ret.) Severely wounded in Afghanistan in 2005 by an improvised explosive device resulting in amputation of both legs. Scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2010 alongside Kirk Bauer and continues to stay active in sports.
•Army Cpl. Steve Martin (Ret.)Served in the Army and Army National Guard for 8 years including assignment in Korea. Hit by an IED while on operations as a State Department contractor, with Joint US Forces Provincial Mentoring Team in Afghanistan. Martin lost both legs below the knees as a result of his injuries. After his amputations, he completed the Bataan Memorial Death March in 2011, a 26 mile marchin White Sands, NM. Steve golfs, bikes, swims and runs and has competed in triathlons.
HERE'S THE STORY:
5 Wounded Warriors. 4 Good Legs. 3 Wars. 2 Generations. 1 Mountain.
On June 10, 2012, a team of five wounded warriors will begin their challenge to summit Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska, at 20,320’ the highest mountain in North America and one of the coldest in the world. Team Warfighter Sports will test their limits, stamina and endurance while raising awareness of the abilities of our nation’s wounded warriors and inspire others with disabilities.
The Denali Challenge will begin shortly after Memorial Day to honor the sacrifices of America’s heroes and end around Independence Day, a day that celebrates the freedoms won by military service members.Team Warfighter Sports includes two double leg amputees, two single above knee amputees and one wounded warrior with severe muscle damage in the legs. The team includes warriors from two generations (the oldest is 64 and youngest is 29) and three wars, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cheer on their commitment by pledging your support! Funds raised will ensure that sports rehabilitation programs for wounded warriors continue to be offered free of cost through DSUSA's Warfighter Sports!
Facts about Denali
• 20,320 feet – highest in North America
• One of the coldest mountains on earth
• Temperatures reaching as low as 40o F below zero. Click here to check the current weather in Denali!
• Wind speeds on the upper mountain can reach over 150mph
• Glaciers, separated by razor edge ridges and massive granite rock
Facts about Team Warfighter Sports
• Seeking to reignite their competitive, athletic spirit that military service members possess and motivate those recently injured as to what is possible
• Includes severely wounded from Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam
• Disabilities sustained in war include single and multiple leg amputees, nerve and bone damage, traumatic brain injury
• 6 months of intensive training, including mountains in Colorado and Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2 mile, one day hike in the desert of southern New Mexico
•Mountain Trip, an experienced guide group, will lead the challenge
Team Warfighter Sports Members
•Army Capt. Jesse Acosta (Ret.) Severely wounded by an IED in Iraq. Permanent damage to his hip, leg, back and arm. Scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2011 and twice completed a 100-mile bicycle ride and the Capital of Texas Triathlon. West Point graduate currently working on Wall Street.
•Army Sgt. Kirk M. Bauer, JD (Ret.) As disabled Vietnam veteran (left above knee amputee) and the Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA for the past 29 years, at age 64, Bauer still leads an active sports life participating with wounded warriors, youth and others in skiing, biking, hiking, golf and other sports. In 2010, he led a team of all amputee veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on a successful summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
•Marine Capt. David Borden (Active Duty) After losing his leg above the knee to a suicide bomb in Iraq in 2008, Captain Borden returned to combat in Afghanistan in 2011. Borden has golfed, skied and run the Army Ten Miler through Disabled Sports USA's military program.
•Army Sgt. Neil Duncan (Ret.) Severely wounded in Afghanistan in 2005 by an improvised explosive device resulting in amputation of both legs. Scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2010 alongside Kirk Bauer and continues to stay active in sports.
•Army Cpl. Steve Martin (Ret.)Served in the Army and Army National Guard for 8 years including assignment in Korea. Hit by an IED while on operations as a State Department contractor, with Joint US Forces Provincial Mentoring Team in Afghanistan. Martin lost both legs below the knees as a result of his injuries. After his amputations, he completed the Bataan Memorial Death March in 2011, a 26 mile marchin White Sands, NM. Steve golfs, bikes, swims and runs and has competed in triathlons.
Re: Overcoming Disabilties Team Room
By MARÁ ROSE WILLIAMS
Paralympics is her goal
Tatsiana Khvitsko has her sights set on running the 100-meter dash in the Paralympics.
Not this summer’s games in London, but the next time, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Which is still a bit ambitious.
She only got her legs in August, after all.
Her “running legs,” that is: on the right, a carbon-fiber prosthesis that looks like a small, curled ski and is called a Cheetah; on the left, another of the same material that ends with a regular running shoe.
Last week, the 21-year-old spent a few seconds setting her footing at the bottom of a hill on the campus of MidAmerica Nazarene University. Using all her strength, pumping her arms fast and hard and pounding the pavement with her two artificial legs, she took it in a full-out sprint. Hills are part of a new workout routine.
The May graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene has been athletic all her life and always wanted to run.
About five years after the Chernobyl reactor melted down, Khvitsko was born in Belarus, which was downwind of the Ukraine power plant disaster and was showered in its radioactive fallout. She came into the world with no left foot and no right leg below the knee; she also counts a total of four, under-developed fingers.
Often Khvitsko hides her right hand with just a thumb from view — “I don’t like it,” she shrugged. To shake hands, she quickly extends her left with its three small fingers and thumb and expects a hardy grip in return.
On her earlier set of legs, she could only muster a short-distance jog. But last summer, at the advice of a friend, she went to a Florida company, which introduced her to the springy Cheetah.
The new prosthetics, she explained, meant smoother walking … and the running? “Incredible,” she said.
“When I put these legs on for the very first time and ran, I felt like I was flying. I was running so fast someone had to hold me to stop me.”
She can even skip rope now with her “very cool looking” appendages, which are much lighter than her other prosthetics resembling normal legs. She can make a quick change into those for non-athletic activities
Full of energy, she moves her head and upper body a lot when she speaks … rapid fire. “I know I’m hyper. I started being that way, I think, because I thought if I were hyper, people would watch my face and not my hands.”
She never worried about below, though. Most times, with her jeans on, people can’t spot the prosthetics. “Except for the clicking sound,” she noted, when they bent at the joint.
Khvitsko first came to the Kansas City area in summer 1997. At 6, she was the youngest of the first handful of children delivered by Project Restoration, a Kansas-based effort set up to help the Belarus people, who were dusted by 75 percent of the Chernobyl contamination.
“You should have seen the prosthetic legs she came with,” recalled Kathy Ingram, her host mother in the first family the girl stayed with. “They were mismatched, very antiquated, and they had to be tied on with leather shoe laces.”
For 11 summers, Khvitsko returned to Johnson County to get fitted with new appendages provided by the Shriners Hospital in St. Louis. “She would grow out of them,” explained Whitney Rodden, her strength-conditioning coach at the university.
Khvitsko, who most everyone calls Tanya, spent most of her time with the Ingrams in Lenexa; but over the years three other families would open their homes to her. Today she has 13 host brothers and sisters. What scholarships didn’t cover, her host families paid for her college education — two years for an associate’s degree at Cottey College and the last two for a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications at MidAmerica Nazarene.
Splitting life between family in Belarus and her American stand-ins wasn’t easy. “There were a lot of tears. I cried when I left here to go home, and I cried when I left home to come here,” she said. “But I think it all just made me a stronger person.”
For the last four years, Khvitsko has stayed in the United States on a student visa, although she sees and talks with her mom every week. “Thank God for Skype,” she said.
Now, besides training, Khvitsko is looking to use her new corporate communications skills at a job. If she doesn’t get employment she’ll have to return home by the end of the summer, stop her training and postpone her Paralympics dream.
“I think she just lives assuming there has got to be a way and just keeps working until she finds it,” said Carol Best, a university spokeswoman.
Khvitsko plopped down on the Cook Center gym floor, lifted both legs a few inches off the ground to perch on her hips while catching a 6-pound ball her coach tossed at her. Ten times fast, she shifted the ball from one side to the other and tossed it back. Repeat.
“I’m blessed,” she said. “I can do so much.”
There was a time when she didn’t feel that way. “I wanted to be like everybody else, to have two legs, 10 fingers.” Volunteering at a summer camp for disabled children and adults, “I saw children who could barely move yet they were so happy. I thought, if they can do this then why am I so upset?”
If given a choice today, she said, she’d choose to be exactly who she is. “I can’t imagine my life any other way. If I had legs and fingers, I never would have come to America. Never would have had the same opportunities.”
But she may have been an athlete just the same.
“She has always been very strong and full of energy,” Ingram said. “She could hardly keep still. She would jump on the trampoline for 45 minutes straight. She is solid muscle. She is an athlete first,”
While home in Belarus, Khvitsko became a champion wheelchair dancer. She’s good at ping pong, too.
She has the determination and discipline, Ingram said. “If given the opportunity to really train, I think she could make the Paralympics.”
Others who over the years have watched Khvitsko master English, make friends and develop her athleticism are convinced the drive is there to get whatever she’s after.
“I don’t think she knows how inspiring she is,” said Rodden, who has never before trained anyone with prosthetic legs. “She is living proof that you can do anything you put your mind to.” While developing a training regimen for Khvitsko, she’s researched what athletes with prosthetic legs can do. “I’ve learned a lot from her. We teach each other,” she said.
A double-amputee, runner Oscar Pistorius of South Africa is so fast with his set of “blades” that he wants to qualify for the regular London Olympics. Although he has been declared qualified to compete, some contend his running apparatus gives him an unfair advantage over regular sprinters in the 400-meter event.
Khvitsko refers to the device attached to her right leg as her “soldier,” because Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates (POA) of Orlando, made it from a prosthesis once worn by a veteran — hence the big white star decals stuck onto her dark blue blade.
For now the focus is on building hip strength with high-step repetitions, side steps and hill running. Rodden’s been pushing the ab work, too.
Having run three 5Ks in Kansas City, her best time so far is just under 30 minutes. That’s with a friend encouraging her the entire race to pick up her pace.
“She will definitely have to shave some time off her run,” Rodden said. “That’s what training is for.”
The 2016 games are far away, but if Khivtisko gets to put her star-spangled “soldier” into the blocks and looks down that Brazilian track, she wants it to be for the United States