Today was so cold that the ice on the stream beside the farmhouse where I live was still mostly frozen as I returned from my 4 hr ramble this afternoon. Decided at mid day not to train in house though I would freeze as I walked around the area . As I live at 570m there is no snow on the ground at this time. Last year I had been ski touring for at least a month. Plenty of paths to walk so I have many choices. On the way back I passed the Kaltenbach ski lift station and met up with some Israelies.
Each year tour companies come into the Zillertal for skiing from Israel, nothing new there. This party was 240 strong but the reason I am talking about them is that unlike too many other tour parties this group had a contingent of Paralympians with them. The Ski Instructors acted as if this was normal. Well I am able to tell you this is exceptional, most times the para skiers travel with family or in training groups or with special arrangements. Isn’t it great to hear that some people consider “Disabled Athletes” part of their way of life and integrate them rather than shunning them.
On this year’s tdf I rode through Cluses on the route to the Grand Bornand finish seeing a party outside the Carrefours supermarket I rode in and as luck had it there was free food and drinks available. After asking permission I got stuck in and as I had been introduced to the “responsible(host)” I observed that the children riding their bikes around a laid out course contained no “disabled children I raised the subject. I was told that they would not be interested so no point in inviting them. Anyway they ran a winter ski training course for them. What an attitude, train them in the winter and leave them out, at home in the summer! Able bodied children left at home in the winter? No chance ! This was typical of what I have seen in Europe these past 12 years, thoughtless!
I was asked what concern it was of mine , and I explained who I was and some people then said they had seen me on the tv and in the papers the past several years . As I was leaving a local arrived and reminded me that I had stayed in his home some years before at the start of the “Dauphine Libere”. it was good to see Bruno once again and have several photos taken for the local media. Doubt the story included the attitude to the children.
The next day at the Time Trial in Annecy I was talking to the Director of the region for Carrefours and brought the story to his attention. He told me that he had already heard the story since he arrived there as a guest after I had left. He also asked how I came to be introduced to Nicolas Sarkozy, having seen that on the TV. Love to have told him that he was a mate and it was by design rather than good fortune. “Nicko signed the $US1m maillot at that meeting.
Back to Kaltenbach, the Israeli ski instructors I talked to were keen on the “Relay idea” for the Tdf and asked many pertinent questions. The standout was “Training, each group would train in their own location as best they would under normal circumstances. Perhaps there may be opportunities for people from various regions to get together, but as they probably participate in other events such as Cancer fund raisers then they would practice there if they choose.
I would love to take some team leaders to the “Giro Trentino” in April and have a “Dress Rehersal” if we can get a “Relay team “ to the “Giro d’italia”. Of course for the “Tour de France” a Dress Rehersal would be of great benefit. The guys I was talking with will no doubt return to Israel and decide to form their own Nucleos to prepare a competitive team as there were para cyclists in this group. Perhaps there will be a team to take on others and provide a competitive spirit in the years to come. Anything is possible in the future but getting this year going will take “An all hands to the pump” attitude. Bring it on !!
Before closing I would like to revisit the Athens2004 Paralympics . As mentioned before I was a guest on many occasions at “Deutscher Haus” and so during the Olympic and Paralympic was introduced to many other guests as that aussie from the tdf, etc. one time I sat with the parents of a german swim medal winner watching the scowl on the face of a well known aussie swimmer also on the podium, a little embarrassing!
The Saturday before the Paralympic ended I went back to the Athletes Village with Fabrice Macchi who had failed to medal in that day’s cycling event and as luck would have it at the entrance to the village I came across Klaus Lungerhausen. Klaus also had had a bad day as he was the defending silver road race medal from Sydney2000. He had expected this result as the four years since Sydney he had little support/sponsors for a variety of reasons. He told me that he had 3 weeks off work for intense training before arriving and it cost $5000 to bring his family , so was regarding it as a holiday albeit with intense training sessions.
Later that evening I arrived at “Deutscher Haus to find a cocktail party underway, as I was dressed in my cycling gear I could not go in so I hung back for about 30 mins. Sure enough my chance came, out came Gerhard Schroeder, the very man I wanted to have a piece of . I was there in an instant with my hand held out. Picture the moment, the Chancellor of Germany asking the “German Para Team” why Germany were not winning medals and me the “old fart aussie” telling him in front of the cameras the reason why the likes of Klaus were going home empty handed.
People from all over emailed me asking what I said as the sound track was turned off. TV stations obviously thought an aussie asking for more support for “behinderten sport” was not newsworthy. why show me, perhaps it’s my ugly mug, who cares, well the paralympians could use more cash!
Before closing, just watched CNN/Mainsail, last time they showed a “disabled sailor who sailed around the UK. She is in a wheelchair with a host of problems, incredible the human spirit! What caught my attention was the images of Dennis Connor and Alan Bond from 1983 but that is a story for later.
Heard this motto?
WHATEVER THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE THE BODY WILL ACHIEVE.
No comments:
Post a Comment