This coming week we will see the Opening Ceremony of the 21st Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver which as far as I am concerned is a dress rehearsal for the more important event which is the Paralympic Games that are scheduled to start on 12th March and run until 21st March 2010 . Each of these events require dedication from the participants as some are new to their event but the majority have competed in previous events with or without medal success.
For all the athletes participating at each of the separate events
“It is not whether you win or lose, it is about how you play the game”!
Generally speaking all the athletes attending these events have been preparing all their lives in the most part for the events in which they are competing ! Some exceptional athletes started out training for the Olympic discipline but find themselves through accident or illness competing in the Paralympic Event of the same discipline! This is why I feel like others, that these athletes deserve more recognition for their efforts, they have overcome the adversities that life has imposed on them and still triumphed!
In the Zillertal , Austria near where I live there is a Wheelchair user, a very quiet friendly person who grew up and won many ski championships in the Tyrol. In 1993 a fall from a chair lift tower changed his life choices and also his marital situation as at first the new life style was not to his liking and had an influence on his home life and those around him. After a period of adjustment he was in the Austrian Paralympic Ski Team at Nagano Winter Paralympics 1998 where he won recognition and a Silver Medal for his country. World Championships followed as did the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Paralympics and even more medals and recognition. He is now married once again to a fellow “Wheelie” and although retired from competition continues in Ski Sport training other “Wheelies” investing his efforts in the future Paralympics athletes . My belief is that his life is richer than most of ours even though we have full use of our faculties.
At Torino 2006 Winter Olympics as a Volunteer I had access to a variety of venues and one afternoon I went to the “Long Skate venue” and saw the Dutch win a medal. On the way in I helped a couple of people including two ladies from the USA one of whom was in a wheelchair. This took me into a reserved area that was set aside for “Wheelchair Access”. Through the afternoon I learned that Loren was new to skiing and was a first time competitor at the Paralympics. She was a quiet shy young lady and her companion from the USA committee did most of the talking. Weeks later I would see Loren at Sestriere both before and after she won several Gold Paralympic Medals, even with all the publicity and success she remained just as unremarkable.
In 1998 I was at Solden for the World Cup Ski Season Opening and as I had the time and contact arranged to set up the bike in the foyer of the Tourism Office and do a “24hr Rollathon” to raise money for the “Behinderten(disabled ) Ski Teams” this was when I first met Andy of the Zillertal and Michael and Gerd from the Deutschland Paralympic Team. We set up 3 Tacx trainers and rolled the wheels and raised a sum of money which went to the Austria Paralympic although there was a prior split arranged.
Both Gerd and Michael rode mountain bikes so they had them available to join with me in this event but Andy a user of the Handbike was not able to join in although he was well known to many of those passing through the foyer. After several hours I was left to entertain the passing parade and continued through the night. The next morning we moved up the mountain to the VIP tent entrance where the fund raising effort continued. I had done something like this at the World Road Races at Valkenberg the previous month but this was a lot more successful result. Many times since I have had the opportunity to meet up with these remarkable individuals who are a credit to their National Teams and will be at Whistler.
Michael Milton the Aussie Paralympic Ski Star from amongst other Winter Paralympic Games has been “World Athlete of the YEAR” is also a Paralympic Cycle Road Racer having competed at Beijing in 2008. My first meeting with him was in Centennial Park at Sydney 2000 where he was a volunteer , since then be has completed many cycle adventures. In Athens at the 2004 Summer Paralympic I briefly met Liz Sauvage with her mother at the stadium, she also did an outstanding job for Australia and was once named the “Australian of the year” in the New Years Honours List.
This character is also a "Hand Biker" whom i met at the 2006 Torino Paralympic Games French Dinner and unexpectedly on the route of the 2008 Tour de France. He was in his Hand bike as the route climbed ove 2700m from France to Cuneo in Italy. i have been a guest in his home in Seez near Bourg St Maurice but was unable to find him in the area last year as i arrived from the Martgny etappe.
This section is about a website which works with "Disability" and highlights some of the experiences that wheelchair users experience on a daily basis www.wheelchairpride.com his is a website I enjoy reading and the blog adds value to my knowledge of life.
One of the recent posts talks of "Tyler Walker" who i may have met briefly with the other USA Paralympians at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Games around the Sestriere Chair lift where i had occasion to greet so many of these successful Athletes.
You can read more about Tyler on his website www.tylerwalker.org
Tyler, if you read this, I wish you the best of luck in the Paralympics 2010.
Since writing this blog i visited Andy Schiestl and showed him Tyler's blog and as he watched the video section he pointed out some of the Paralympian Athletes that he had competed against in his ski race career. Really interesting how life evolves from visiting a Blogsite.
Perhaps you will find the subsequent articles from www.wheelchairpride.com of interest!
MY 2010 PROJECT IS AIMED AT ASSISTING THESE FINE ATHLETES TO ENJOY EVENTS SUCH AS THE “TOUR DE FRANCE” IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE DO !!
THERE IS STILL TIME TO JOIN US BUT TRAINING NEEDS TO START PROMPTLY
No comments:
Post a Comment