He told me that he was on his way out to pick up another wounded soldier out on the field...that is all he remembers.
Last Wednesday I had the opportunity...scratch that, honor to coach some of America's disabled warriors. The USOC Paralympic Military Program brought some of its disabled vets who had been wounded in action to the Olympic Training Center last Wednesday.
"The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Paralympic Military Program provides post-rehabilitation support and mentoring to American servicemen and women who've sustained physical injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, visual impairment/blindness and stroke. Veterans are introduced to adaptive sport techniques and opportunities through clinics and camps and are also connected with ongoing Paralympic sports programs in their hometowns."
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
I had the privilege to hang out and show some real heroes what I do on a daily basis and I was humbled by how much they have sacrificed. Alot of times I get angry when I look at what kind of notoriety Olympians get in the USA and when I think about how much I have sacrificed to get to where I am now. Then I see what these guys have sacrificed and I realize that I have had a walk in the park.
I spoke to one guy named Chris from Michigan...he caught me by surprise as he came up to me from behind without me knowing, I couldn't figure out how I didn't hear him and then I realized its because they guy has no legs and moves at about 1 mile per hour. He was "walking" up to me on 2 stems that looked like something NASA had put together, made of all kinds of carbon fiber and space age plastics, it actually looked like something a space age robo-cop would use. He had this ridiculous sparkle in his eye and said "dude this looks cool, I have been wanting to try this forever!"
I hung out with him for about 20min as we talked about all kinds of things ranging from javelin training to hobbies to where we grew up. As our time began to come to an end before he moved on to the next station (where the discus was being taught) the conversation shifted to what happened to his legs. He told me he was a Marine Medic and he was serving in Iraq...what he told me next sent chills up my spine. He said that he had just jumped out of his Hum-V and was running out to help other injured marines that had just been involved in an IED (improvised explosive device) he was only about 20 seconds from the Hum-V...thats all he remembers.
here is a quick video of just what that may have been like...just a glimpse
(some of these are graphic but need to be seen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLIvJqv7Mxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88K5vjJyxsg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7RQ9Os_zRk&feature=related
He was told that he was on his way out TO HELP other injured marines and thats when the 2nd IED went off, taking both his legs. Meanwhile, Chris is hanging out with me talking javelin and thinking what I do is cool...I couldn't help but to give the guy a hug and remind him that I...WE, couldn't do the everyday things that we take advantage of without their sacrifice and service.
I only heard one of a few thousand stories that have yet to be told, but it just reminds me everyday that I need to be grateful for what I have...that has been given to me through what I have sacrificed. It also reminds me that what I have sacrificed is no sacrifice at all compared to these heroes. Its easy to get caught up in the glitz and glam, and massive salaries and egos of football, baseball, basketball and other major sports that Americans hold so dear to their hearts. I used to be the one who wanted to be on MTV cribs, buying out the bars and having 8 cars in the driveway worth a quarter million dollars each. Now, I would prefer to be able to lay my head down at night knowing that I served a greater purpose other than being entertainment for the very people who take advantage of the right to have that entertainment...That to me is worth more than any contract can pay.
Please take 6min of your time to watch the video on the The USOC Paralympic Military Program, ITS JUST 6 MINUTES!! ...you can sacrifice that for what they have done! It can be found on this page:
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
And the Winner is .... what?
So, Rio it is...
Last Week I was sitting in a crowded athletes "connection center" here at the training center, patiently awaiting what the announcement of the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. The "AT&T Athletes Connection Center" was packed full of athletes from various sports as well as media from San Diego and all over California in general. I was actually in the training center cafeteria grabbing a coffee headed back to the connections center...when I heard the news. They where supposed to announce the winner around 9:3o am local time and I figured that since it wasn't even 9am yet, I had time to go grab a quick coffee and head back in time for the celebration. Thats when I heard the results from the 1st round (not the 2nd, or the 3rd...but the 1st!) and heard the announcement
"Chicago, receiving the least amount of votes in the 1st round will be excluded from the following rounds."
Just like that, we were out. As I made my way back to the connections center, 5 min away, the news was already spreading and there was some dis-belief as some of the camera crews hadn't even fired up their gear yet when the news came through. I happen to have 1st hand knowledge of Rio and Brazil very well, having competed in Rio 3 times over the last few years, most notably the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio.
Now, before I go about on a "Rio-bashing tangent" let me first clear a few things. Rio is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been in regards to natural beauty. The beaches and mountains that surround the city are nothing short of breath taking. But, Rio is also hands down the most dangerous place I have ever been to. Just to take a taxi cab ride to Copacabana or Ipanema beach, it was a necessity that you stripped down to bare essentials. That meant no watches, no sunglasses, no cameras, jewelry or anything that might give the slightest hint that you may have anything of value on or around you. Even after getting out of a taxi (which have to be pre-arranged by local authorities) and having to walk only 5 minutes to the beach...Its a 5 minute walk that is one of the most intense of your life, that involves you ducking in and out of buildings to ensure that the people behind you keep walking and aren't following you. I'm a fairly big boy at over 200lbs and Rio is the only place in the world that I have been and been scared for my life.
In 2007, I competed in the Pan American Games in Rio and it was my first encounter with Anti-American fans. It was the 1st time that I have been booed for wearing the Red, White and Blue and it was like a slap in the face...but it also motivated me to kick everyone's butt and as a result I won a silver medal and couldn't help but have a over whelming feeling of "take that!" I remember times when the US team would win a race..boos! If one of our athletes missed a bar in the pole vault of high jumps, massive cheers would erupt! It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. I specifically remember watching the women's pole vault competition and April Steinar-Bennet of the USA was in a race for the gold medal with the local favorite Fabiana Muerrer or Brazil. As April would make her way down the runway, the stadium of over 50,000 people erupted into massive boos and whistles and if she missed, the stadium erupted into a deafening cheer. It was the most backwards thing I have ever seen.
One of the lasting impressions that I had of Rio was waking to gunfire every morning in the barrios a few miles behind the athletes village. I have been to the 05 and 09 World Championships in Helsinki and Berlin and the 08 Games in Beijing, and Rio is the only place where armed guards with Riot Gear and M-16 assault rifles would actually board the athletes bus prior to entering the village to check credentials. I can only imaging the security carnival that Rio is looking at going into 2016. If I where still competing in 2016, which I dont plan to be, I would feel that Rio would be the Olympic Games that I would not want my family to attend due to security problems.
The last feeling I had as I left the "announcement viewing party" here at the training center was one of anger and disappointment. As a USA Olympian, I have the feeling everyday that what Olympians have accomplished are overshadowed by the inflated salaries and egos of the 4 major sports that dominate the American media. With the games being held in Chicago, at least for a small glimmer of time, being an USA Olympian would actually be considered "cool" again. As the Olympic movement and dream seems to be fading in America, I hope that loosing the 2016 Games doesn't damper the fire that burns in Olympians. The general public always forgets that for us, its not every 4 years...its every day.
As I walked back to my room at the center I passed another an athlete giving an interview to local media... The quote that I will remember was...
"I get notoriety and recognized for 3 weeks every 4 years for what I have done and accomplished...With the Games in Chicago I kinda hoped it would it would be extended to a few months every 4 years...oh well, I'm late for practice."
April Jumping in Rio with Boos, quality is bad...but TURN IT UP! unreal
The view of the ghettos behind the Athletes Village (view from my room)
Another View of the Ghetto from my room
Another View to the left of my room...another problem area for local police
...and to the right
The Amazing View of Rio at Sunset, Copacaba Beach
The other side of Rio, Ipanema Beach...amazing scenery
Last Week I was sitting in a crowded athletes "connection center" here at the training center, patiently awaiting what the announcement of the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. The "AT&T Athletes Connection Center" was packed full of athletes from various sports as well as media from San Diego and all over California in general. I was actually in the training center cafeteria grabbing a coffee headed back to the connections center...when I heard the news. They where supposed to announce the winner around 9:3o am local time and I figured that since it wasn't even 9am yet, I had time to go grab a quick coffee and head back in time for the celebration. Thats when I heard the results from the 1st round (not the 2nd, or the 3rd...but the 1st!) and heard the announcement
"Chicago, receiving the least amount of votes in the 1st round will be excluded from the following rounds."
Just like that, we were out. As I made my way back to the connections center, 5 min away, the news was already spreading and there was some dis-belief as some of the camera crews hadn't even fired up their gear yet when the news came through. I happen to have 1st hand knowledge of Rio and Brazil very well, having competed in Rio 3 times over the last few years, most notably the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio.
Now, before I go about on a "Rio-bashing tangent" let me first clear a few things. Rio is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been in regards to natural beauty. The beaches and mountains that surround the city are nothing short of breath taking. But, Rio is also hands down the most dangerous place I have ever been to. Just to take a taxi cab ride to Copacabana or Ipanema beach, it was a necessity that you stripped down to bare essentials. That meant no watches, no sunglasses, no cameras, jewelry or anything that might give the slightest hint that you may have anything of value on or around you. Even after getting out of a taxi (which have to be pre-arranged by local authorities) and having to walk only 5 minutes to the beach...Its a 5 minute walk that is one of the most intense of your life, that involves you ducking in and out of buildings to ensure that the people behind you keep walking and aren't following you. I'm a fairly big boy at over 200lbs and Rio is the only place in the world that I have been and been scared for my life.
In 2007, I competed in the Pan American Games in Rio and it was my first encounter with Anti-American fans. It was the 1st time that I have been booed for wearing the Red, White and Blue and it was like a slap in the face...but it also motivated me to kick everyone's butt and as a result I won a silver medal and couldn't help but have a over whelming feeling of "take that!" I remember times when the US team would win a race..boos! If one of our athletes missed a bar in the pole vault of high jumps, massive cheers would erupt! It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. I specifically remember watching the women's pole vault competition and April Steinar-Bennet of the USA was in a race for the gold medal with the local favorite Fabiana Muerrer or Brazil. As April would make her way down the runway, the stadium of over 50,000 people erupted into massive boos and whistles and if she missed, the stadium erupted into a deafening cheer. It was the most backwards thing I have ever seen.
One of the lasting impressions that I had of Rio was waking to gunfire every morning in the barrios a few miles behind the athletes village. I have been to the 05 and 09 World Championships in Helsinki and Berlin and the 08 Games in Beijing, and Rio is the only place where armed guards with Riot Gear and M-16 assault rifles would actually board the athletes bus prior to entering the village to check credentials. I can only imaging the security carnival that Rio is looking at going into 2016. If I where still competing in 2016, which I dont plan to be, I would feel that Rio would be the Olympic Games that I would not want my family to attend due to security problems.
The last feeling I had as I left the "announcement viewing party" here at the training center was one of anger and disappointment. As a USA Olympian, I have the feeling everyday that what Olympians have accomplished are overshadowed by the inflated salaries and egos of the 4 major sports that dominate the American media. With the games being held in Chicago, at least for a small glimmer of time, being an USA Olympian would actually be considered "cool" again. As the Olympic movement and dream seems to be fading in America, I hope that loosing the 2016 Games doesn't damper the fire that burns in Olympians. The general public always forgets that for us, its not every 4 years...its every day.
As I walked back to my room at the center I passed another an athlete giving an interview to local media... The quote that I will remember was...
"I get notoriety and recognized for 3 weeks every 4 years for what I have done and accomplished...With the Games in Chicago I kinda hoped it would it would be extended to a few months every 4 years...oh well, I'm late for practice."
April Jumping in Rio with Boos, quality is bad...but TURN IT UP! unreal
The view of the ghettos behind the Athletes Village (view from my room)
Another View of the Ghetto from my room
Another View to the left of my room...another problem area for local police
...and to the right
The Amazing View of Rio at Sunset, Copacaba Beach
The other side of Rio, Ipanema Beach...amazing scenery
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
