If you're wondering, Paralympic athletes have a physical disability and are classified according to their level of impairment (all explained here: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/sports/). For example, the athletes might be missing one or more limbs, might be vision impaired, have cerebral palsy, or have acquired an intellectual impairment (different than the Special Olympics where they're typically born with the mental disability). It's simply amazing to see these athletes compete in their area of expertise, despite their disabilities. Because all disabilities are slighty different, the US Paralympic Committee classifies the athletes according to their level of impairment and puts them into groups where the competition will be most fair. That, in and of itself, is a really cool thing to learn about.
We watched swimming this morning, and there were men and women competing who were missing limbs, had cerebral palsey or other impairments. Depending on their disability, they either started on the blocks, or started in the water. In some cases, they had to be held in position by an assistant until the start of the race sounded. All the swimmers were inspiring, but specifically, there were two different men in separate heats that were missing their arms. They competed in backstroke ---- WITHOUT ARMS!!! Using just their head and trunk (and legs if they were able), they moved themselves in the water, and they competed against other swimmers who had their arms (but had other paralyzation or impairments). I was totally moved by that. I just sat there and watched in complete amazement through my blurry, tear-filled eyes. And what's even more amazing.....one of them even set a WORLD RECORD!!
Kelli, Sheryle Miller (USOC Staff) and I stopped to take a picture with the Olympic Torch.
We also got to watch Futbol 5 A Side (soccer, to us Americans) played by the blind. We watched the China vs Great Britain match. It's essentially a soccer match but the ball has a bell inside it so the players can hear it. The audience has to stay quiet during play so the players can hear the ball and hear directions being called out by their coaches and goalies. The goalies are the only ones who are not blind. I'm telling you - this was so intriguing and wonderful to watch. These guys play just like non-vision-impaired soccer players, they just do it a little more cautiously. They block kicks, they use their bodies to get in front of the ball, they dribble the ball all the way down the field. It's truly an amazing thing to see. We got to see the Chinese do a penalty kick (he was fouled by a GB player) and the coach first tapped around the corners of the goal with a metal stick so that the kicker knew where the goal was located. His kick was successful, but he didn't know it until he heard the roar of the crowd, then he commenced to celebrating. It was so touching. Again, found myself tearing up.
After that we headed over to women's Goal Ball which is played 3 on 3 (China vs. Finland). They are also blind and the ball is like the soccer ball with a bell inside. There's a goal at each end of the court, and each goal takes up the entire width of the court. One person on the team rolls the ball (underhand-windmill-softball-pitcher style) at the other team, and by listening to the ball, the other team knows where the ball is headed and they use their bodies to stop the ball from going into their goal. Then they pick up the ball and roll it back, trying to score. Again, the audience has to remain silent during play.
We are heading off to watch Men's Wheelchair Basketball tonight. I can't wait to see that.
I have learned so much about the Paralympics being over here. The sense of pride these athletes have is beyond anything I've experienced. The Paralympics officially started at the 1960 Rome Olympics, so it hasn't been long, but I'm so grateful these games exist for them. In their daily lives, I know they are probably stared at, considered "different," and probably pitied by many. But here.....here, they fit in perfectly, they are admired, and they are considered to be true inspirations. I'm running out of adjectives to describe the feeling I get when I watch these Games. All I can say is WOW! I am truly blessed to have been selected to be a part of this life-changing experience.
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