THE NEW BREED OF ATHLETES
by Lori Hungate
Heart pumping, sweat pouring, a surge of adrenaline pushes Bill to greater effort. With 1:30 to go and his team behind by four points, Bill races down the court while reaching for a pass from a teammate. He barely misses crashing into an opposing guard as he catches the basketball. He quickly raises his arms to go for three points, fakes a shot and, in the split second the guard moves his hands from the path of the ball, Bill shoots. The ball swishes through the air, bounces off the backboard and through the net! Each of Bill's team members is revitalized and can almost taste the victory at hand. Bill and his teammates turn in unison and, with a determined push off, a mass of bodies and wheels race down the court to defend their territory and regain possession of the ball.
The excitement of competitive sports is the life-force for many. People of all ages and ability levels are participating in the activities of their choice through wheelchair and adapted sports programs nationwide. For just about every activity you can think of -- football, basketball, tennis, skiing, sailing, bowling, table tennis -- there is an adapted version available. Those who love athletics are needed behind the scenes as well, to coach, referee, umpire, write and sportscast.
Athletes with neuromuscular diseases may pursue their activities a little differently than someone with a spinal cord injury, primarily due to the progressive nature of the diseases. The very competitive types may run into difficulties because Paralympic officials find it difficult to place them in specific divisions (for competition purposes) due to the wide variation in physical abilities from one athlete to the next.
Whether competing seriously or for fun, people with neuromuscular diseases often participate in sports until their symptoms make it impossible to continue. To stay active as long as possible, they make use of adaptive technology and/or adapted sports programs. Some have become coaches and advisers -- the movers and shakers -- guiding others into the world of sports and breaking down attitudinal barriers. Of course, all potential athletes should check with their doctors before taking up a sport.
The following people have successfully pursued their love of sports. They are the new breed of athletes who inspire everyone they meet to follow their dreams. They tell us how they got started and provide advice to others. Their accomplishments are testament to their unique abilities which, in turn, inspire future athletes who will put their own mark on competitive sports either as players or behind the scenes.
KELLY WONG -- TENNIS CHAMP AND SKI ENTHUSIAST
Mention the name Kelvin "Kelly" Wong to anyone involved in wheelchair tennis and heads turn. Wong, 35, is a tennis champion who has been seeded first or second in the nation for the past several years and is currently ranked 12th in the singles Quad A division and number five in doubles competition.
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| Kelly Wong |
He also enjoys snow skiing and hits the slopes regularly as a ski instructor for people with disabilities. Wong enjoys returning a fast serve about as much as he enjoys speeding down mountainsides. Quest recently caught up with Wong in Los Angeles to ask him about his tennis and skiing.
TENNIS -- Wong has played competitive tennis for more than six years. He just competed in the Florida Open in April, will play in various tournaments in the San Francisco area during the year and will face the top tennis players in the world during the U.S. Open in October.
"The U.S. Open is, of course, the big one of the year," Wong says. "It's the biggest international tennis tournament, which will draw approximately 250 to 300 players from all over the world. It will draw paraplegics as well as quadriplegics with disabilities ranging from spinal cord injuries to amputees and, in my case, a neuromuscular disease."
The Quad A division allows Wong, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, to compete against anyone with an upper body impairment. "For instance," he says, "a high-level quad or low-level quad who may have slight arm function would qualify for this division. Some might have good arm strength but may lack grip control and can compensate by strapping or taping the racket to their hand. Some play using manual sports wheelchairs and some with power chairs."
Wong's competitive career started after he attended a local tournament sponsored by a wheelchair tennis club. "I used to play tennis when I was younger, before I started using a wheelchair," he explains. "So, I knew the basics. After I got my chair and attended the tournament, I met a couple of people there who pointed out a free court, gave me a racket and asked to see what I could do.
"It was awkward at first, especially the movement of the chair. In fact, that really was the most difficult part. You can't hit the ball unless you're in the right spot. However, the more people I would meet and play with, the more techniques they would show me."
Wong advises anyone interested in wheelchair tennis to find out if there is a disabled tennis club in their area by contacting the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis (see "Sports Resources" in this issue). He says most colleges and universities also have disabled athletic programs.
SNOW SKIING -- Wong has traversed the snowy slopes about twice as many years as he has returned serves on tennis courts. About 13 years ago, he took a trip to Winter Park, Colo., which has a large disabled ski program headed by ski instructor/guru Hal O'Leary. "O'Leary is pretty much the pioneer in teaching people with disabilities how to ski," Wong says. "He was my very first instructor and I started skiing when I was still able to stand but needed assistance.
"Hal taught me to four-track, which is a method of standing on two skis and using outriggers (arm crutches). As time went by and my condition progressed, I've since learned to use the mono-ski (a sit-down ski with one blade) and right now I use the bi-ski (a sit-down ski with two blades). The bi-ski is great. It turns on a dime, yet gives a little more stability over a mono-ski."
Through the Los Angeles ski chapter of Disabled Sports USA, Wong attended other ski clinics in the West. Now, Wong serves as a ski instructor and shares his ski techniques with others who have disabilities.
When not on the courts or slopes, Wong works full-time as an engineer at Rogerson-Kratos Aviation Products in the San Francisco area. Luckily his boss gives him a little time off to attend tennis tournaments. Wong also is an active member of the local MDA Task Force on Public Awareness.
Wong is often asked to speak to people with neuromuscular diseases concerned about the stigma of using a wheelchair full-time. "I tell them that it was hard for me, too, at first," he says. "Especially when I thought it would put a negative spin on the whole situation. But actually, a wheelchair makes getting around in life and on the courts so much easier -- it's a very liberating experience. I couldn't begin to play tennis or keep up with other activities without my chair."
As for the advice he gives people who seek sports activities, "Just get out and do it," Wong states emphatically. "If sports make you happy, just do it. There's a sport for everyone whether you use a chair or not."
A SKI INSTRUCTOR'S ADVICE -- Wong's sentiment is shared by Chad Gorby, the program director of the Breckenridge Outdoor Recreation Center (BORC) in Colorado. Gorby has taught people with disabilities to ski for the past five seasons and says that with the development of ski equipment (especially within the last five years) and teaching techniques, everyone interested in skiing should just do it. "Absolutely anyone who wants to get out on the mountain can do it and we can get them out there," Gorby says.
"When an adult or child with, say muscular dystrophy, shows up here in Colorado to learn to ski, we ask lots of questions. First, we evaluate what their balance is like, what their arm strength is like and then ask what his or her goals are. Some may just want to get out and have some wind in their face, others are looking to challenge themselves. Sometimes people may just want to see their kids ski while a staff member hangs on the back of the bucket seat, literally giving them a ride down the mountain. Other folks want to become as independent as possible."
Depending upon strength and balance, a skier will be seated in a mono-ski or bi-ski. Often, as in the case of some people with forms of muscular dystrophy, the skier will use various pieces of equipment as the disease progresses, as Wong did.
Gorby's certified staff of ski instructors, interns and volunteers give the program at BORC the capacity to do 30 to 40 adapted ski lessons per day. Even the higher cost of ski lessons is made more manageable because of BORC's nonprofit status.
"At a traditional ski school, prices vary between $40 and $60 per hour for private instruction," Gorby explains. "At Breckenridge we charge $55 for a three-hour session, which includes equipment and lift tickets. Skiing can be an expensive hobby, but the BORC does fund-raising and subsidizing of our program to keep our rates low. Just be sure to call ahead several months in advance to reserve space."
For more information about winter and summer programs like those at Breckenridge, see "Sports Resources."
FRANK ROMITO -- MARATHON ATHLETE
Frank Romito, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas, reminds those who know him of "Superman." Romito is a mild-mannered engineer for Lockheed-Martin by day and emerges as the multi-sport athlete and marathoner by night, weekends and every other spare moment he can find.
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Frank Romito |
A speeding bullet could hardly keep up with this super man. He enjoys wheelchair tennis, team handball and bowling and has participated in track and field events in the past. If that wasn't enough, Romito is a marathon athlete who uses his hand bike to compete in five or more marathons per year. His 1997 season includes numerous statewide marathons. However, new on his list of goals for 1997 is a seven-day Colorado competition, Ride the Rockies, an event in mid-June that will include about 2,000 cyclists.
When asked how he trains, Romito modestly says he keeps in shape through a daily hour-long workout in a home gym and by proper nutrition. "I believe that by staying active, it helps slow down the progression of my disease."
As a youngster growing up in Long Island, N.Y., he disliked sports because it was difficult to keep up with other kids due to the symptoms of his Friedreich's ataxia. He moved to Fort Worth about seven years ago, where his perception of sports turned 180 degrees. This was when he met Jerry McCole, president of the Disabled Sports Association of North Texas. "Jerry convinced me that there wasn't anything I couldn't do," he says. "And, he encouraged me by saying it doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you try. Jerry, Kristine (Romito's wife) and Austin (his son) are the ones who most inspire me to keep going."
Now, Romito himself is president of the Disabled Sports Association of North Texas, providing encouragement and advice to others who are just starting out.
Also devoted to helping the MDA Fort Worth Chapter, Romito develops fitness programs for children and adults with neuromuscular diseases, shares his insights at local broadcasts of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, speaks at support groups and simply serves as a role model.
KATIE BOWEN -- SOFTBALL PITCHER
Katie Bowen, now 20, is the Anchorage, Alaska, superstar. Until recently, no Alaska softball team (boys' or girls') had ever made the playoffs to compete in the Big League Softball World Championships, won a regional champion-ship or a divisional title. That is until 1995, when Bowen's outstanding arm helped take her team to the Big League World Series. There, she pitched the only winning game for Alaska, in spite of the effects of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
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| Katie Bowen |
Bowen first started pitching for regular softball teams when she was 11. By age 12, she and her parents first noticed weakness on her right side -- her throwing arm. After finally receiving a diagnosis of FSHD from doctors, Bowen could have slowed down, but her motto of "no excuses" made her work harder than ever and pushed her forward, into the record books.
Despite her weakened right side, Bowen has developed a great pitching style, the envy of every hopeful young athlete in the state. She learned much of her technique from 1996 Olympics gold medalist Michelle Granger, the pitcher for the U.S. women's softball team.
Bowen's accomplishments have inspired many in Anchorage, especially those with disabilities. "I'm not only extremely proud of Katie's athletic accomplishments," says her mom, Jane, "but also of her sheer guts!"
Currently, Bowen is attending the University of Colorado in Boulder. She's not playing softball, mainly because she's devoting herself to a full load of classes, studying to become an environmental journalist. However, she enjoys other sports such as cross country skiing, mountain biking, fishing and camping, and will probably teach softball to kids in the future.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Other Ways to Participate in Sports
People of all abilities are needed behind the scenes as well as on the court or field. Here are a few of the movers and shakers in athletics who inspire, teach and encourage other people with disabilities to be "all that they can be."
COACH AND SPEAKER
Scott Schneider has an outstanding history in wheelchair sports. As a world-class athlete, Schneider's impressive national and international accomplishments include numerous gold medals, many championships in wheel-chair basketball tournaments, first place finishes in handball tournaments as well as tennis competitions and much more.
Of his many athletic interests, basketball was his first love. In fact, after joining a wheelchair basketball team in the early '80s, Schneider was encouraged by teammates to try out for various track and field events. He excelled and his efforts qualified him to compete in the 1984 and 1988 Paralympics (in 1984 it was called the U.S. Disabled Olympic Teams). He competed and won a gold medal in the 100-meter race, silver in the 400 and bronze in the discus. He set the world record in winning the 100-meter race.
After an eight-year competitive career with 18 gold medals in track and field, numerous regional wins and 13 first place finishes in tennis and basketball, Schneider, now 40, is head coach of Houston's wheelchair basketball team, the Rollin' Rockets, sponsored by their NBA counterpart. He also works full time as the director of human services for Goodwill Industries of Houston. The knowledge he gained from his sports experiences helped him shape the members of the Rollin' Rockets into a lean, mean scoring machine -- ranked 10th in the nation and expected to reach the final four next year.
Schneider is also a public speaker, highly sought after by groups nationwide as an advocate for people with disabilities. "I always try to encourage people with disabilities to become active in sports, if it's an area they have an interest in," he says. "You will not only meet some very interesting and inspirational people, but find new ways to excel and to enrich your own life."
Besides working, coaching and enjoying family life with wife, Patricia, and daughter, Elizabeth, Schneider has also served on various boards and in clubs devoted to disabled athletes. He was a board member of the Greater Houston Athletic Association for the Physically Disabled and board member of the United States Les Autres Sports Association.
SCOREKEEPER AND FUND-RAISER
Twins Meaghan and Maureen Collins share a love for basketball. Just like twins everywhere, they are very close and enjoy many of the same things. They go out with the same friends and share similar opinions. However, one major difference is that Meaghan has a neuromuscular disease -- facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) -- and Maureen doesn't.
Maureen plays basketball and Meaghan doesn't. However, Meaghan is devoted to the sport, too. She kept score from her wheelchair for the Regina Dominican High School basketball team in the Chicago area for two seasons while Maureen was a starting guard. Both contribute their own unique abilities and complement each other in the process.
Meaghan's 4.4 grade point average (on a 5.0 scale) means that she can help her sister with school work. She's also president of Youth Council and is a representative of the National Honor Society. Maureen, in turn, helps Meaghan by getting her out to the beach and around the house when necessary.
"They give each other so much," says Deirdre, the girls' mother. "Maureen may help Meaghan get into the car for a drive to the mall and Meaghan helps Maureen with class work."
Meaghan is such an inspiration to her classmates that one girl used Meaghan as her subject for a report on role models. The other kids make sure she's included in every activity, even if it means having to pick her up and piggyback or lift her to areas that aren't accessible, like the beach, restaurants or concerts.
The Collins family helps in other ways, too. They're the annual hosts of the Haight Dinner Dance in Chicago to raise money for MDA. Even though the twins recently separated to attend different colleges -- a hard thing for both of them -- they'll reunite in October to continue the tradition of hosting this successful fund-raiser.
OTHER WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
There are countless ways for people with neuromuscular diseases to participate in sports, either actively as athletes, or behind the scenes as demonstrated by Scott Schneider and Meaghan Collins. They and untold others inspire all of us to get out and enjoy the activities we have an interest in.
For example, are you interested in hockey? Lance Hegland, 23, of Burnsville, Minn., was. Now he's on the board of directors for the U.S. Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association. He works full time as an actuarial technician for the Alexander Consulting Group, where he computes employee data for retirement plans. In his spare time, he serves MDA as a member of the executive committee for the Greater Twin Cities area, is a member of the national MDA Task Force on Public Awareness, volunteers for the local Telethon broadcast and places information on the Internet.
Interested in drag cars or oval track racing? Joe Sowell, 47, of Bethune, S.C., turned his love of the sport into his job as a fuel systems specialist. His accomplishments include using his computer to predict a race car's performance level for clients such as W.C. Scarborough and Billy Jackson; building fuel systems for top racers Scottie Cannon, Jim Painter, Morgan Shephard and the Ernhardt Team; working as a licensed technical inspector for NASCAR; and trouble shooting at Darlington International Dragway.
How about golf or scuba? Christopher Rush, 21, has an interest in golf that led him to host the Rush Annual Golf Classic for the past four years. He's also the first person with a form of muscular dystrophy to become a certified scuba diver. Rush and his service dog, Chelsea, attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he's in his third year of pre-law.
Swimming? Amanda Vanduesen, an engineering major at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, enjoys her participation in Swim with Mike, an organization that teaches children with disabilities to swim. She has spinal muscular atrophy.
For an account of a career in sports reporting, see "Living the Dream," in this issue.
SPORTS RESOURCES
Books & Newsletters
- "Sports, Everyone! Recreation and Sports for the Physically Challenged of All Ages," paperback, 250 pages, published by Conway Greene Publishing Co., 11000 Cedar Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106; (216) 721-0077.
- "The Parent's Guide to Coaching Physically Challenged Children," by Richard Zulewski, paperback, 136 pages, published by Betterway Books, 1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207; (800) 289-0963.
- "Sports 'N Spokes," sports activities newsletter published by Paralyzed Veterans Association, 211 E. Highland, #180, Phoenix, AZ 85016-4732; (602) 224-0500.
Adapted Sports Organizations
- American Handcycle Association, (619) 596-1986
- American Water Ski Association, (813) 324-4341
- Disabled Sports USA, (301) 217-0960; www.dsusafw.org
- Handicapped Scuba Association International, (714) 498-6128; www.ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hsahdq
- National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis, (714) 361-3663; www.nfwt.org
- National Wheelchair Basketball Association, (860) 525-6758; www.nwba.org
- National Wheelchair Billiards Association, (800) 617-POOL; www.bca-pool.com/nwba
- Special Equestrian Riding Therapy Inc., (818) 776-6476; www.instanet.com/~sert
- United States Les Autres Sports Association (USLASA), (713) 521-3737
- United States Organization for Disabled Athletes, (800) 25USODA; www.wwgv.com/usoda
- United States Quad Rugby Association, (215) 504-0443; www.quadrugby.com/address.htm#USQRA
- Vital Forces, (801) 723-5041; www.northernutah.com/vitalforces.htm
- Wheelchair Sports USA, (719) 574-1150
Winter and Summer Sports Programs
Other
Contact your local MDA office for information about community sports and recreation programs in your area. |
