If you ask most people what important event happened in China this past August, more than likely, they would say the Olympics. When asked about highlights of this year’s Olympic Games, most people would probably recall Michael Phelps’ amazing 8 gold medals. If you ask most Americans what happens after the Olympics, they would probably say that the athletes go home and all the athletic facilities close. That could not be further from the truth. Almost immediately following the Olympics, a different event takes place, called the Paralympic Games. This year the Paralympics were held September 6-17, 2008.

View from inside Beijing National Stadium ("The Birds Nest")

Photo courtesy of Roderick Sewell

About the Paralympics

The Paralympics have been around for over 50 years. They began in 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition as part of a rehabilitation program for World War II veterans who had spinal cord injuries. This first competition was held in England, coinciding with the opening of the London Olympics. Four years later, the event became international, with the addition of athletes from the Netherlands. In 1960, the first official Paralympic Games, Olympic-style games for athletes with disabilities, were held in Rome. The games took place at the same facilities that the 1960 Olympics had used weeks earlier. More groups with different disabilities joined the events during the 1976 Toronto games. The first Paralympic Winter Games also took place in Sweden that year.

Over the years, the Paralympic Games have brought together elite athletes from around the world to focus on competition, not on disability. Since the 1988 competition, the Paralympics have taken place in the same venues as the Olympics. Finally, in 2001, the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee signed an agreement ensuring that all future Paralympic Games would be held in the same venues as the Olympic Games. This agreement has helped to provide the opportunities for Paralympic athletes to practice and compete in the same world-class athletic facilities as Olympic athletes.

The U.S. Paralympic Team

An important part of any country’s efforts to help bring home the gold at international competitions is the ability to identify and develop young athletes. In 2001, the U.S. Paralympic team was created to help continue the development of U.S. athletes attending the international Paralympic competitions. The U.S. Paralympics is a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee. The U.S. Paralympic team is devoted to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic sports movement and promoting excellence in the lives of people with physical disabilities. The team does this through several exciting programs, including one called the Paralympic Academy.

The Paralympic Academy is a program with state, national and international events that recognizes individuals for living a physically active lifestyle and promoting physical activity in their own communities. This program is for students with disabilities between 12 and 18 years old. The National Paralympic Academy is held on odd-numbered years at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and even-numbered years at the Paralympic Games.

Roderick outside of the Birds Nest

Photo courtesy of Roderick Sewell

Going to the Paralympic Academy

This year’s National Paralympic Academy gave several young athletes the opportunity of a lifetime. One young man selected as part of the 2008 National Paralympic Academy is one of our own. Roderick Sewell is an Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp camper. He is also an up-and-coming athlete and future Paralympic hopeful. Roderick took some time to talk with YAZ and describe what it was like to attend the Paralympics in China.

“It was a new experience for me,” exclaimed Roderick. “That was the first time that I've been out of the country. I really liked it.”

The Emporers Palace

Photo courtesy of Roderick Sewell

Roderick is an active individual who is always interested in learning more about different Paralympic sports. This is what prompted him to apply for the Paralympic Academy. Two of his favorite sports are swimming and wheelchair basketball. “I like these sports especially because of the people I meet while traveling and participating in athletic competitions,” says Roderick.

View of the Water Cube

Photo courtesy of Roderick Sewell

While in China, Roderick was able to see some of the Paralympic sports, including swimming, wheelchair basketball, sit volleyball, track & field and cycling. Of course, one of the most memorable highlights of his trip was getting the chance to climb the Great Wall of China.

Some may see someone like Roderick and think about what challenges he must face. Roderick was born with limb differences and is a bilateral, above-knee amputee. He has never let that get in his way.

When asked what challenges he faces as an amputee, Roderick says, “I don’t let anything hold me back, not even my amputation. If there are any challenges in my life, I find a way through it.”

As an Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp camper, Roderick feels joy in the fact that he is not the “only one.” Both the camp and competing in sports have helped Roderick connect with other amputees and find friends who are like him. “Sports changed my attitude about life,” explains Roderick. “As soon as I started doing sports, I became very competitive and saw everything as a challenge that I had to get through. I started seeing life the same way, as a challenge that I could get through.”

 Roderick riding down the zip line at camp

Roderick hopes to encourage other amputees to be active and challenge themselves. “Don’t let something small like an amputation hold you back from being who you are and doing what you want to do,” he says.

Keep a watch out for this young athlete. Roderick plans to be at the 2012 Paralympics in London. He hopes to compete as a member of the USA Swim Team. If you are interested in finding out more about how to be part of the next Paralympic Academy, visit usparalympics.com and read more.

For more information

The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games September 6-17, 2008

en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/index.shtml

The US Paralympic website

usparalympics.org

The International Paralympic Committee