After an almost 3 month break...

Obviously I fell off the posting wagon a few months back. That was about the time things started getting hectic finishing up the semester, figuring out internship travel plans, and life in general. So many apologies and I am going to see if I can get this bus rolling again.

As of now I have been in Bonn, Germany for four weeks now and finishing up my third week interning at the International Paralympic Committe. So far I have been working on projects for the 2014 Sochi Winter, and the 2012 London Paralympic Games. It has been great learning how these huge events are structured and the hard work the people here put in every day.

There are a couple of big events coming up I wanted to share with everyone. First is the International Paralympic Day 2009 held in Berlin, Germany on July 11th at the Brandenburg Gate. It is a biennial event that was started in 2003 to showcase the talents of the Paralympic athletes to the general public. So make sure to check out the page to read more about this exciting event.

Also on the horizon is the 20th Anniversary celebration of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). This will take place at the beginning of September and will also mark the 10th Anniversary of the IPC being located here in Bonn. So as you can see, it is an exciting time to be involved is Paralympic sports. Make sure to keep following as I will try to come up with some interesting topics to read about, as well as highlight the upcoming events! Cheers!

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Martial Arts for Everyone

The last class was very interesting as the only martial arts I have been part of in the past were those you see in the movies. I never knew learning to fall down could be so difficult though. Even though it was not an extensive self-defense lesson, it was enough to get a sense that those with disabilities could benefit from some martial arts training. The increased self-esteem that could be developed from these types of activities can make a big difference in the quality of life anyone could lead.

There are many different variations of martial arts, but one I found that is geared towards individuals with disabilities is “combat hapkido”. There is an International Disabled Self-Defense Association that was founded in 1996 by Master Instructor Jurgen Schmidt. His website, Defense Ability has plenty of information available and would be a great place to start for anyone interested in learning more about martial arts for the disabled. During our class time however we focused more on proper falling and basic throwing techniques.

We eventually made things more interesting by practicing our actions with our eyes closed. Unfortunately we did not have any wheelchairs available to give that a shot, but I can imagine it would not have been too pretty. Really, the eyes closed activity was not as bad as I thought. It forces you to go with your instincts as opposed to looking to make sure you hands are in the proper position. Of course we did have the added benefit of knowing that someone was going to simulate attacking us. Luckily we all came away in one piece and with a greater appreciation for the practice of martial arts.

This is something I had been in interested in learning as a kid, but never got the opportunity to do. I hope at some point in my adult life I can take it up. There are many aspects that draw me to martial arts, one being the stress reduction benefits. Learning to breathe properly and channel your inner energy (or chi as it is otherwise referred) are great tools for anyone to learn. All in all this was another eye opening class that showed me once more than just about anything can be adapted to fit the needs of everybody.

Here are a couple of links to articles I found on the topic and a link to a YouTube video on wheelchair martial arts.

How Can Martial Arts Benefit the Disabled?

Karate brings strength and joy to disabled kids

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Finally Some Internship News

I just wanted to share with everyone some exciting news I received yesterday. My long search for an internship with a disabled sports organization has finally come to an end. Yesterday I was offered an internship with the International Paralympic Committee in Bonn, Germany. Now I just have to cross my fingers for funding since it is an unpaid position, but an opportunity I would be crazy to pass up. I will be joining them for around four months from June to September. I hope to find out more soon about what I will be doing and will make sure to keep updating throughout the whole process.

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Simple Tasks While Wearing Gloves Are Not So Simple

Sorry I am a little behind on my posts. The end of the semester is coming quicker than I would like. Writing papers and working on group projects has taken a front seat lately. A couple of weeks ago in my disability sport class we kind of strayed from the sport theme and focused on some fine motor skill tasks.

Working on tactile function tasks were a lot trickier than I could have imagined. Whether it was threading some beads or shuffling cards, if you are not able to actually feel what you are touching, it is near impossible. We simulated these tasks by wearing two different sized gardening gloves. One was very small and snug while the other was too big. Obviously tasks with the smaller glove were easier since you are able to better feel what you are touching.

Some of the tasks we used were from the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP). This included beads and a thread, a pad, box, and pennies, as well as a deck of cards. All of these tests are intended to gauge the fine motor skills of children, but during class they served as a way for us to realize how important the sense of touch is. Without these skills it is difficult for anyone to enjoy such tasks as even tying a shoe or holding a fork and spoon.

Luckily, with practice one can develop the fine motor skills necessary for day to day living. It took me most of the class period to actually feel comfortable picking things up with the gloves on. In your mind you do not think it would be that tough. You soon realize though how much you use your hands throughout the day. I can not imagine having to try and type this right now with those gloves on. I highly doubt it would be legible and coherent. There is something to be said about a room full of seemingly able individuals struggling to put a peg in a hole.

These skills are easier to develop the younger someone is so it is important to take some time to work on a daily basis. It can make a big difference in a child’s life and enable them to have the building blocks necessary to lead as normal as possible childhood.

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Rock Climbing...Difficult no matter how you look at it!

There is nothing like going rock climbing for the first time and having some curves thrown your way. By curves I mean a blindfold and being told to just use one leg. This was just another day in the disability sport class. We were introduced to the basics of rock climbing then basically given free reign to see what we could do. Immediately my fingers and forearms were screaming. I was wondering how I would make it through the rest of the class time. In the back of my head I thought about pacing myself, but it was too much fun.

The rock climbing room in the rec center is small, but has varied terrain to climb on. Flat walls give way to some undulations, then on to some overhangs to navigate. I tried my skills, or lack of, on the overhangs several times to no avail. Each time I would attempt a different section my arms kept screaming to stop. Technically we were told to try and use our legs more than our arms as well as keep the body close to the wall. You try to run those tips through your head, but as soon as you grab on to the wall it all goes out the window. Your natural instinct kicks in while your body is in survival mode. Even though you know you are strapped in and safe, but the mind tells you to hold on as tight as possible. There was little energy left to tell my legs to do some of the work.

After a few times up the wall I did get more confident. That confidence was short lived when it was time to don the blindfold. It would not be a disability sport class unless we had to throw some twist into the mix. Like other activities we have attempted, communication was key to being successful. We partnered up and tried our best to lead each other up the wall. By this time my arms were numb and I was hanging on by a thread. You had to hang on even longer while you tried to figure out where your partner was trying to tell you to make your next move. It was great to experience the difficulty of this. You really learn to trust your senses with each and every move.

Last but not least it was time to try and climb while using just one leg. Another option would have been to try with one arm, but after an hour of climbing already that was not going to happen. It was interesting to do some reading about rock climbing with a disability. Some people choose to use a prosthetic while others prefer to go without. It really seems to be personal preference as I was not able to find anything that said one way was better than the other. Using one leg forced me to concentrate more as I actually found I did use my one leg more to help propel myself upward as opposed to relying solely on my hands and arms.

It was great to experience an activity I have always been curious about but never had the chance to try before. Even though my arms tired out rather quick I can see myself going back to try and get better. There are many aspects of rock climbing that I would still need to learn, but this was the perfect way to get introduced to the sport. The most refreshing part was knowing that this sport, like all the others we have played, can be done by anyone. Here is a nice article I found on the Disabled Sports USA website. Make sure to check it out to learn more about rock climbing, no matter what your ability is.

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Goalball

As the name implies the object of the game is to get the "ball" in the "goal". This game was designed for the blind or visually impaired and to level the playing field all competitors must wear blindfolds. The ball used has bells inside of it so the players know where it is to be able to defend or make a pass. There are three players per side and to score a goal the ball is rolled towards the opposite end. The defenders use the sound of the ball to determine where to go to block the ball. This is a Paralympic sport that was first demonstrated in the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto.

We played on a make shift court, with ropes as our boundaries. It seemed that we all figured out quickly that if you just laid out your body that was the easiest way to block the ball. This effort did come with some negative effects. There were a couple of heads hit by the ball and a few gut checks here and there. One side seemed to dominate most of the evening. It was definitely interesting how you had to use the rope lines to get your bearings in an attempt to throw the ball in the right direction. Even so, many attempts did end up nowhere near where the player was intending. Obviously those not playing got a good kick out of it. Everyone had equally awkward moments and we all agreed our eye wear was not very user friendly. Our blindfolds consisted of small cloth blindfolds with blacked out swim goggles over them.

After watching some YouTube videos of goalball I realized how unskilled we were. I am sure a lot of practice is required as is typical of any competitive sport. As always it was great to learn about a new sport and experience it somewhat. Just as much fun as playing goalball was reading more about the rules and format, then watching some real players demonstrate their skills online. This sport is around 53 years old and just proves once again that there should be no obstacles when it comes to sport. Below you will find one of the YouTube videos I found and is a match between the USA and Japan. Make sure to check it out and there should be some other related videos for further viewing.

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Sit Volleyball and Wheelchair Tennis

Last Monday was another exciting evening with Mr. Dugan. Jim graced our presence once more and shared two new sports that were sure to have us wondering if we were ever really athletes. Sit Volleyball and Wheelchair Tennis were on the agenda as well as some words of wisdom to share. I will be the first to admit that I had no idea what sit volleyball was until Monday night. Wheelchair tennis I had seen and understood.

Before last week, I thought disabled athletes played volleyball in a chair. Go ahead and laugh at my ignorance. In my head I had it all figured out and thought it would not be a problem at all. Of course I was wrong...very wrong. If you think moving around in a wheelchair for the first time is difficult, then you need to sit on your rear and try to move yourself with just your hands. It was very interesting to learn how to position yourself to be in an optimum position at all times. Just like most sports, you have to be constantly thinking about the next shot. It is necessary to be in a productive position to help your team the most.

We spent quite a bit of time on volleyball because it was the more difficult of the two sports to catch on to. I could have played tennis all night though. It is a game I enjoy playing anyway, so it was refreshing trying to learn it all over again. Like most sports we have learned so far, the basics are the same. The only big rule difference is that you are allowed to let the ball bounce twice as opposed to once. Jim was nice enough to allow more than two bounces though as most of us were lucky to get to the ball by the third bounce. At first we practiced with a partner standing and slow tossing the tennis ball to us. Then we played some doubles, which I am sure if any outsiders were looking in, thought they were watching something in slow motion. No one became a pro overnight...right?

What made these activities so great was how Jim set up the court. Of course our gym is not set up for sports such as sit volleyball and tennis. Using four wheelchairs and some rope we now had two mini tennis courts of which one of those we used for volleyball. Since you never know when you might have to set up activities of this kind, it was nice to get some insight on how to adapt to the environment.

Bringing in Mr. Dugan the past two weeks provided some invaluable experience and perspectives. He is very passionate about what he does and in turn you could see that rub off on each and every one of us. I will admit it does not take much to motivate us to participate because we would not be in a class like this if we were not dedicated to getting involved with adaptive athletics. Overall we learned more than just how to compete in these exciting sports. It had just as much to do with treating everyone as equals rather than thinking in terms of able bodied or disabled. Comfort of life is important to anyone, wheelchair or not, so by finding ways to make sports enjoyable no matter the situation, that is what we are here to do.

Well I am off to class now and have no idea what we are up to tonight. Our spring break is next week and I will be heading to New York City for the first time. I will do my best to do a post later in the week or next, but make sure to tune in. And for all you international visitors that I have been noticing I would like to say thanks for stopping by. I am hoping to have a global reach with this and whether you stumbled by on accident or not, feel free to leave a comment and say HI!!

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