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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USA Volleyball - Head Coach/ High Performance Director USA Sitting Teams

Stumbled upon this job posting on NCAA.org and TeamUSA.org and thought I would put it out there for anyone interested.

Finding this job posting was somewhat ironic since this past Monday we actually experienced sit volleyball. I will write more about that in a couple of days as well as talking about wheelchair tennis and some more insight Mr. Jim Dugan passed along to our class.

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Wheelchair Sports with Jim Dugan

My week in the wheelchair in no way, shape, or form prepared me for last Monday's class. What I thought would be a fun evening of wheelchair sports turned into exactly that. Two days later is when the real fun began though. As I type this I am still feeling the effects of the intensity that comes with wheelchair basketball and softball.

Mr. Jim Dugan, from the Gateway Confluence Wheelchair Sports Foundation, came by to teach us about wheelchair basketball and softball. He is also kind enough to be coming back this next week for more fun. Mr. Dugan is a former Paralympian and co-founder of Confluence Sports who is passionate about wheelchair sports to say the least. First he made sure we all knew how to use the chairs before we began playing basketball. The rules are fairly similar to regular basketball so there was not much extra instruction. At first we played half court to give every one a chance to get the feel for moving around, passing the ball, and taking some shots. After a little while we were then ready for the real deal of full court basketball. This is where the pain began.

We have some pretty intense competitors in our class so there was never a dull moment during this game. Running up and down a court is one thing, but until you have to constantly push a chair around you have no idea how tough this game is. I thought after being in a chair for a week I would do fairly well. I feel like I maneuvered around just fine and was always one of the first getting down the court. That was probably the first mistake. If I could have seen two days in the future I would have toned it down a notch or two. All the while we were playing, Jim would give us pointers here and there. His many years of experience were invaluable in helping us out. It was like learning to play basketball all over again. Unfortunately my team lost a close battle but we would soon make up for it.

Next up was some indoor wheelchair softball. We made some make shift bases and Jim was the all time pitcher. Obviously we did not use real softballs and bats for safety reason, but instead some foam bats and nerf balls. Jim was nice enough to not throw any crazy pitches. He just tossed them in there like we were learning to play ball for the first time. It was very interesting trying to bat without any legs. Someone mentioned to me to use the wheels as your hips by holding the bat with one hand and rotating the chair as you swung with the other. This was great advice and made a big difference in how much power you could get into your swing. Fielding the ball was made easier by being in a basketball gym. There were only so many places the ball could go as opposed to being outside. Everyone seemed to catch on quite well and this time around my team pulled out the victory.

While we were playing basketball I could already feel my traps getting sore. Little did I know that Wednesday morning I would barely be able to move my upper body. I had to cancel the classes I usually teach and rushed to get a massage in hopes of working out the kinks. Most massages are relaxing and enjoyable...this one was neither of those things. I knew I needed to get it done though or the rest of the week would be just as painful. It is now Sunday evening and if I turn my head wrong my neck reminds me of my crazy effort last Monday. I am half scared for tomorrow evening's session with Mr. Dugan. I am sure it will be another eye opener, but if I learned anything from last week, I will be taking it a little easier. You can tell yourself you are in good shape, but if you try to do something out of the ordinary then your body will kindly remind you of your limitations. I never doubted how difficult it would be to take part in wheelchair sports. Like I have said before, you need to put yourself in someone else's shoes (or chair) before you can try to understand their needs and do what you can to address them.

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One Very Inspirational Story

I am not even going to go into details about this video. Just watch it and you will know why I took the time to post it. It is from an E:60 presentation on ESPN and is entitled "Walk On" so you know you are on the right video.

Just click HERE

Enjoy!! because I did.

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Sled (Sledge) Hockey Fun

In last Monday's class we took part in a cool (no pun intended) sport called sled hockey. As I have since found out it is referred to as "sledge" hockey outside of the United States. Of course we did not have access to an indoor hockey rink so we had to simulate the sport in a basketball gym. We sat Indian style on some round objects with rollers (sorry, do not know a technical name), had some sticks that look like mini fighting batons, and used a ball as a puck. Needless to say it was not very easy at first. Before we get into details about our experience I want to go over some of the specifics about sled hockey.

According to the USA Hockey website, sled hockey was started in Sweden in the late 1960s. Hockey being a popular sport in that county, a group of individuals with disabilities wanted a way to continue participating the sport. The actual sled sits atop two hockey blades with space for the athlete's legs to be strapped in in front of them. There is enough room between the blades and the front of the sled to allow the puck to pass underneath the sled. Most of the equipment was designed to be as similar to regular hockey equipment as possible. The players use shortened hockey sticks (one for each hand) that also double as propelling devices. The sticks have picks on the butt end to allow the players to move around. Other than that it is hockey as we know it.

After playing our version for just a few minutes I started to think that it may actually be easier on ice. Our make shift sticks did not provide much grip on the hardwood floor so most of us were using our hands to get around. I doubt the school would have looked to kindly on us using picks to dig into the wood for traction. Since none of us could move around very swiftly this made precise passes all the more difficult. When it got time to shoot for a goal you could see the extreme concentration on our faces as we tried to bat the ball past the goalie. I am surprised anyone made a goal as we only had about a foot (seemed like six inches though) on either side of the goalie. This did make things very interesting and after awhile we ended up changing the teams since one team was obviously adapting quicker than the other.

I would love the chance to try this sport out on ice. I have never played regular ice hockey before and can only skate good enough not to fall so I think sitting down would be more my style. Also, having the picks on the stick to help you move around would be a big plus. I imagine sled hockey players would have to have strong core muscles as I noticed this area was working very hard to keep me balanced the whole time. Just like any sport, disability or not, there is always a learning curve, but I am sure after giving sled hockey a shot anyone would want to do it again and again.

Tonight we will be starting some wheelchair sports. Someone (when I find out his name I will give him credit) who has actually competed in the Paralympics is coming in to share his experience and teach us a thing or two over the next couple of weeks. It should be very interesting and I look forward to sharing what we learn.

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