Story and photo: Stephen Thompson at the Tampa Tribune

SEMINOLE - Sean Fitzgibbon was born without a fibula in his right leg, and his right foot was deformed, too.

So on his third birthday, the leg was amputated at the knee.

Fitzgibbon, now a 34-year-old husband and father of two, has learned to cope. He also learned that he didn't want his disability to squelch his athleticism. And he became a champion among his peers in surfing and kayaking.

Now Fitzgibbon and three of his cohorts want to impart his message of hope and perseverance to all of those who have lost a limb, including troops returning from Iraq.

To that end, they are embarking on a 220-mile kayak trip on May 12 to circle the Florida Keys. Thirteen days have been set aside for the voyage, but Fitzgibbon and his friends hope to do it in eight to 10 days.

In addition to raising awareness, the four hope to raise money for Extremity Games, an annual extreme amateur sports competition for people who have a limb loss or disability. This year's contests will be held in Michigan from July 24 through 26

Fitzgibbon loves the concept of the Extremity Games because it encourages people who often feel alone and isolated to come together and show how skillful they've become in their various sports.

"We want to bring a message to amputees: Love life; don't be a victim of the amputation," the Seminole man said.

That call especially needs to be heard by veterans returning from Iraq without an arm or a leg, he said.

Fitzgibbon is more than aware that some amputees can't afford the help they need. As a full-time prosthetics technician at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace, he often comes across amputees whose health insurance doesn't cover the full cost of a prosthetic device.

The name of the quartet taking the kayak trip is Team Topahonu. "Topahonu" means "great sea turtle" in Hawaiian. Fitzgibbon earned the nickname there as a surfer because turtles are known to be able to swim after they lose a flipper.

The other members of the team are Jeff Fabiszewski, a Dunedin man whose wife has paralysis of her left side; David Tranor, an Orlando outdoorsman who has helped the disabled with sports such as snow skiing; and Brian Doehleman, a Largo war veteran whose brother owns Osprey Bay Outdoors, a kayaking shop in Clearwater.

Amputee athlete aims for Olympics
By Orla Guerin
BBC Africa correspondent

Pistorius made his international debut at the 2004 Paralympics
Three years ago Oscar Pistorius had never stepped onto a track, let alone run a race.

Today he is an athletics sensation - holder of world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.

His coach, Ampie Louw, says Oscar is "a natural champion - born that way".

The 20-year-old South African is one of a handful of runners around the globe who could make the Olympic qualifying time. He is less than a second away.

But Oscar's Olympic bid is like no other - he is a double amputee.

'Blade runner'

At birth he was missing bones below the knee.

After his legs were removed, at the age of one, he learnt to walk on prosthetics, and he believes this pushed him to excel.


Pistorius will compete at next month's Paralympic World Cup

He has done everything from quad biking to water skiing. He took up athletics as rehabilitation for a rugby injury.

On the track, they call him "blade runner" - thanks to his carbon fibre prosthetics, custom-made in Iceland.

He and his blades, called Cheetahs, have run into sporting history, and into controversy.

He has been dogged by claims that the blades give him an extra long stride - something he denies.

The manufacturers, Ossur, say the blades are "passive devices", which lag way behind what biological legs can do.

They insist the Cheetahs are not performance-enhancing, but simply give amputee athletes a fighting chance.

Winning ingredient

Oscar says he is the winning ingredient, not the blades.

SPRINT COMPARISONS
400m times (in secs):
46.56 - Pistorius world record
47.8 - 1928 Olympic gold
44.00 - 2004 Olympic gold
200m times:
21.58 - Pistorius world record
22.0 - 1920 Olympic gold
19.79 - 2004 Olympic gold
100m times:
10.91 - Pistorius world record
11.2 - 1906 Olympic gold
9.85 - 2004 Olympic gold

He is outrunning single amputees using the Cheetahs.

"I train harder than any of the other guys do," he says.

"I put in more hours. I eat better. I sleep better. I rest better and, overall, I am more diligent."

He has just shown what he can do against able-bodied athletes.

In South Africa's National Championships in Durban last month, he came in second.

"I don't see myself as disabled, and I think it's the guy that wants to win the hardest that's gets it," he explains.

Oscar's next challenge is the Visa Paralympic World Cup in Manchester next month, but he is looking ahead to Beijing in 2008.

Olympic hopes

One of Britain's sporting heroes, former world record holder Colin Jackson, says he should be given the chance.


There's never been a disabled athlete running in the Olympics - there's fear of change

Oscar Pistorius

"I think it's a great idea, if he makes it as the first paralympian," he told BBC News.

"He's one of these guys who is a genuine athlete. And he's young enough to not only make 2008, but to compete also in 2012, which would be really sensational."

But the world body governing athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), has already moved to block him from the Olympics, with a new ruling banning "technical aids".

Senior officials have "suspicions" about his performance on the Cheetahs.

Oscar says his critics are only looking at the advantages of the blades - "if there are any" - and not the disadvantages.

"There's never been a disabled athlete running in the Olympics," he says.

"There's a fear of change."

Oscar believes some people just do not like the competition, but he says he will keep chasing his dream

Man this guy can samba! And the girl is hot too...

One Leg - Click here for this week’s top video clips

The story of Clay Dyer is almost too much to be able to put into words. He was born with no legs, no left arm, and only a partial right arm. Clay not only lives a normal life, he lives the life of a professional bass fisherman. He uses his mouth to tie his lures to his line. He uses his chin to cast out and reel in the big ones. He is the epitomy of determination and will. He is truly an inspiration to all of us, disabled or not. He is proof that no matter what your situation, you can stil chase down those dreams. So watch this video and go chase down YOUR dream!


Video of Clay Dyer from ESPN.com

Kortney Clemons and Rohan Murphy have a lot in common. They are both students at Penn State, they are both powerlifters, they are both amputees, and they both plan on being at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. But theird stories are very different.

Murphy lost both of his legs when he was 3 because they were underdeveloped. Despite being a double amputee, Murphy's 8th grade gym teacher suggested that he join the school's wrestling team. Little did they know that Murphy would go on to start for his high school wrestling team. And even more surprising, he went on to wrestle at the Division I college level!

Clemons lost his right leg from the knee down in an explosion while serving as a combat medic in Iraq. He was attempting to remove a fellow soldier from an overturned vehicle when the explosion happened. After leaving the Army, Clemons was looking for some kind of sport to get into. That's when he me the Teri Jordan. Jordan is the coach for Penn State's Ability Athletics program.

Now both guys are competitive powerlifters for Penn State and hope to go all the way to the paralympics. Murphy, weighing only 125 lbs, has a max bench of 303 lbs. And Clemons' record is 325 lbs. Clemons also hopes to be competing in the 100-meter race with a personal best of 14.5 secs.

For the full story and more pictures click here.

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