From US Paralympics

What: 8th annual UCO Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities

Description: The Endeavor Games will be held this weekend, with a record-breaking attendance of more than 350 sport participants. Twenty-seven states will be represented as well as the countries of Panama and Mexico. Competition will be held in ten different sports over a 3-day period beginning Friday, June 8 and ending Sunday, June 10, all at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and Edmond Public Schools. In addition, sport clinics, presented by the U.S. Paralympics, will be held on Thursday, June 7.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, June 7:

The 2007 Sport Clinics will be presented by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee. National Team coaches and athletes will lead participants through instruction in the following Paralympic Sports: Archery, Boccia, Powerlifting, Shooting, Table Tennis and Track & Field. Over 60 aspiring athletes have signed up to participate in the sport clinics and receive instruction from the best of the best.

In addition, UCO Endeavor Games is pleased to partner once more with Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warriors Project to welcome our nation’s protectors as they realize their potential as athletes. These special guests are members of the U.S. Military Services who have received permanent physically disabling injuries while serving for the United States of America in the Global War on Terrorism. A record number 28 soldiers will be attending the event, to participate in the clinics and then to compete throughout the weekend.

Friday, June 8:

Outdoor archery (9am, Cheyenne Middle School) and powerlifting (10am, UCO Hamilton Field House) will begin the sport competition for the day. Powerlifting will serve as the National Powerlifting Championships and will feature numerous national team athletes, including Kortney Clemons, a solider injured in the war in Iraq. In addition, wheelchair basketball will be conducted throughout the day at UCO’s Wellness Center. The basketball competition is a 3-on-3 format, and will feature competition for juniors and adults. Table Tennis will round out the sport competition for the day and will also be held in the Wellness Center, beginning at 1pm.

To complete the evening, an Opening Ceremony will be staged at 7:30 p.m. at UCO’s Hamilton Field House. Two-time Paralympian Karin Korb, will serve as keynote speaker for the ceremonies. Korb is among the top four women wheelchair tennis players in the world and was the first wheelchair athlete to defeat an able-bodied opponent. Presented by Chickasaw Nation & a Centennial Event, opening ceremonies will also feature Indian dancers, a Parade of Athletes, and a tribute to the U.S. soldiers.

Saturday, June 9:

Saturday will begin with an amazing skydiving demonstration by double-amputee Dana Bowman at 8:00 a.m. at Edmond North High School. Track competition will then start at 8:30 a.m. and is once again the most populated sport with healthy competition in each of the four disabilities. Track will feature numerous Paralympic athletes who are preparing for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Also in attendance will be five-year old amputee Payton Hofmeyer of Plano, TX in his first ever competition. Wheelchair tennis will be held at Edmond North’s tennis courts at 9:30 a.m. Shooting (9am, UCO Wellness Center) and outdoor archery (9am, Cheyenne Middle School) will also be held on Saturday. The archery competition will feature athletes on the National Archery Team, including Edmond’s own T.J. Pemberton who is aspiring to attend the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Sunday, June 10:

The conclusion of the track events will start the day with the 5000m scheduled for 8:00 a.m. at Edmond North High School. Boccia will then be held at the Wellness Center, UCO at 9:00 a.m. The second largest sport in the Endeavor Games, swimming, will be conducted throughout the morning at UCO’s Hamilton Field House. Swimming will feature a record 50 athletes competing in a variety of strokes.

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Forty-eight student-athletes with physical disabilities and 25 coaches will come to the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs next Friday for the 2007 National Paralympic Academy, June 1-4.

The students will participate in sports training sessions with U.S. Paralympians, a VIP tour of the OTC, and they will also spend the weekend being mentored by Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

“The National Paralympic Academy is a great opportunity to introduce children with physical disabilities to Paralympic sport,” said Charlie Huebner, Chief of U.S. Paralympics. “In addition to sports, these students work closely with Paralympic athletes who act as mentors and help them realize all that is possible.”

Featured sports at the training sessions will include goalball, judo, volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

Coaches will learn more about how to promote Paralympic sport in their communities, as well as the importance of physical activity among children with physical disabilities.

2007 National Paralympic Academy Student Roster

Richard Beck (Wasilla, Alaska)
Ally Beischer (Anchorage, Alaska)
Samuel Blakely (Henefer, Utah)
David Brown (Hazelwood, Mo.)
Logan Burke (Omaha, Neb.)
Kelsey Butler (Allen, Texas)
Nehemiah Cameron (Chattaroy, Wash.)
Thomas Carroll (Glenview, Ill.)
Tyler Carter (Topton, Pa.)
Colin Cutter (Piedmont, Okla.)
Sawyer Elkins (Bloomington, Ind.)
Ace Finch (Council Grove, Kan.)
Dylan Fischbach (Vermillion, S.D.)
Elizabeth Flora-Swick (Gardner, Kan.)
John Gardner (Spokane, Wash.)
Trevon Graves (St. Louis, Mo.)
Brynn Haines (St. Louis, Mo.)
John Hairston-Abbott (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Tyler Halatek (Reedsburg, Wis.)
Jonathan Heider (Green Bay, Wis.)
Eric Holzthum (Bethlehem, N.H.)
Cole Hunter (Merrimac, Mass.)
Kelsie Kellen (O’Fallon, Mo.)
Robert Layman (Silt, Colo.)
Jessica Lindsay (Inverness, Ill.)
Chris Madden (Austin, Texas)
Chelsea McClammer (Benton, Wash.)
Michael McHugh (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.)
Tyler Pickett (St. Paul, Mo.)
Lisa Penoyer (Dacula, Ga.)
Miguel Reyes (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Cathryn Reynolds (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Anthony Rogers (Austin, Texas)
Adam Rose (Macomb, Mich.)
Joshua Ruoff (Topeka, Kan.)
Luke Russell (Verona, Wis.)
Adam Saladana (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Tristan Salvadori (Wilmington, Del.)
Roderick Sewell (Fairfield, Ala.)
Matthew Simpson (Smyrna, Ga.)
Jonathan Taylor (Round Rock, Texas)
Arturo Torres (San Antonio, Texas)
Ian Trollinger (San Diego, Calif.)
Kristy Vaughn (Corry, Pa.)
Amberlynn Weber (Greenacres, Wash.)
Ellaun Williams (St. Louis, Mo.)
Jasper Wilson (Troy, N.Y.)
John Wise (Menlo Park, Calif.)

Coaches Roster

Diane Barras (Waterford, Maine)
Marilyn Blakely (Henefer, Utah)
Rebecca Boyce (Gaylord, Mich.)
Mary Bozzone (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Claudia Brewer (Sterling Heights, Mich.)
Jeffery Brown (Albany, Ga.)
Thomas Carr (Durham, N.H.)
Timothy Cobb (Imperial, Mo.)
Jacinda Danner (Palmer, Alaska)
Marc DePerno (Deerfield, N.Y.)
Donald Dew (Lake Placid, N.Y.)
Jeff Dick (Anchorage, Alaska)
Pamela Greene (Chester, N.Y.)
Heather Grunwald (Anchorage, Alaska)
Beverly Jackson (Austin, Texas)
Tom Kersey (Newport, N.H.)
Anne Krupp (Fostoria, Ohio)
Donna Niethe (Wayne, N.J.)
Peggy O’Neill (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Glen O’Sullivan (Zion, Ill.)
Donna Santiago (Wilmington, N.Y.)
Hal Simpson (Smyrna, Ga.)
Thomas H. Southall (Aurora, Colo.)
Kaiti Stapleton (Chicago, Ill.)
Robyn Stawski (Tampa, Fla.)

Wheelchair Tennis - Stephen Welch, Men's Former World #1 wins first title since 2005

International Paralympics - Canadian Athlete Kimberley Joines suspended for doping violation. IPC says "Joines tested positive for carboxylic acid metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (at a concentration greater than 15 ng/ml) at the 2007 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Aspen, USA, on 17 January 2007. The substance is included in the 2007 Prohibited List and consequently prohibited under the IPC Anti-Doping Code, which has adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC)."

The 2000 Sydney, Australia paralympics were what I think should be the model for all future Paralympic Events. An unbelievable 1.4 million tickets were sold at $10.00 for an all day, all event pass. That amount more than doubled the Paralympic Events of Atlanta's sales.

Even more amazing was that the wheelchair tennis outsold the a/b's! There were many matches with attendance of 7 -10,000. That's cool...... predictably David Hall and Esther Vergeer won golds.

Here is the coolest part.."Bonn, Germany – The third Visa Paralympic World Cup will not only excite spectators at the competition venues. For the first time, sports fans around the world can watch top quality BBC footage of one of Paralympic Sports’ biggest annual events on the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) internet television channel.

The 2008 Paralympics will be televised on the internet. You can watch it on Paralympic Sport here.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) presented its 2006 Coach of the Year honorees at a luncheon held today in collaboration with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.
The USOC also presented awards to the 2006 SportsMan, SportsWoman, Paralympian, and Team of the Year honorees.

Swimming was in the spotlight for the two Paralympic awards, as Julie O'Neill (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was named USOC Paralympic Coach of the Year, while Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.) received her USOC Paralympian of the Year award, which had previously been announced.

O’Neill, head coach of the 2006 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Team, led the U.S. team that won the overall medal count at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa. It was the first time the U.S. had won the medal count at an IPC World Championships or Paralympic Games in the sport of swimming. Twenty of the 25 athletes on the roster finished with at least one medal, and three of the five who did not medal had at least one fourth-place finish.

The other finalists for Paralympic Coach of the Year were James Gumbert (wheelchair rugby/Austin, Texas) and Ron Lykins (wheelchair basketball/Stillwater, Minn.).

Long played a major role in helping O'Neill build that medal count in Durban, winning gold medals in all nine events (seven individual, two relay) she competed in and setting five world records (100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m freestyle and freestyle relay). The World Championships capped off a year for Long that included 11 other world record-setting times, including three at the 2006 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in August. She is Swimming World’s 2006 Disabled Swimmer of the Year and was named a finalist for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year. She was recently awarded the AAU James Sullivan Award as the nation’s premier amateur athlete.

Other honorees announced today for 2006 Coach of the Year are National Coach of the Year Bud Keene (U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Stowe, Vt.), Developmental Coach of the Year Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson (U.S. Figure Skating/Wellesley, Mass.), Volunteer Coach of the Year Booker Woods (USA Track & Field/Los Angeles, Calif.) and “Doc” Counsilman award winner Kat Arbour (U.S. Figure Skating/Philadelphia, Pa.).

Announced in January 2007, the other honorees for the 2006 USOC athlete awards are SportsMan of the Year Joey Cheek (long track speedskating/Greensboro, N.C), SportsWoman of the Year Hannah Teter (snowboarding/Belmont, Vt.) and Team of the Year the U.S. Men’s Curling Team. The curling team comprises members Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.), Shawn Rojeski (Chisholm, Minn.), Joe Polo (Cass Lake, Minn.), John Shuster (Chisholm, Minn.) and Scott Baird (Bemidji, Minn.).

Taken for U.S. Paralympics

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.

"Germany's Martin Braxenthaler was the toast of the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin after he took gold medals in three of the four Alpine skiing disciplines – Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super G. As well in 2006 he was the winner of the overall World Cup, the World Cup Slalom and was German champion in Slalom and Giant Slalom. In a glittering Olympic career he also won a clean sweep of four Alpine gold medals in the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City and a bronze in Nagano in the Super G. His successes over the years, both in and out of Olympic competition, have made him the most successful mono-skier in the history of the Paralympic movement. His roll of honour includes overall World Cup titles in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, as well as 2006, and two gold medals and a silver medal in both the 2000 and 2004 World Championships. Braxenthaler, who became paraplegic after an accident at work, has become a great role model for young athletes who benefit from his knowledge and skill."

Photo and text copyright of Laureus Awards

Chicago chosen as the United States' applicant city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. Let's keep our fingers crossed! (Read More)

US Quad Rugby Association is holding it's annual Post Season Auction. The auction ends this Sunday, the 22nd. Some of the items up for auction include 3 rugby chairs, wheels, and more! Get some new gear and support Quad Rugby while you're at it!(Check it out!)