Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Oscars, Baby!

I had the unique pleasure of being at the Oscars this last weekend! Although I was sorry to miss being with the team, I did enjoy shaking hands with Ron Howard, laughing with Latifah, and seeing the piece that Allen Haines (on the adaptive teaching staff) made to honor all the people who passed away in the last year.
I was glad to see that the Red Carpet is indeed accessible! After it wraps around the corner and you can't see it on TV anymore it goes up a Grand Staircase, but there is an elevator. I saw several wheelchairs mingling with us out there and thought that was great.
It was fun to see behind the scenes during the commercials: Hugh Jackman brought his wife a plate of cookies...he practiced with Brad Pitt so Brad could throw him the cane for the big dance number with top hats. Hugh was warm and funny even when the cameras aren't rolling.
Other stars I saw up close: Danny Glover, Sting, Sophia Loren, Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, Vanessa Redgrave, Kevin Kline, Lou Gossett, Jerry Lewis, Mickey Rooney, Robin Roberts, Zack Ephron (ran into him backstage and he let me have the bathroom first), and many, many more!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Champions aren’t Built One at a Time

W2, as he was fondly called, was the headmaster and founder of the nation’s first high school for training ski racers—Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, VT. Despite the fact that my leg had been amputated at age five, he believed in my dream of becoming an international ski champion and gave me a full scholarship to train with the best of the best as the first disabled athlete at his special school. I had been racing against other amputees and already won six medals in national competition. Being at Burke Acadmey was my passport to getting good enough to qualify for the US Paralympic team.

Transition to Training School: Senior year in high school can be tough for anyone, but being at Burke redefined the word, “tough.” On the first day of school, I broke my leg—my only good leg. I didn’t have enough money for race expenses so I spent my rehabilitation time writing letters to sponsors for help. Right after I got the cast off my real leg, my artificial leg broke in half…then got lost in the mail when I sent it off for repair! Once my legs were working again and the snow fell, I found out that all the other kids could ski on one leg better than I could, In sum, I was far away from home, broke, and very,very frustrated. I learned that when you cry in your goggles, it freezes.

But I stuck with it. I trained with all the two legged kids, got stronger and most importantly, learned to race.
[Excerpt from an article in Fall issue of Balance Magazine. To read the rest of the article go to www.balancemagazine.com Under “The Magazine” find the issue with Lorraine Bracco on the cover (Fall 08). Click to download and turn to page 76. The article is about the impact Warren Witherell and Burke Mountain Academy had on my life—I share his five tips for building your own communities of champions at work, at home, and in your community.]

Monday, February 16, 2009

The Joy of Equipment

My second clinic was all about mono-ski and bi-ski. Again, we had great instructors with tons of experience as well as participants who were sharing their knowledge and experience too. You might think that since I was on the Paralympic team I would know more about disabled ski equipment like the mono-ski. But I really don’t.

I was an expert on my own equipment—outriggers for an amputee. I never had to focus on other skiers. Now that I am coaching with the race team, I need to learn about a wide variety of ways to ski. Plus, the equipment is always changing and new devices are being developed. Lots of people join the clinic just to refresh themselves if they haven’t done that subject in a few years or if they want to broaden the range of disabilities they can work with.

It was fun to get to sit in the mono-ski and try to balance. I practiced putting on all the straps. I learned about the “dowel test” to balance the skier. We spent some time in the classroom as well, going over the range of disabilities that would use mono-ski and bi-ski, health issues to be aware of when skiing with mono and bi-skiers. Once again, I felt so lucky to have access to so many experts willing to take the time to pass on their experience to me.

If you are volunteering, take advantage of the clinics. If you are thinking about volunteering…you will grow! Come and join in the fun.