We will be doing a big update to this site over the next several days - a whole year's worth of partriathlon news is stuck in our inbox!!
Enjoy!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
2013 Paratriathlon Race List - Draft 1
Hi all,
Here is a first crack at arace list for 2013. Watch the sidebar for updates:
11 January – Australian Paratriathlon Championships, Sydney International Regatta Centre
7 April – British Elite Duathlon Championships , Prestwold Hall Airfield, Loughborough
27 May – USA National Paratriathlon Championships, Austin Texas
1-2 June – ITU World Triathlon Series, Madrid
16 June – ETU European Paratriathlon Championships, Alanya, Turkey
6 July – Irish National Paratriathlon Championships, Waterways Ireland Triathlone
7 July – ITU World Triathlon Series, Kitzbuhel (unconfirmed)
13 July – British Paratriathlon Championships, Salford (unconfirmed)
14 July – New York City Triathlon, Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship, New York
20 July - ITU World Triathlon Series, Hamburg (unconfirmed)
12 – 15 September – ITU World Paratriathlon Grand Final, London
Here is a first crack at arace list for 2013. Watch the sidebar for updates:
11 January – Australian Paratriathlon Championships, Sydney International Regatta Centre
7 April – British Elite Duathlon Championships , Prestwold Hall Airfield, Loughborough
27 May – USA National Paratriathlon Championships, Austin Texas
1-2 June – ITU World Triathlon Series, Madrid
16 June – ETU European Paratriathlon Championships, Alanya, Turkey
6 July – Irish National Paratriathlon Championships, Waterways Ireland Triathlone
7 July – ITU World Triathlon Series, Kitzbuhel (unconfirmed)
13 July – British Paratriathlon Championships, Salford (unconfirmed)
14 July – New York City Triathlon, Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship, New York
20 July - ITU World Triathlon Series, Hamburg (unconfirmed)
12 – 15 September – ITU World Paratriathlon Grand Final, London
British Paratriathlon Talent ID Weekend
British Triathlon will be holding a Talent Identification Weekend training Camp on 2-3 Feb 13 at Loughborough University. Check out http://www.britishtriathlon.org/paratriathlon for more details.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
ARTICLE - "From wheelchair to glory in wake of horror crash"
Published on Monday 19 November 2012 09:09 - From http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/from-wheelchair-to-glory-in-wake-of-horror-crash-1-5144846
A DECADE ago, as he lay in a hospital bed following a horrendous car crash, Steve Judge looked down at his badly injured legs and made himself a promise.
A DECADE ago, as he lay in a hospital bed following a horrendous car crash, Steve Judge looked down at his badly injured legs and made himself a promise.
Doctors told him then that he would never walk again because his legs were so badly crushed, and he was forced to endure several operations after losing four inches of bone.
But during all the procedures Mr Judge, now 39, was focusing on the future, and his determination has paid dividends after he lifted an international sporting title.
The father-of two, from Eckington, near Sheffield, was rushed to the city’s Northern General Hospital after the crash in 2002, and medics told him to expect a lifetime in a wheelchair.
For 18 months he was forced to wear a metal cage around his right leg, which had bolts inserted in it. His left leg was also severely damaged after the accident severed a number of nerves.
But earlier this month, Mr Judge beat more than 100 elite athletes from 21 countries across the world to take the world paratriathlon title in Auckland, New Zealand.
He said that in the months and years following the accident he worked hard to regain his strength despite suffering from the long-term effects of his terrible injuries.
Mr Judge who lives with wife Ruth, four-year-old daughter Susie and son Robert, seven, said: “When I woke up from my accident to see my legs crushed, I was told I may never walk again.
“I immediately went into a fight or flight mode. I wanted to prove people wrong so started setting goals – just starting off with eating, drinking and getting up on my own.
“The eventual aim was getting back to my own sense of normality.”
Mr Judge, who still suffers from restricted movement in his left leg, first heard about paratriathlons at Rother Valley Country Park.
After discovering he was eligible to take part, he set himself the challenge of completing one in 2009 and stepped up his fitness regime to include swimming, cycling and a small amount of running.
He achieved that goal, before taking part in the British Paratriathlon Championships in 2009 where he won gold in his category. He then went on to win gold at the European championships in 2011.
To help him achieve the required fitness, Mr Judge began training at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre where he worked with experts to build up his strength and stamina.
He trains closely with swimming coach Richard Harland, who, through the centre’s Swimfit scheme, helped him tailor his approach to swimming and be more efficient in training by taking his disability into account.
Mr Judge, who also works full-time as a health and safety co-ordinator, said: “The whole team at Ponds Forge have played a pivotal role and they’ve been fantastic in helping to tailor my approach to exercise to help the ongoing problems I suffer from.”
He said that as well as swimming, he attends gym sessions and spinning classes, and added: “Pilates and yoga are also particularly good because they build up my core strength, which helps with balance and stability – something that is vital for efficient running.”
Mr Judge is now also a member of the 2012 British Triathlon Paratriathlon Performance Programme and part of the Sheffield Triathlon Club and local running club Killamarsh Kestrels.
His ambition now is centred on the road to Rio 2016 when he hopes to be a part of Team GB, after it was announced that the paratriathlon will form part of the Paralympics for the first time.
He added: “Before my accident I could never have imagined having this level of success. Hopefully Rio will be on the horizon for me, but I want to just take it a year at a time and build on what I’ve already achieved.
“I am a strong believer in making the most of any situation that life throws at you, which is exactly what I am doing now.”
But during all the procedures Mr Judge, now 39, was focusing on the future, and his determination has paid dividends after he lifted an international sporting title.
The father-of two, from Eckington, near Sheffield, was rushed to the city’s Northern General Hospital after the crash in 2002, and medics told him to expect a lifetime in a wheelchair.
For 18 months he was forced to wear a metal cage around his right leg, which had bolts inserted in it. His left leg was also severely damaged after the accident severed a number of nerves.
But earlier this month, Mr Judge beat more than 100 elite athletes from 21 countries across the world to take the world paratriathlon title in Auckland, New Zealand.
He said that in the months and years following the accident he worked hard to regain his strength despite suffering from the long-term effects of his terrible injuries.
Mr Judge who lives with wife Ruth, four-year-old daughter Susie and son Robert, seven, said: “When I woke up from my accident to see my legs crushed, I was told I may never walk again.
“I immediately went into a fight or flight mode. I wanted to prove people wrong so started setting goals – just starting off with eating, drinking and getting up on my own.
“The eventual aim was getting back to my own sense of normality.”
Mr Judge, who still suffers from restricted movement in his left leg, first heard about paratriathlons at Rother Valley Country Park.
After discovering he was eligible to take part, he set himself the challenge of completing one in 2009 and stepped up his fitness regime to include swimming, cycling and a small amount of running.
He achieved that goal, before taking part in the British Paratriathlon Championships in 2009 where he won gold in his category. He then went on to win gold at the European championships in 2011.
To help him achieve the required fitness, Mr Judge began training at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre where he worked with experts to build up his strength and stamina.
He trains closely with swimming coach Richard Harland, who, through the centre’s Swimfit scheme, helped him tailor his approach to swimming and be more efficient in training by taking his disability into account.
Mr Judge, who also works full-time as a health and safety co-ordinator, said: “The whole team at Ponds Forge have played a pivotal role and they’ve been fantastic in helping to tailor my approach to exercise to help the ongoing problems I suffer from.”
He said that as well as swimming, he attends gym sessions and spinning classes, and added: “Pilates and yoga are also particularly good because they build up my core strength, which helps with balance and stability – something that is vital for efficient running.”
Mr Judge is now also a member of the 2012 British Triathlon Paratriathlon Performance Programme and part of the Sheffield Triathlon Club and local running club Killamarsh Kestrels.
His ambition now is centred on the road to Rio 2016 when he hopes to be a part of Team GB, after it was announced that the paratriathlon will form part of the Paralympics for the first time.
He added: “Before my accident I could never have imagined having this level of success. Hopefully Rio will be on the horizon for me, but I want to just take it a year at a time and build on what I’ve already achieved.
“I am a strong believer in making the most of any situation that life throws at you, which is exactly what I am doing now.”
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
ARTICLE - "British Triathlon Boosted By Support For Rio 2016"
From http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/12/18/british-triathlon-boosted-by-support-for-rio-2016/
UK Sport has confirmed their funding programme to British Triathlon for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today (Tuesday 18 December 2012).
British Triathlon has already begun preparations with the recent appointments of a new Performance Director and Head Coach.
The UK Sport award of £5.5m for Olympic preparation and delivery as well as £2.16m for the new paratriathlon programme will ensure that Britain can build on the high level of performance set by the sport in London 2012 when British triathletes won two of the six medals on offer, including gold in the men’s race.
Paratriathlon looks set to become the next big success story with five athletes crowned world champions in their category in Auckland this October.
The UK Sport award for the Rio 2016 Olympic triathlon programme shows a small increase (4%) on the exceptional funding levels of the London cycle, and is based on the performance funding model that recognises the athletes that are already identified on the Rio pathway, with scope for additional investment for athletes identified over the cycle.
Dr Sarah Springman CBE, President of British Triathlon said: “British Triathlon is absolutely delighted about the award for paratriathlon that reflects our enormous potential for Rio 2016 after our paratriathletes won over 40% of the gold medals in the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland and given that the ITU is still working with the IPC on the number of categories and how they will be classified.
“We acknowledge with thanks to UK Sport, at this time of austerity and refocusing priorities after a home Olympic Games, the continued substantial Lottery support for our Olympic programme. I am personally disappointed that the Olympic Award focuses on maintaining our position; we believe we can stretch our performance given the opportunity to introduce programme innovation that we could not afford to implement before which would help to maintain our potential for repeat performances in Rio. We hope that if the triathlon mixed relay is added to the Olympic programme that there will be an opportunity for programme review based on the increase in medal potential.”
After being notified by UK Sport, Zara Hyde Peters OBE, Chief Executive of British Triathlon said: “UK Sport has been a consistent partner to triathlon in delivering on our performance aspirations, and they have demonstrated that support again. The guidelines for funding were clearly laid out and this award recognises the success delivered in a challenging sport, and backs us for success in our new Paralympic journey. When taken alongside the substantial increase in English talent funding that Sport England has just confirmed for our sport, this investment will contribute to ensuring we can maintain this success in future Olympic and Paralympic cycles.”
UK Sport has confirmed their funding programme to British Triathlon for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today (Tuesday 18 December 2012).
British Triathlon has already begun preparations with the recent appointments of a new Performance Director and Head Coach.
The UK Sport award of £5.5m for Olympic preparation and delivery as well as £2.16m for the new paratriathlon programme will ensure that Britain can build on the high level of performance set by the sport in London 2012 when British triathletes won two of the six medals on offer, including gold in the men’s race.
Paratriathlon looks set to become the next big success story with five athletes crowned world champions in their category in Auckland this October.
The UK Sport award for the Rio 2016 Olympic triathlon programme shows a small increase (4%) on the exceptional funding levels of the London cycle, and is based on the performance funding model that recognises the athletes that are already identified on the Rio pathway, with scope for additional investment for athletes identified over the cycle.
Dr Sarah Springman CBE, President of British Triathlon said: “British Triathlon is absolutely delighted about the award for paratriathlon that reflects our enormous potential for Rio 2016 after our paratriathletes won over 40% of the gold medals in the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland and given that the ITU is still working with the IPC on the number of categories and how they will be classified.
“We acknowledge with thanks to UK Sport, at this time of austerity and refocusing priorities after a home Olympic Games, the continued substantial Lottery support for our Olympic programme. I am personally disappointed that the Olympic Award focuses on maintaining our position; we believe we can stretch our performance given the opportunity to introduce programme innovation that we could not afford to implement before which would help to maintain our potential for repeat performances in Rio. We hope that if the triathlon mixed relay is added to the Olympic programme that there will be an opportunity for programme review based on the increase in medal potential.”
After being notified by UK Sport, Zara Hyde Peters OBE, Chief Executive of British Triathlon said: “UK Sport has been a consistent partner to triathlon in delivering on our performance aspirations, and they have demonstrated that support again. The guidelines for funding were clearly laid out and this award recognises the success delivered in a challenging sport, and backs us for success in our new Paralympic journey. When taken alongside the substantial increase in English talent funding that Sport England has just confirmed for our sport, this investment will contribute to ensuring we can maintain this success in future Olympic and Paralympic cycles.”
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
ARTICLE - "Wanted: World-class triathletes"
TORONTO - They are looking beyond the horizon and under their own feet.
Triathlon Canada officials refuse to wait for the next Paula Findlay and Simon Whitfield to emerge from the faceless mass of athletic talent in this country. They could end up waiting a lifetime or more to unearth another pair of gems like that.
The national umbrella body for the increasingly popular, if gruelling, triple-segment sport has embarked on a two-pronged search for potential world-class triathletes.
So they’re fertilizing around the roots ... and watering partway up the tree, too.
“Part B is the kids because the next generation of triathletes takes 12 years to cultivate, and 100 things can go wrong in that time,” says Barrie Shepley, Triathlon Canada coach and former coach at Mac.
“The other part is to find the Gwen Jorgensens.”
Jorgensen has her own, instant, corner in triathlon lore. A college swimmer in Wisconsin who wouldn’t make the U.S. Olympic team, she turned to triathlon in 2010 and the very next year was the silver medallist at the world championships.
“Think of Jesse Lumsden and bobsled,” Shepley says. “A great athlete in another sport and he made the transition. You can do that in triathlon, too. We’re looking for that athlete who has just missed the Olympic team in his or her sport.”
Preferably, that sport would be swimming, biking or distance running — the three pillars of triathlon and “Iron Man” — so the athlete instantly moves closer to the front of the triathlete pack in that segment of triathlon.
Whitfield, who won the first Olympic triathlon 12 years ago, joins Shepley and four-time paratriathlon medallist Grant Darby of Hamilton as the Johnny Appleseeds of triathlon. They want to identify and recruit, from the kids and from the already developed athletes.
“I’d like the other sports to recognize more that we are a complementary sport to theirs,” Whitfield told The Spec as he, Darby and Shepley addressed a group of students at Rene Gordon Elementary Health and Wellness Academy in North York on Tuesday.
“For instance, the dropout rate at the age of 13 in swimming is incredible. Swimming clubs should look at forming a triathlon club and it would keep a lot more of those kids swimming longer.
“I started in triathlon at the age of 11, and that’s definitely an advantage. But there are lots of athletes who can make the quick transition, too. You don’t have to swim well enough to beat Ryan Cochrane to swim in the triathlon.”
Whitfield concedes that Triathlon Canada’s “Tri This” campaign was drawn from the successful American program and ones currently employed by Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“And we’ve given it our own spin.”
Whitfield won the debut triathlon Olympic gold in one of the most memorable finishes of the Sydney Games, took a dramatic silver eight years later and is one of the few men who’ve competed in all four Olympic triathlons. After he broke his collarbone during the transition from swim to bike — “I have a lot of speed-bump jokes now” — early in the Olympic race in London, he said his Olympic career was over and he would move into the longer, harder Iron Man and Endurance Games events.
He’ll compete at the Endurance Games in Barrie in late June (and has a hand in organizing the series) and will test the Iron Man later in the year, but he’s slightly hedging his bets on the Olympics. He told a group of his potential successors at Mac over the weekend that if “they leave the door open” for him he’ll “come through it. But I don’t expect they’ll leave that door open.”
While the quickest way for Canada to develop world-class triathletes may be to second them from other sports — and Shepley says that will only be funded if they demonstrate the physiology necessary to reach elite status — it’s just as important or more so to feed the development system at the grassroots level.
So, “Tri This” aims to make triathlon attractive to youngsters, emphasizing the fun, variety and fitness components. Whitfield, who’s been travelling with his two young daughters this week, captivated his young audience with a variety of public-speaking tricks Tuesday. He’s a natural teacher … and recruiter.
The site of Tuesday’s talk was no accident. Rene Gordon Elementary is a Fit For Life school and has a full-time physical-education teacher, with every child receiving four in-gym, and one in-class phys. ed. classes per week. Whitfield is an advocate of youth fitness and his mother, Linda, is well-known in national educational circles for her work in trying to make daily phys. ed. compulsory across the country.
He and Shepley know that, with the emergence of Britain’s Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny (winners of the Olympic gold and bronze medals), triathlon has entered a new era and Canada cannot just hope that someone of that ability and commitment happens to take up the sport here.
“Simon is committed,” Shepley says, “to finding his replacement.”
Triathlon Canada officials refuse to wait for the next Paula Findlay and Simon Whitfield to emerge from the faceless mass of athletic talent in this country. They could end up waiting a lifetime or more to unearth another pair of gems like that.
The national umbrella body for the increasingly popular, if gruelling, triple-segment sport has embarked on a two-pronged search for potential world-class triathletes.
So they’re fertilizing around the roots ... and watering partway up the tree, too.
“Part B is the kids because the next generation of triathletes takes 12 years to cultivate, and 100 things can go wrong in that time,” says Barrie Shepley, Triathlon Canada coach and former coach at Mac.
“The other part is to find the Gwen Jorgensens.”
Jorgensen has her own, instant, corner in triathlon lore. A college swimmer in Wisconsin who wouldn’t make the U.S. Olympic team, she turned to triathlon in 2010 and the very next year was the silver medallist at the world championships.
“Think of Jesse Lumsden and bobsled,” Shepley says. “A great athlete in another sport and he made the transition. You can do that in triathlon, too. We’re looking for that athlete who has just missed the Olympic team in his or her sport.”
Preferably, that sport would be swimming, biking or distance running — the three pillars of triathlon and “Iron Man” — so the athlete instantly moves closer to the front of the triathlete pack in that segment of triathlon.
Whitfield, who won the first Olympic triathlon 12 years ago, joins Shepley and four-time paratriathlon medallist Grant Darby of Hamilton as the Johnny Appleseeds of triathlon. They want to identify and recruit, from the kids and from the already developed athletes.
“I’d like the other sports to recognize more that we are a complementary sport to theirs,” Whitfield told The Spec as he, Darby and Shepley addressed a group of students at Rene Gordon Elementary Health and Wellness Academy in North York on Tuesday.
“For instance, the dropout rate at the age of 13 in swimming is incredible. Swimming clubs should look at forming a triathlon club and it would keep a lot more of those kids swimming longer.
“I started in triathlon at the age of 11, and that’s definitely an advantage. But there are lots of athletes who can make the quick transition, too. You don’t have to swim well enough to beat Ryan Cochrane to swim in the triathlon.”
Whitfield concedes that Triathlon Canada’s “Tri This” campaign was drawn from the successful American program and ones currently employed by Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“And we’ve given it our own spin.”
Whitfield won the debut triathlon Olympic gold in one of the most memorable finishes of the Sydney Games, took a dramatic silver eight years later and is one of the few men who’ve competed in all four Olympic triathlons. After he broke his collarbone during the transition from swim to bike — “I have a lot of speed-bump jokes now” — early in the Olympic race in London, he said his Olympic career was over and he would move into the longer, harder Iron Man and Endurance Games events.
He’ll compete at the Endurance Games in Barrie in late June (and has a hand in organizing the series) and will test the Iron Man later in the year, but he’s slightly hedging his bets on the Olympics. He told a group of his potential successors at Mac over the weekend that if “they leave the door open” for him he’ll “come through it. But I don’t expect they’ll leave that door open.”
While the quickest way for Canada to develop world-class triathletes may be to second them from other sports — and Shepley says that will only be funded if they demonstrate the physiology necessary to reach elite status — it’s just as important or more so to feed the development system at the grassroots level.
So, “Tri This” aims to make triathlon attractive to youngsters, emphasizing the fun, variety and fitness components. Whitfield, who’s been travelling with his two young daughters this week, captivated his young audience with a variety of public-speaking tricks Tuesday. He’s a natural teacher … and recruiter.
The site of Tuesday’s talk was no accident. Rene Gordon Elementary is a Fit For Life school and has a full-time physical-education teacher, with every child receiving four in-gym, and one in-class phys. ed. classes per week. Whitfield is an advocate of youth fitness and his mother, Linda, is well-known in national educational circles for her work in trying to make daily phys. ed. compulsory across the country.
He and Shepley know that, with the emergence of Britain’s Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny (winners of the Olympic gold and bronze medals), triathlon has entered a new era and Canada cannot just hope that someone of that ability and commitment happens to take up the sport here.
“Simon is committed,” Shepley says, “to finding his replacement.”
ARTICLE - "Veterans to Victors Paratriathlon Camp"
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Nearly 30 wounded military veterans will participate in a three-day paratriathlon camp organized by USA Triathlon and its USA Paratriathlon Committee beginning Thursday in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The event is funded in part by a grant won by USA Triathlon in the U.S. Olympic Committee's inaugural Team USA Grants contest.
Dubbed Veterans to Victors, the camp will introduce triathlon's disciplines of swimming, cycling and running to participants who largely have physical disabilities such as limb loss, paralysis and spinal cord injuries. The three-day camp will be under the direction of the USA Paratriathlon Committee. Assisting in the planning and implantation along with the committee are individuals from the Texas Region Paralympic Sports organization, Operation Comfort (San Antonio) and the Armed Forces Services Corporation (San Antonio), as well as support from many military installation agencies and civilians with ties to the south Texas military communities.
"We're extremely honored to bring the sport of paratriathlon to our armed services heroes," said USA Paratriathlon Committee chairman Mike Lenhart, a graduate of West Point with personal ties to this type of military effort. "The challenges associated with participation in a triathlon competition as well as the strategy leading up to preparing for a race, are great compliments to skills many of these individuals have been taught in the military."
Participants will be divided into two primary groups for the camp's curriculum - wheelchair athletes and ambulatory athletes. Groups will follow a guided curriculum of swimming-cycling-running for the ambulatory participants, and swimming-handcycling-racing wheelchair for the wheelchair participants.
Each portion of the curriculum will be led by experts in the field, as well as accomplished world-class paratriathletes who've participated in the sport for a number of years in the United States and on the international stage. Among the disabled individuals planning to participate as part of the coaching are Scott Rigsby (two-time Ironman World Championship finisher, bilateral leg amputee), Melissa Stockwell (U.S. Army veteran, leg amputee and three-time ITU world champion), Casey Tibbs (U.S. Navy veteran, leg amputee and four-time Paralympic Games medalist) and Saul Mendoza (professional wheelchair athlete and six-time Paralympic medalist).
Unique to this particular event is the joint collaboration between several of the nation's paratriathlon thought leaders. "The individuals that make up the Veterans to Victors committee have worked tirelessly to ensure that all aspects of the camp are well planned and thought through. There is a tremendous amount of experience among the committee members who each implement similar events in their own communities," said Keri Schindler, USA Paratriathlon Committee member and Executive Director for the Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club.
"This camp is a collaboration of those ideas and experiences and will hopefully allow this program to serve as a national model. It is truly a collaboration between several organizations, which are on the forefront of growing the paratriathlon program across the country. USA Triathlon is leading the charge and has enlisted all the major players from around the country, which will make this experience a meaningful one for all involved."
Beyond this week's effort, USA Triathlon is hopeful that the Veterans to Victors program will be the blueprint for future camps in 2013 and beyond for several other major military medical installations that offer physical activity as part of a concerted rehabilitation plan for U.S. wounded veterans.
Interest in paratriathlon is at an all-time high, and the sport continues to grow following a December 2010 announcement that it will debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. A leader on the international paratriathlon scene, the United States recently won the medal count at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships with 13 medals. Visit usatriathlon.org for more on the sport of paratriathlon.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
ARTICLE - "Wounded Veteran Shares Journey of Strength, Joy at 'Celebrate Johnston' Event"
By Ashlee Kieler - November 15, 2012 - From http://johnston-ia.patch.com/articles/wounded-veteran-shares-journey-of-strength-joy-at-celebrate-johnston-event
Retired 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell is a hero by every definition.
She lost her left leg while stationed in Iraq.
She's persevered through recovery to compete at the Paralympics and in several Paratriathlon World Championships, winning two championships.
She's dedicated her life to working to fit other amputees with prosthetics.
And she spends her free time traveling to tell her story of courage, community and patriotism.
Stockwell was the perfect person to kick off the first Celebrate Johnston event on Wednesday evening at Johnston Middle School in front of more than 200 community members and students.
The new community initiative, Celebrate Johnston, strives to satisfy the needs of youths by creating a network of support for the youth and families in Johnston.
"We'll hear the word community a lot tonight," said Shari Walling, a Celebrate Johnston committee member. "We need to celebrate all the positive things that happen here. We want to make this the most positive place in the state of Iowa."
For more than an hour, Stockwell recounted her journey from childhood to proud service member to para-athlete.
"I was born a patriot," she said. "I was born loving this country."
As an adolescent, Stockwell was a passionate gymnast with a dream of competing in the Olympics.
When that dream didn't come to fruition, she followed another dream, to serve her country.
"I always wanted to be in the military," she said of joining the ROTC as a sophomore at the University of Colorado. "When I put on that uniform, I knew I was where I was supposed to be."
On September 11, 2001, Stockwell, dressed in her uniform, watched the news unfold from New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania with other students.
"I remember hearing it wasn't a matter of if we'd be deployed, but when," she said.
After a stint at Fort Hood in Texas, Stockwell was deployed to Iraq in early 2004 as a platoon leader and convoy commander.
"I was slated to be there for one year," she said.
But her stay would be much shorter.
After a few weeks of drills in Kuwait, Stockwell worked another three weeks helping to transport supplies in Iraq.
After three weeks, she was to spend one day learning another transportation route to take over for the next three weeks.
That day, April 13, 2004, was the last day she would stand on her own two legs.
After about ten minutes of driving, the convoy began to swerve under an underpass, a technique to not be hit from above by people dropping items.
"Then I heard a big boom," she recalled.
The Humvee she was riding in swerved and hit a guardrail. After, she noticed blood on her leg. A combat medic pulled her out and wrapped a tourniquet on her leg.
"On the sand in Iraq I thought, 'What's going to happen to me?'," Stockwell recalled.
From there she was transported to a hospital in the Green Zone of Baghdad, then to Germany and finally to Walter Reed Medical Center.
"I was showed a picture of the vehicle, with my blood on the ground," she said. "It shows where I came from and and where I am now."
Seeing other wounded soldiers, many who had lost more than she, Stockwell decided to live her life for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
She received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star when she retired.
The worst part of her stay at Walter Reed was waiting to get better, to walk again.
But one thing that helped pass the time was visits from politicians and celebrities.
"My favorites were Tom Hanks and the Osbournes (Ozzy and Sharon)," she said. "Tom Hanks was very genuine. What do I say about the Osbournes, Sharon sat on the bed and Ozzy wandered around the room. It really helped pass the time, it was always an adventure."
Three months after arriving at Walter Reed, Stockwell started physical therapy to walk again.
"I knew something was missing," she said. "I was always active in sports. I was lucky to have organizations that work to get soldiers out."
Shortly after, Stockwell finished the New York Marathon on a hand-cranked bicycle. After that she went on a skiing trip to Breckenridge, CO, with the help of the Wounded Warrior Project.
"If I could do that, I could do anything," she said.
When a man came to Walter Reed to talk about the Paralympics, Stockwell's dream of being an Olympian was reborn.
"It was almost a second chance, I could represent my country in a different way," she said.
Stockwell's new goal was to make it to the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008.
After much training, between her schooling to fit prosthetics, Stockwell reached the Paralympic trials in April 2008, four years after losing her leg.
"It's very competitive, some of these women were born that way, and had been swimming a long time," she said. "But I had the meet of my life. It just shows that if you have a goal, a dream, you can really achieve it, hard work pays off."
That summer, Stockwell would swim in the same pool in Beijing that Michael Phelps did, only a few weeks later. However, Stockwell only came home with a participation medal.
"That whole journey, I couldn't be prouder," she said. "I learned a real important lesson, the journey to get to a place is more important than a medal."
Stockwell was nominated to carry the United States flag during the closing ceremonies - an honor usually reserved for an athlete who received several medals.
In the years since, Stockwell has taken to sprint paratriathlons competing in three World Championships.
Most recently in New Zealand three weeks ago, she crossed the finish line with an American flag on her shoulders.
"We all have stories of our lives," she said. "I'm a proud American. I hope you all have a chance to tell your story and that you would be proud. Live a life where you're proud of yourself."
Today, Stockwell spends time at her home in Chicago, working to fit prosthetics and preparing for her next competition.
She also serves on the board for the Wounded Warriors Project and helps with the Challenge Athlete Foundation. She can also be seen in the documentary "Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing".
Stockwell embodies everything that is Celebrate Johnston. She views the world with positivity, joy and enthusiasm, the evening’s program said.
Eighth-grade students Biz Foutch and Hannah Lee were on hand not only for the presentation, but to hand out fliers for Celebrate Johnston.
"I think this helps a lot of kids not to give up on their dreams," Hannah said. "It's very inspiring."
Biz said Stockwell's story makes you look forward to what is out there, what you can get out of life.
She lost her left leg while stationed in Iraq.
She's persevered through recovery to compete at the Paralympics and in several Paratriathlon World Championships, winning two championships.
She's dedicated her life to working to fit other amputees with prosthetics.
And she spends her free time traveling to tell her story of courage, community and patriotism.
Stockwell was the perfect person to kick off the first Celebrate Johnston event on Wednesday evening at Johnston Middle School in front of more than 200 community members and students.
The new community initiative, Celebrate Johnston, strives to satisfy the needs of youths by creating a network of support for the youth and families in Johnston.
"We'll hear the word community a lot tonight," said Shari Walling, a Celebrate Johnston committee member. "We need to celebrate all the positive things that happen here. We want to make this the most positive place in the state of Iowa."
For more than an hour, Stockwell recounted her journey from childhood to proud service member to para-athlete.
"I was born a patriot," she said. "I was born loving this country."
As an adolescent, Stockwell was a passionate gymnast with a dream of competing in the Olympics.
When that dream didn't come to fruition, she followed another dream, to serve her country.
"I always wanted to be in the military," she said of joining the ROTC as a sophomore at the University of Colorado. "When I put on that uniform, I knew I was where I was supposed to be."
On September 11, 2001, Stockwell, dressed in her uniform, watched the news unfold from New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania with other students.
"I remember hearing it wasn't a matter of if we'd be deployed, but when," she said.
After a stint at Fort Hood in Texas, Stockwell was deployed to Iraq in early 2004 as a platoon leader and convoy commander.
"I was slated to be there for one year," she said.
But her stay would be much shorter.
After a few weeks of drills in Kuwait, Stockwell worked another three weeks helping to transport supplies in Iraq.
After three weeks, she was to spend one day learning another transportation route to take over for the next three weeks.
That day, April 13, 2004, was the last day she would stand on her own two legs.
After about ten minutes of driving, the convoy began to swerve under an underpass, a technique to not be hit from above by people dropping items.
"Then I heard a big boom," she recalled.
The Humvee she was riding in swerved and hit a guardrail. After, she noticed blood on her leg. A combat medic pulled her out and wrapped a tourniquet on her leg.
"On the sand in Iraq I thought, 'What's going to happen to me?'," Stockwell recalled.
From there she was transported to a hospital in the Green Zone of Baghdad, then to Germany and finally to Walter Reed Medical Center.
"I was showed a picture of the vehicle, with my blood on the ground," she said. "It shows where I came from and and where I am now."
Seeing other wounded soldiers, many who had lost more than she, Stockwell decided to live her life for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
She received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star when she retired.
The worst part of her stay at Walter Reed was waiting to get better, to walk again.
But one thing that helped pass the time was visits from politicians and celebrities.
"My favorites were Tom Hanks and the Osbournes (Ozzy and Sharon)," she said. "Tom Hanks was very genuine. What do I say about the Osbournes, Sharon sat on the bed and Ozzy wandered around the room. It really helped pass the time, it was always an adventure."
Three months after arriving at Walter Reed, Stockwell started physical therapy to walk again.
"I knew something was missing," she said. "I was always active in sports. I was lucky to have organizations that work to get soldiers out."
Shortly after, Stockwell finished the New York Marathon on a hand-cranked bicycle. After that she went on a skiing trip to Breckenridge, CO, with the help of the Wounded Warrior Project.
"If I could do that, I could do anything," she said.
When a man came to Walter Reed to talk about the Paralympics, Stockwell's dream of being an Olympian was reborn.
"It was almost a second chance, I could represent my country in a different way," she said.
Stockwell's new goal was to make it to the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008.
After much training, between her schooling to fit prosthetics, Stockwell reached the Paralympic trials in April 2008, four years after losing her leg.
"It's very competitive, some of these women were born that way, and had been swimming a long time," she said. "But I had the meet of my life. It just shows that if you have a goal, a dream, you can really achieve it, hard work pays off."
That summer, Stockwell would swim in the same pool in Beijing that Michael Phelps did, only a few weeks later. However, Stockwell only came home with a participation medal.
"That whole journey, I couldn't be prouder," she said. "I learned a real important lesson, the journey to get to a place is more important than a medal."
Stockwell was nominated to carry the United States flag during the closing ceremonies - an honor usually reserved for an athlete who received several medals.
In the years since, Stockwell has taken to sprint paratriathlons competing in three World Championships.
Most recently in New Zealand three weeks ago, she crossed the finish line with an American flag on her shoulders.
"We all have stories of our lives," she said. "I'm a proud American. I hope you all have a chance to tell your story and that you would be proud. Live a life where you're proud of yourself."
Today, Stockwell spends time at her home in Chicago, working to fit prosthetics and preparing for her next competition.
She also serves on the board for the Wounded Warriors Project and helps with the Challenge Athlete Foundation. She can also be seen in the documentary "Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing".
Stockwell embodies everything that is Celebrate Johnston. She views the world with positivity, joy and enthusiasm, the evening’s program said.
Eighth-grade students Biz Foutch and Hannah Lee were on hand not only for the presentation, but to hand out fliers for Celebrate Johnston.
"I think this helps a lot of kids not to give up on their dreams," Hannah said. "It's very inspiring."
Biz said Stockwell's story makes you look forward to what is out there, what you can get out of life.
ARTICLE - "Paralympic aim for world champion disabled athlete"
Published on Thursday 15 November 2012 12:09 - From http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/paralympic-aim-for-world-champion-disabled-athlete-1-5130692
A DISABLED athlete who went on to become a world champion after recovering from serious injuries suffered in a car accident is setting his sights on the ultimate prize - a gold medal at the Paralympics in four years’ time.
A DISABLED athlete who went on to become a world champion after recovering from serious injuries suffered in a car accident is setting his sights on the ultimate prize - a gold medal at the Paralympics in four years’ time.
Steve Judge was involved in a near-fatal road smash 10 years ago which crushed both of his legs, leaving him facing the prospect of never walking again.
But surgeons managed to save his limbs, and following months of gruelling rehabilitation sessions, the runner was able to compete in sporting activities again, going on to win gold at the Paratriathlon World Championships in New Zealand.
Steve, aged 39, who lives in Eckington, has now starting training for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, and said being successful at the event would be ‘the pinnacle’ of his career.
“The ultimate for me would be winning the gold medal,” said Steve, who trains for at least 10 hours each week and is a member of the Sheffield Triathlon Club.
But he added: “You’ve got to be careful what you visualise - if you visualise winning the gold then you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. I’m just going to give the best I can, and imagine myself crossing the finishing line exhausted and happy. That’s how I visualise it at the moment.”
Steve said he will be taking his preparations ‘year by year’.
“It’s been very tough and a long season but it’s paid off. After my accident I never thought I would run again, so I just want to run as often as I can, because I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”
Before the crash, Steve ran with the Killamarsh Kestrels and was an amateur rugby player in Doncaster, as well as working as quality manager for a plastics firm.
“When I had the accident I lost my job and everything else, really,” he said. “My life was turned upside down.”
Steve lost control of his car while driving near Crystal Peaks, and said the force of the impact caused the vehicle to bend in half, trapping his legs in the process.
He was in hospital for five weeks initially, but took a full two years to recover from his ordeal.
He had to learn to stand and walk again after being wheelchair-bound.
“Being told I would never walk again encouraged me to prove them wrong and push myself,” Steve said.
“I wanted to prove that this accident had not ruined my life. I wanted to be better than I was before the accident. I already had cycling times and running times, so I competed against myself and did a lot of training.”
Doctors needed to replace three ligaments in Steve’s left leg with pig ligaments, and fitted a prosthesis on his ankle to correct his balance. His right leg also required painful treatment to force it back into shape.
“It looks quite horrific if anyone sees it, but I can stand on it and obviously run with it,” he said.
Steve initially took part in events such as charity runs, but missed competitive sport, and took up the paratriathlon in 2009.
Earlier this year, he scooped the title of British champion, and last month won gold in the TRI Three paratriathlete category at the World Triathlon Grand Final.
He completed the 300 metre swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run in one hour, two minutes and 55 seconds.
Steve’s category refers to athletes with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, multiple limb paralysis or disabilities in both legs.
“I pushed myself to the limit and gave it my best. It was an amazing feeling sprinting for the line, hearing the crowd cheer and the announcer say that I was the world champion,” Steve said.
“As I crossed the line, I grabbed the finish banner with clenched fists and shouted my delight before I was unable to hold back tears of elation, exhaustion and relief. “The medal ceremony, and seeing the British flag being raised and hearing the national anthem played in my honour, was amazing.”
Steve lives with his wife Ruth, 38, who works as a teacher, along with their son Robert, seven, and daughter Susannah, four. He is now a health and safety co-ordinator for Sheffield construction company Barlow’s, and is getting sponsorship with his Paralympic training from the makers of sports recovery drink Nourish Me Now.
The paratriathlon was not included in the 2012 Games. Steve said he was disappointed about missing his chance this year, but that he is determined to compete next time.
“Ever since my accident I have set myself goals which originally revolved around standing and walking again. Through my accident and rehabilitation I have learned to recognise the difference between facts and excuses.
“When I see an excuse not to do something, I convert that into a challenge.”
But surgeons managed to save his limbs, and following months of gruelling rehabilitation sessions, the runner was able to compete in sporting activities again, going on to win gold at the Paratriathlon World Championships in New Zealand.
Steve, aged 39, who lives in Eckington, has now starting training for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, and said being successful at the event would be ‘the pinnacle’ of his career.
“The ultimate for me would be winning the gold medal,” said Steve, who trains for at least 10 hours each week and is a member of the Sheffield Triathlon Club.
But he added: “You’ve got to be careful what you visualise - if you visualise winning the gold then you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. I’m just going to give the best I can, and imagine myself crossing the finishing line exhausted and happy. That’s how I visualise it at the moment.”
Steve said he will be taking his preparations ‘year by year’.
“It’s been very tough and a long season but it’s paid off. After my accident I never thought I would run again, so I just want to run as often as I can, because I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”
Before the crash, Steve ran with the Killamarsh Kestrels and was an amateur rugby player in Doncaster, as well as working as quality manager for a plastics firm.
“When I had the accident I lost my job and everything else, really,” he said. “My life was turned upside down.”
Steve lost control of his car while driving near Crystal Peaks, and said the force of the impact caused the vehicle to bend in half, trapping his legs in the process.
He was in hospital for five weeks initially, but took a full two years to recover from his ordeal.
He had to learn to stand and walk again after being wheelchair-bound.
“Being told I would never walk again encouraged me to prove them wrong and push myself,” Steve said.
“I wanted to prove that this accident had not ruined my life. I wanted to be better than I was before the accident. I already had cycling times and running times, so I competed against myself and did a lot of training.”
Doctors needed to replace three ligaments in Steve’s left leg with pig ligaments, and fitted a prosthesis on his ankle to correct his balance. His right leg also required painful treatment to force it back into shape.
“It looks quite horrific if anyone sees it, but I can stand on it and obviously run with it,” he said.
Steve initially took part in events such as charity runs, but missed competitive sport, and took up the paratriathlon in 2009.
Earlier this year, he scooped the title of British champion, and last month won gold in the TRI Three paratriathlete category at the World Triathlon Grand Final.
He completed the 300 metre swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run in one hour, two minutes and 55 seconds.
Steve’s category refers to athletes with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, multiple limb paralysis or disabilities in both legs.
“I pushed myself to the limit and gave it my best. It was an amazing feeling sprinting for the line, hearing the crowd cheer and the announcer say that I was the world champion,” Steve said.
“As I crossed the line, I grabbed the finish banner with clenched fists and shouted my delight before I was unable to hold back tears of elation, exhaustion and relief. “The medal ceremony, and seeing the British flag being raised and hearing the national anthem played in my honour, was amazing.”
Steve lives with his wife Ruth, 38, who works as a teacher, along with their son Robert, seven, and daughter Susannah, four. He is now a health and safety co-ordinator for Sheffield construction company Barlow’s, and is getting sponsorship with his Paralympic training from the makers of sports recovery drink Nourish Me Now.
The paratriathlon was not included in the 2012 Games. Steve said he was disappointed about missing his chance this year, but that he is determined to compete next time.
“Ever since my accident I have set myself goals which originally revolved around standing and walking again. Through my accident and rehabilitation I have learned to recognise the difference between facts and excuses.
“When I see an excuse not to do something, I convert that into a challenge.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
ARTICLE - "French triathlete Bourseaux wins IPC Athlete of the Month Award for October"
Tuesday, 13 November 2012 - By Duncan Mackay - From http://www.insidethegames.biz/paralympics/summer-sports/triathlon/1011657-french-triathlete-bourseaux-wins-ipc-athlete-of-the-month-award-for-october
November 13 - France's Yannick Bourseaux has been voted as the International Paralympic Committee's Athlete of the Month for October after winning his second Paratriathlon world title in Auckland.
November 13 - France's Yannick Bourseaux has been voted as the International Paralympic Committee's Athlete of the Month for October after winning his second Paratriathlon world title in Auckland.
Bourseaux claimed his second career title in the men's TRI-4 at the World Championships on October 22.
"I did the job I had to do by winning the race and I was very happy with first place," Bourseaux said.
The 37-year-old is a hugely talented athlete who is hoping to qualify to compete in nordic skiing at Sochi 2014 before taking part in the triathlon at Rio 2016 when the sport makes its debut in the Paralympics.
"It's good to train for triathlon in summer to prepare for the winter season," Bourseaux said.
"When it's summer, I like riding my bike in the mountains.
"In winter, I like cross-country skiing in the mountains, too.
"I think training for triathlon is like a way of life.
"When you love what you do, it's not a problem."
Bourseaux was previously an able-bodied triathlete prior to his accident in 2004, in which he fell off a ledge in the French Alps on his bike, leaving him with a paralysed right arm.
Yannick Bourseaux took part in the biathlon at Vancouver 2010
Bourseaux competed in biathlon and cross-country skiing at the Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, but he has yet to win a medal.
Bourseaux received 45 per cent of the public's vote to beat fellow Paratriathlete, American Melissa Stockwell, who finished with 39 per cent of the vote.
Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug, South African wheelchair tennis player Kgothatso Montjane and Jamaican javelin thrower Alphanso Cunningham were also up for the monthly award.
"I did the job I had to do by winning the race and I was very happy with first place," Bourseaux said.
The 37-year-old is a hugely talented athlete who is hoping to qualify to compete in nordic skiing at Sochi 2014 before taking part in the triathlon at Rio 2016 when the sport makes its debut in the Paralympics.
"It's good to train for triathlon in summer to prepare for the winter season," Bourseaux said.
"When it's summer, I like riding my bike in the mountains.
"In winter, I like cross-country skiing in the mountains, too.
"I think training for triathlon is like a way of life.
"When you love what you do, it's not a problem."
Bourseaux was previously an able-bodied triathlete prior to his accident in 2004, in which he fell off a ledge in the French Alps on his bike, leaving him with a paralysed right arm.
Yannick Bourseaux took part in the biathlon at Vancouver 2010Bourseaux competed in biathlon and cross-country skiing at the Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, but he has yet to win a medal.
Bourseaux received 45 per cent of the public's vote to beat fellow Paratriathlete, American Melissa Stockwell, who finished with 39 per cent of the vote.
Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug, South African wheelchair tennis player Kgothatso Montjane and Jamaican javelin thrower Alphanso Cunningham were also up for the monthly award.
ARTICLE - "Family, competition help Ridgefield para athlete thrive"
RIDGEFIELD -- Robin Caruso won a gold medal and a world title for running and biking in her para athlete category in September at the 2012 ITU Duathlon World Championships in Nancy, France.
Three weeks later, the 5-foot-4, 110-pound athlete finished fourth for Team USA in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in New Zealand running, biking and swimming.
She qualified for the worlds by winning her fifth national title in a row in May at the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championships.
Caruso's winning ways make it hard to imagine her five years ago, after she was hit by a van in Wilton while on a training bike ride.
The life-threatening accident left her without use of her right arm and with constant pain.
But it also proved her mettle.
"At the beginning, when the doctor told me, `You will never use your arm again,' I was devastated. I had some really dark days that first year,'' the 46-year-old Caruso said.
"It's just five years, but while it's crazy, it feels like a lifetime," she said. "Everything we've done as a family and traveling around the world makes it feel like I've been like this forever."
Caruso and her husband, Tom, have three sons, T.J., 10, and Michael and Nicolas, 7-year-old twins.
She admits her main regret is that after the accident she couldn't give her nearly 2-year-old twins the attention she had given her older son.
"What I tell my boys is that every day is a gift," she said. "I'm lucky to be here. I'm blessed with everything I've got. I try to keep a positive outlook."
Caruso was a gymnast growing up in New Jersey, and always competitive. About six years ago, she took up all three sports that make up the triathlon -- swimming, biking and running.
Bethel Cycle owner Greg Pelican sold her her first bike.
Caruso rides with his group of cyclists, and she traveled to France for the Duathlon World Championships with Pelican and three other cycling friends who were competing in the running and cycling event.
"I was there when they played the national anthem, and she was standing on the podium," Pelican said. "It brought tears to my eyes, because I know what she has gone through. To be the best in the world is amazing. It was an amazing highlight of our trip. It was the top success for us."
Caruso said that after her accident, she did fall a lot at first on the bike, as she learned to ride without the help of one arm. She'd lean too far on her good side or put too much pressure on her bad side. She also decided not to use a sling while running because it affected her balance.
Still, nearly one year to the day after the accident, she won her first race as a para triathlete at the 2008 Accenture USA Paratriathlon National Championship.
Competing is important, she said, but her family sustains her.
In 2010, she competed in her first world championship in Budapest in a parathriathlon.
"I got crushed. I was disappointed," she said. "But when I talked on the phone to my son, T. J., after the race, he said, `It's OK you're not the world champion, you're my world champion.' "
And she remembers coming home from her gold medal victory in France.
"The best moment was when I walked in the door at home and my three boys came running up to me screaming, `Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,' '' she said.
Bicycling is her strength, but swimming is hard for her.
"No matter how fast I get, I still am swimming with one arm,'' she said.
Plus, it's hard in competition for her to strip out of the wet suit and start cycling without losing too much time. She missed third place in the world championship games in China in 2011 by 30 seconds, and blames in part her struggle with her suit.
She loves that her son, Michael, talks about her events at his school.
"It's great that they are proud of me, that they can see what I can do, no matter my disability," she said. "It's very good to show them that you keep on trying despite how hard it gets."
Caruso was top paratriathlon finisher at the 2010 Florida Ironman 70.3 and at the 2009 Chicago Triathlon.
The International Paralympic Committee plans to have the paratriathlon event debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Caruso won't dismiss the chance of competing there, but admits it would be tough because there are no age groups.
"I embrace challenge," she said. "I keep on going on. I didn't have an option with three little boys to raise."In some ways, when I'm racing I feel normal. Even when I swim, I feel normal. It opens up my mind and I get on with doing it."
Read more: http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Family-competition-help-Ridgefield-para-athlete-4034175.php#ixzz2GG5ISDGv
Friday, November 9, 2012
ARTICLE - "Training for the Long Run"
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/7927553/Training-for-the-long-run
Blind paratriathlete Rob Matthews is in rigorous training for his third big endurance race in as many months.
The Kohimarama-based sports massage therapist trains and competes with sighted guide Matt Bailey.
Matthews lost his sight at age 20 due to a degenerative eye condition.
He was pleased to come seventh at his second attempt at the World Paratriathlon Championships finals held in Auckland on October 22.
Six days later he came second in the Auckland Half Marathon out of nearly 300 competitors in the 51 to 55 age group.
Matthews' next challenge will be the California International Marathon on December 2 in Sacramento.
"I'm more confident after the last two weeks about the upcoming marathon. I think I can run it in under three hours, all going well." The world championship event in Auckland included a 750 metre swim around Queen's Wharf, a 20 kilometre bike race on a racing tandem and a 5km run.
"There was a lot of room for improvement with the swim leg of the race. Swimming is my weakest area so we'd been focusing a lot on that. I also had the slowest transition time so I'm pleased with how I did," he says.
Matthews represented his native United Kingdom for 23 years winning 29 international gold medals, nine silver and six bronze and setting 22 world records. He has competed for New Zealand since 1999.
Training continues for Matthews and Bailey in preparation for the Sacramento event. Then they will focus on next year's running calendar.
The pair would like to thank Building Service Contractors NZ for its sponsorship of training expenses, entry fees and other costs.
Blind paratriathlete Rob Matthews is in rigorous training for his third big endurance race in as many months.
The Kohimarama-based sports massage therapist trains and competes with sighted guide Matt Bailey.
Matthews lost his sight at age 20 due to a degenerative eye condition.
He was pleased to come seventh at his second attempt at the World Paratriathlon Championships finals held in Auckland on October 22.
Six days later he came second in the Auckland Half Marathon out of nearly 300 competitors in the 51 to 55 age group.
Matthews' next challenge will be the California International Marathon on December 2 in Sacramento.
"I'm more confident after the last two weeks about the upcoming marathon. I think I can run it in under three hours, all going well." The world championship event in Auckland included a 750 metre swim around Queen's Wharf, a 20 kilometre bike race on a racing tandem and a 5km run.
"There was a lot of room for improvement with the swim leg of the race. Swimming is my weakest area so we'd been focusing a lot on that. I also had the slowest transition time so I'm pleased with how I did," he says.
Matthews represented his native United Kingdom for 23 years winning 29 international gold medals, nine silver and six bronze and setting 22 world records. He has competed for New Zealand since 1999.
Training continues for Matthews and Bailey in preparation for the Sacramento event. Then they will focus on next year's running calendar.
The pair would like to thank Building Service Contractors NZ for its sponsorship of training expenses, entry fees and other costs.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
ARTICLE - "Stockwell named USOC female Athlete of the Month"
From http://www.insidethegames.biz/paralympics/summer-sports/triathlon/1011604-stockwell-named-usoc-female-athlete-of-the-year-award
November 8 - Melissa Stockwell has been named as the female Athlete of the Month for October by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) following her gold-medal winning performance at the 2012 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Paratriathlon World Championships.
The 32-year-old from Chicago, an Iraq war veteran, won her third consecutive International Paratriathlon World Championships title in the TRI-2 category in Auckland.
November 8 - Melissa Stockwell has been named as the female Athlete of the Month for October by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) following her gold-medal winning performance at the 2012 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Paratriathlon World Championships.
The 32-year-old from Chicago, an Iraq war veteran, won her third consecutive International Paratriathlon World Championships title in the TRI-2 category in Auckland.
Stockwell won in convincing fashion, finishing more than four minutes clear of her closest competitor and covering the course in 1 hour 22min 14sec.
A first lieutenant, she was the first woman soldier to lose a limb in the Iraq War. She lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded when she was leading a convoy in Baghdad
Stockwell is one of five finalists for the International Paralympic Committee Athlete of the Month for October.
A first lieutenant, she was the first woman soldier to lose a limb in the Iraq War. She lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded when she was leading a convoy in Baghdad
Stockwell is one of five finalists for the International Paralympic Committee Athlete of the Month for October.
Monday, November 5, 2012
ARTICLE - "Carlsbad Paratriathlete Ranks Among Best in World"
CARLSBAD — When Erica Davis became the first woman to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair, she was just starting to reach the peak of her athletic accomplishments.
The conquest two years ago only spurred the Carlsbad resident to intensify her ongoing training as a paratriathlete. Now she’s among the world’s best in her class with a long-range target of competing when the event becomes an Olympic sport in 2016 and likewise is included in the Paralympics.
Davis, a first-time national champion, placed fifth in her initial venture to the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships on Oct. 15 in Auckland, New Zealand, in the field for paraplegic women.
“It definitely makes me want to do the sport more,” said Davis, 31, who has been involved in triathlons on and off for five years. “There’s some tough competition out there, so of course, it just makes you want to up your game.”
Davis last walked on Dec. 31, 2005, when she was affected by a leak from blood vessels near her spinal cord. The condition known as cavernous hemangioma left her paralyzed from the chest down. Still, it couldn’t stop her from continuing an athletic lifestyle.
In the fourth grade, Davis started running 5-kilometer races. During high school, she especially enjoyed playing competitive flag football at the Lodi Academy, named after her hometown, as well as competing in volleyball, basketball and softball.
The triathlon followed through the encouragement of a friend when Davis taught PE in Hawaii. Then it again lured her when she moved to Carlsbad in 2007 for physical therapy and found herself in a mecca of the sport.
“Erica’s a very adventurous young woman,” said Sandi Rush, of Fallbrook, a fellow parathlete who trains weekly with Davis. “She’s up to any challenge that anyone puts in front of her. Also, she’s very focused and determined in her training. She’s just an all-around great person.”
The 5-foot-6 Davis received her first racing chair from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, based in San Diego, and it was partly through that association that she became involved in the Mount Kilimanjaro expedition.
“I wanted to be a trailblazer and make the way easier for others so that they can do it, too,” Davis said. “In a sense, that goes back to when my injury happened, and we didn’t exactly have a whole lot of help from (government) social workers. If I have to climb a big mountain to do that, then I will.”
Davis completed the Mount Kilimanjaro climb in six days in January 2010 as part of a team junket. She’s since received suggestions that she also try scaling other mountains, yet she’s more intent on the triathlon.
In the nationals this year, Davis prevailed with a time of 1:45:57 in Austin, Texas, on May 23 over a course that included a 750-meter swim, 20K bike ride and 5K race.
There were cold waters at the world championships, so much so that the swim leg was shortened to 300 meters. Davis finished in 1:25:35, while Great Britain’s Karen Darke placed first in 1:06:58.
Monday, October 15, 2012
ARTICLE - "Birth Defect No Obstacle to Triathlon Success"
CARLSBAD — In his job as a trainer at a fitness center, Jamie Brown once gave a club member a challenge of sorts to intensify her workouts.
“I don’t see any sweat on you,” Brown remarked to Erica Davis, a paratriathlete in training.
“Why don’t you train me and make me sweat,” Davis replied.
Like Davis, Brown enjoyed athletic endeavors despite physical disabilities. Born without a fibula in his right leg, Brown had his right foot amputated before his first birthday yet still engaged in youth sports, leading to a focus on baseball as a pitcher in high school and college.
So, in turn, Davis issued the Vista High grad a challenge to try triathlons.
Brown had hardly ever considered triathlons. Fewer than three years later, though, the Carlsbad resident is a two-time national champion set to compete in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships for the first time in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sunday.
“At first I called myself a uni-athlete rather than a triathlete,” said Brown, 33, a training supervisor at 24-Hour Fitness in Escondido. “But the competitiveness and constantly trying to perfect three different sports definitely piqued my interest.”
Along with helping Brown with his training, Davis connected him with the Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego for support, including grants for travel.
“The more Jamie talked to me, the more I could see he’s a natural athlete,” said Davis, of Carlsbad, who is also competing in the world championships. “The first time, he did great in a relay. It was just amazing to see him take off from there. I’m very proud with what he’s accomplished in this short amount of time.”
Some of Brown’s early triathlon workouts were also with co-worker Vanessa Hobson, who first came to him to help lose weight following childbirth and ended up competing in local triathlons herself.
“I went with him on his first run because I was more of a runner,” said Hobson, a senior marketing manager in the company’s Carlsbad corporate office. “He said, ‘Let me run with you, and I’ll teach you how to bike and swim.’ He was on his normal walking (prosthesis) and could keep up. Then a month after he got his running leg, he was kicking my butt.”
Brown emerged on a grand stage a year ago as the winner among below-knee amputees in the New York City Paratriathlon, considered the national championship at the time. He had a time of 2:26:50 over a course that included a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40K bike ride and 10K run in just his second full race.
This year’s national championship was conducted at about the half those distances in anticipation of the shorter Olympic course for the debut of the sport at the 2016 Games. Brown again prevailed in 1:15 on May 23 in Austin, Texas.
Brown, who has just three fingers on his right hand because of his birth defect, draws not only on his past playing career, including Chapman University, but also an eight-year stint through 2010 as an assistant baseball coach at Vista High School.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
ARTICLE - "Austin’s Patricia Walsh defends national championship in paratriathlon"
From http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/fitcity/entries/2012/05/29/_congrats_to_everyone_who.html/
Congrats to everyone who raced in the Capital of Texas Triathlon yesterday, and especially to paratriathlete Patricia Walsh, who defended her national championship among visually impaired athletes.
For the first time this year, the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championship was held in conjunction with the Cap Tex Tri. National titles were awarded in six divisions, and division winners also earned spots on the USA Paratriathlon National Team, which will compete at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 22.
“We all have our eye on the prize; I can’t wait,” Walsh said in press release from USA Triathlon. “To be able to come back and be the national champion a second year in a row in what is now my hometown — it’s one of the real highlights of my athletic career.”
The paratriathletes swam 750 meters, biked 20 kilometers and ran 5 kilometers.
Paratriathlon will make its debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, a goal for many paratriathletes racing in Austin.
Here are the winners of the 2012 USA Partriathlon National Championship:
Congrats to everyone who raced in the Capital of Texas Triathlon yesterday, and especially to paratriathlete Patricia Walsh, who defended her national championship among visually impaired athletes.
For the first time this year, the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championship was held in conjunction with the Cap Tex Tri. National titles were awarded in six divisions, and division winners also earned spots on the USA Paratriathlon National Team, which will compete at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 22.
“We all have our eye on the prize; I can’t wait,” Walsh said in press release from USA Triathlon. “To be able to come back and be the national champion a second year in a row in what is now my hometown — it’s one of the real highlights of my athletic career.”
The paratriathletes swam 750 meters, biked 20 kilometers and ran 5 kilometers.
Paratriathlon will make its debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, a goal for many paratriathletes racing in Austin.
Here are the winners of the 2012 USA Partriathlon National Championship:
- Female TRI-1: Erica Davis (Carlsbad, Calif.), 1:45:57
- Male TRI-1: Geoffrey Kennedy (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico), 1:10:47
- Female TRI-2: Melissa Stockwell (Chicago, Ill.), 1:33:56
- Male TRI-2: Mark Barr (Galveston, Texas), 1:27:09
- Female TRI-3: Beth Price (Spanish Fort, Ala.), 1:39:17
- Male TRI-3: Sean Vangerena (Orlando, Fla.), 1:14:53
- Female TRI-4: Robin Caruso (Ridgefield, Conn.), 1:29:49
- Male TRI-4: Daniel Hathorn (Virginia Beach, Va.), 1:08:41
- Female TRI-5: Patricia Collins (Harker Heights, Texas), 1:22:20
- Male TRI-5: James Brown (Carlsbad, Calif.), 1:15:00
- Female TRI-6: Patricia Walsh (Austin, Texas), 1:18:28
- Male TRI-6: Jeremy Winters (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 1:24:31
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