A View from the Top

| Sports Roundup

By Tom Scott

U.S. Paralympians share their perspectives on living with disabilities and competing in the 2010 Winter Games

Approximately 1,350 Paralympic athletes and officials representing over 40 countries will converge on Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, from March 12–21 for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games. Competition will include alpine skiing, biathlon, wheelchair curling, and sled hockey (www.vancouver2010.com).

Talented athletes from across the country will represent the U.S. Paralympic Team at the Games (www.usparalympics.org). Their emergence as world class competitors and climb to the upper echelon of sports are unique and inspiring journeys. Beyond the spotlight of the Paralympics, however, each athlete’s struggle to overcome a disability reflects upon many of our own experiences.

These individuals prove that each of us has the ability to rise above adversity and realize our dreams––whether it is competing in adaptive sports, pursuing a career, raising a family, or just living life on your terms.

Our Paralympians share some of their perspectives with Action magazine.

A Life Worth Living

After losing both of his legs in an accident in 1994, Andy Yohe, captain of the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team from Bettendorf, Iowa, thought he would never be as good or as fast as when he played stand up roller hockey. One of his biggest regrets is waiting five years after his injury to join a free sled hockey program in his hometown.

“That was one of the dumbest things I did. Not trying it sooner is my biggest regret,” Yohe admits.

What he enjoys most about sled hockey is the fast pace and hard hitting action. “I like to get hit just about as much as I enjoy hitting others. It is a great way to relieve some stress,” he says.

Yohe credits sports with helping him overcome his disability more than anything else. “I started out playing wheelchair basketball about 1 year after my accident. I began traveling around and hanging out with a lot of other people with disabilities, and after a while everything and everyone became normal. Sure everyone had some different challenges, but it wasn’t a big deal and everyone had a good time.”

His advice for anyone struggling to cope with a disability is to remain positive. “It can always be worse. Be thankful for the things that you have and the things that you can still do. The worst approach you can take is trying to hide from your disability. You have to get out in the world and enjoy being as active as you can be. Life may not be perfect, but it is better than no life at all.”

Yohe’s greatest achievements are graduating from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa with a bachelor of arts in business administration and scoring the winning goal with 11 seconds remaining in the gold medal game at the 2009 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championships last year in the Czech Republic.

Yohe says the best part of competing in the Paralympic Games is representing his country at the opening ceremony and playing in front of the large crowds. “It’s just something that you can’t get anywhere else with disabled sports.”

Think Outside the Box

Ralph Green of Vail, Colorado is the first African-American man to make the U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing National Team. Green, who was a high school quarterback and multi-sport athlete, lost his leg after he was gunned down at age 16 while he and a friend walked along a street in Brooklyn. A year later he was introduced to skiing in the Poconos. After high school, he moved to Winter Park and became involved in its ski program, where his love for the sport grew. “To be honest, I got into skiing at first to brag to my friends back in Brooklyn that I could do it. I also really enjoy the level of competition and traveling around the world.”

Green’s advice: “Think outside the box. Don’t settle for less and realize that you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Green uses his success in sports to show others living with disabilities that they still can achieve their goals and that they shouldn’t let these challenges rule their lives in negative ways. “One thing that is rarely talked about is how depression experienced by individuals with disabilities leads many to turn to drugs. It’s a really important issue that needs to be addressed. There are better ways to cope, including getting involved in sports. Many also don’t realize that there are benefits to being physically disabled. You are part of a minority group that has the power to impact society and make a difference.”

Strength and love of his family were major influences for Green. “I also knew if I continued being positive God would put me in a good situation.”

Green, who coaches have said is fearless and a hard worker, is now focusing on proving himself as one of the world’s best at the Games.

Challenge Yourself

Kelly Underkofler of St. Paul, Minnesota was born missing the lower half of her left arm. Growing up she didn’t consider herself “disabled”, and still doesn’t today. Underkofler has always been a multi-sport athlete and competed throughout her life against peers without disabilities. She qualified for the U.S. Cross Country ski team in 2002, competed in the Salt Lake and Torino Paralympic Games, and has qualified to compete in Vancouver.

“Regardless of the level, sports are a great way to be healthy, active, and have fun. Even more so for people with disabilities, sports are a great way to stay strong and connected, and they challenge you and help teach you that living with disability is not about what you can’t do, but all about what you can do,” Underkofler says.

She adds, “Keep working. To be honest, one of the greatest struggles we have to overcome is mental. If you continue to believe in yourself you will adapt and achieve whatever you want. There may be days, weeks, months, maybe even years of struggle and hard work, but nothing is beyond our reach.”

Underkofler’s parents were her biggest influence and instilled a positive attitude in her approach to life and sports. “My parents have always been a huge source of support for me. They always encouraged me to try anything and were great about helping me find a way to do it. They also made sure that all the people I was surrounded by were encouraging rather than limiting.”

When she’s not training or competing, Underkofler enjoys interior design, cooking, and spending time with her friends, family, and dog.

Everyday Victories

Green’s teammate and United Spinal member, Gerald Hayden, of Merced, California, was a recreational skier and snowboarder before he was spinal cord injured in a car accident in 1995. Within a year of his injury, Hayden signed up for a ski lesson at Tahoe Adaptive Ski School and discovered he could still participate in the sport he loved and that it was still just as fun as before his injury.

He went on to collect top-20 finishes in both the slalom (19th) and giant slalom (20th) at the Torino Games; 10 top-20 finishes in World Cup competition––including an eighth place finish in the giant slalom in Korea ; and second place in the Super G at U.S. Championships, along with fourth in the slalom and fifth in the downhill.

“Sport is just good for us, regardless of physical limitations. It makes you feel alive, produces endorphins, fosters camaraderie, and provides a positive and healthy outlet for stress. For those of us who have found ourselves ‘gimped-up’ in life, it also has added benefit. From the first day of my spinal cord injury, it seemed to take control of my life and determined what I could and could not do. By engaging in sport, I started doing something extremely physical in spite of my physically limited body. This has the effect of taking the power of limitation away from my disability and allowing me to understand that, it is us, not our disability, that determines what we can and cannot do,” Hayden explains.

Hayden’s mentality is “the more you can do to improve your situation, the better.”

“Whether it’s being named to the Paralympic team or figuring out a better way to put your chair in a car, it’s the everyday victories––from the mundane to the grand––that have given me the greatest satisfaction in life. It doesn’t really matter where you start from, it’s the movement forward that counts.”

Hayden has a degree in economics from UC-Davis, enjoys reading John Steinbeck novels and eating Thai food.

Don’t Hold Back

Augusto “Goose” Perez tried wheelchair curling for the first time in October of 2005. Seven weeks later he was trying out for the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team.

A native of Madrid, Spain, Perez came to the US in 1991 to complete his senior year of high school. He received his bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College (Syracuse, N.Y.) in Spanish with a minor in education. After battling three bouts of a rare form of cancer, Perez now lives with disarticulation in his left hip and the loss of most of his left quadriceps muscle.

“The first thing is to get over the idea that people look at you because of the chair or any other device. People got better things to do than to worry about how we look, and if they do it is their problem not yours,” Perez says.

He believes anyone reluctant to try adaptive sports out of fear or lack of confidence, shouldn’t let those feelings hold them back. “Pick a sport you enjoy and look to see if there is a Paralympic version or adaptive version and give it a try. You may be surprised to see how fun it is and how alive you feel again. From there you can find the sport you truly enjoy and see how far you want to take it. But remember, talent without hard work takes you nowhere.”

Psychological obstacles present the biggest challenges to overcoming an injury or disability, according to Perez. “Just think, if you spend time in hiding crying and feeling bad about yourself, once you are done, you still must cope with your disability. So instead of wasting energy and time, open your mind to a new world of possibilities. Obstacles are only in your mind. You should take on the mentality that the ‘biggest enemy is the one within me’. There is no worse disability than the one you place upon yourself. Never give up, my motto is: ‘in order to see the rainbow, we must look through the rain.’”

Off the ice, Perez enjoys target shooting, soccer, wheelchair road racing, and mechanics. He volunteers as both a Spanish tutor for high school and middle school students and as a soccer assistant. He is also a member of the Syracuse Flyers wheelchair basketball team. Perez is married and the proud father of twins (a son and a daughter).

Tom Scott is staff editor.