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June 11, 2007

The Exceptional Athlete Matters

Last weekend I had the honor of meeting Emily and Joita and a whole bunch of other kids who came to play at a multi-sport clinic that World T.E.A.M. Sports put on at Agganis Arena in Boston.

What’s World T.E.A.M.? I had to ask, too. The T.E.A.M. part stands for the exceptional athlete matters. It’s an organization that seems to live to put on sporting events that combine conventional athletes (i.e., those with all their limbs and senses) and unconventional ones in shared endeavors. For adults it may be a trek up Kilimanjaro; for adults or families maybe a two-day 110-mile bike ride; for kids a free sports clinic. My pal Mary is on their board of directors and invited me to volunteer at just such a clinic. Sounded good, so I did.

The organization’s official goals are these:

  • Increase and promote inclusive sports opportunities for all people, especially reaching out to disabled people.
  • Organize and host innovative and challenging sporting events that encourage all individuals, especially those with disabilities, to participate in lifetime sports.
  • Promote diversity and increase awareness, acceptance and integration of those with disabilities.

But back to Emily and Joita. They were just two among the 20 or so kids who were on my team as we spent half an hour in clinics for golf, soccer, basketball and rock climbing. (Agganis Arena is a very nice facility.) Most of the kids were unremarkable looking, if it’s fair to say that about any individual, and were aged from just under eight to just about 14. They came from city and suburb and all kinds of gene pools and language groups. And a handful had challenges that were visible and some likely had some that weren’t. Emily, age 10ish, had a left arm that ends at the elbow. Joita, almost 8, had legs that don’t particularly cooperate. Don’t know and didn’t ask if it were muscular dystrophy or MS or some other musculoskeletal/neurological thing. The cool thing was that it didn’t really matter here.

Of course it was taken into consideration, but along with so many other things. The golf pro himself had lost most of his left arm in a boating accident at age 19, so he had some good advice for everyone on how to hit a golf ball—two-handed, one-handed, or from a wheelchair. All the kids got a chance to practice their swings at tennis balls. And I got a few pointers in case the time comes I ever take up golf.

We moved on to soccer, where a coach ran drills and a little scrimmage. Emily was an old pro at soccer, having come with shin guards at the ready and everything. Joita was incredible, speeding around the court on crutches and getting in the mix at every turn she could. Kids can be cruel, but sometimes their obliviousness is a kindness. I suspect there are times when a person who often needs special attention enjoys just getting totally ordinary treatment. Everyone was caught up in the game.

Next up, basketball. In wheelchairs. A couple of wheelchair basketball players had brought a dozen or so sporty chairs for kids to try. They were light and zippy and easy to tip! Made me think back to the movie Murderball. We did relay races and a passing drill in the wheelchairs. Although this was a bit unorganized, the kids loved it! It was tough getting them out of the gym and down to our last station, the rock wall.

That is where I was stunned. With little to no instruction, but on belay with certified rock climbing guides, kids scrambled and scraped up the different faces of the wall. Some got only a few handholds in. Some didn’t like to slip or to cling while deciding what to do next, and rappelled down shortly. A few made it to the top. A lot preferred the small bouldering walls they could use without ropes. But most impressive were Emily, who gutted through several slips and muscle-quivering hesitations to power to the top using her elbow to grip and leverage on the left; and Joita, who left her crutches earthbound and would not give up. With a tiny bit of help, mainly because she was tiny and couldn’t make the reaches between a few holds, she traversed the rock upward of three-quarters of the way to the top. We on the ground cheered. Such achievement! Such elevation above their ordinary. It was thrilling. We all have it in us to outdo ourselves, I suppose, but sometimes need the example of an 8 or 10 year old.

01:55 Posted in Community of Athletes , Leisure , Sports | Permalink | Email this

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