There's another elite international athletic competition taking place in Beijing right now. Although it doesn't receive as much media attention, the athletes are all highly trained, just as motivated, the best in their sports, and have fierce competitive streaks.
Most of us love the stories about the journeys athletes took to get to the top of their games - after all, there's a lot more to winning than just talent. The International Paralympic Games are full of the usual tales, but these stories also include the athletes' physical disabilities.
What started out in England, as a post World War II competition of veterans with spinal cord injuries, has evolved over the years; over 160 countries now participate in the Paralympics. Nearly 4000 athletes competed in the 2004 summer games in Athens. (The games are now held in the same venues as the Olympics.)
The Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center trained 12 resident athletes who are competing in the International Paralympics Games, and the Olympic Training Center is home to the United States Paralympic Committee. Also, just about every U.S. paralympian competing in Beijing passed through Colorado Springs to do some high altitude training before the games.
Another Colorado Springs Paralympian connection: Meliissa Stockwell, a U.S. swimmer who trained at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, is also a graduate of the University of Colorado, an Iraq War Veteran, and the niece of our friends Barry and Gwen Weber. Find out more about her on her website. Melissa's best event is Friday September 12th, so visit her blog to keep up with Melissa's journey and leave some comments to cheer her on!
We'd like to say hi to Andy Wise, of the Powerlifting Team, and the members of the Wheelchair Rugby Team, who were kind enough to take a few minutes to talk with us when we visited the Olympic Training Center. The Rugby team plays their first match against China on Friday September 12. (Wheelchair Rugby is also known as "Murderball", so it should be fun to watch.)
Watch Paralympic Sport TV for live and taped coverage of the Bejing games. Also check out the U.S Paralympics Team's site and the International Paralympics Committee site for more information about the organizations and the games.
Ken and Sandy Wickham are long time realtors in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO. They welcome visits to their website. You can contact them at 800-599-8500 ext. 1120, or 719-534-7919.
