Thursday, March 18, 2010

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Today is Day 7 of the 2010 Paralympic Games. You probably didn't know that because the world media largely disappeared from Vancouver once the Olympics were over. Even the protestors are gone since they know they won't get any publicity. The athletes are still here though. Still competing even though none of them will come away with giant sponsorship deals or celebrity endorsements. Still competing even though they know that almost no one will be watching them compete because there is little to no television coverage for their events. Still here being amazing.


This is Haitau Du of China competing in the 20 km cross-country event. Just for kicks, try running without using your arms as a counter balance and see how that feels. Then put on some cross-country skis.



The guy with the funny pictures on his goggles is Bart Bunting of Australia who is blind. The man in front of him is his guide and tells him when he needs to turn left or right or when he needs to sprint or when to prepare to go up or down hill.


This is American Alana Nicols who won the gold medal in giant slalom. Those skiers can do over 120 km/h (75 mph) and they're basically sitting in a chair. Next time you're in your car on the highway, try to imagine yourself at that speed, going downhill strapped to a chair with a ski on it. That takes a mighty pair, friends, and I'm not talking legs.


Sledge hockey. You think regular hockey is a rough game?


Finally, men's giant slalom winners Gerd Schonfelder of Germany (silver), Adam Hall of New Zealand (Gold) and Cameron Rahles-Rahbula of Australia (Bronze).

I hope that the International Olympic Committee will one day decide to meld the Olympics and Paralympics into one, because these people are awesome and they deserve the recognition.


*All photos are from Boston.com's The Big Picture which is an amazing site. If you're interested there are many more pictures of the games there.

64 comments:

  1. Wow, I knew that the olympics for the disabled and handicaped existed. I've just never seen them, and now I know why. Thanks for informing the uninformed :)

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  2. That's truly awesome!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I have nothing but respect for those guys. I can't imagine what kind of athletic strength it takes to perform in the ways they have to.

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  4. Truly inspiring!

    Thanks for shedding some well deserved light on these Olympics.

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  5. AMEN! I hate hate hate that the media all disappears and leaves them behind. These people are just as amazing as the able bodied Olympians.

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  6. amazing what humans are capable of doing despite their seeming disabilities... always an inspirational reminder that while there is life, there is hope.

    And yes, it is sad that they do not get the kind of coverage you and I think they deserve.. It is very sad indeed.

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  7. Amazing ... thank you so much for sharing that, for putting it out there! Blessings mah friend!

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  8. beautiful post...i was a coach for the Special Olympics, year back...thanks for giving this some spotlight...

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  9. Sledge Hockey! Oh my gosh. Speechless.

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  10. I've never understood why the Para and regular Olympics weren't held at the same time. Why not make the whole thing 3 weeks and combine them? How awesome would that be?

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  11. There's something that warms the collective human spirit in seeing people ignore what we would consider as limitations. That sled hockey looks downright vicious.

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  12. Inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

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  13. how is the Sledge Hockey going? I can't get ANY coverage here, :( I'm very bummed. I've still got my mitts on the go though.

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  14. This is FANTASTIC! Thanks for covering the paralympics, I love this post!!!!

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  15. That's literally awesome. As in awe inspiring. And makes me feel even worse for bitching about being sore after two days of working out.

    Thanks for posting this.

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  16. I don't ski because the boots hurt my feet. Looking at those pictures make me feel like the biggest wussball ever.

    Awesome pics.

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  17. Wow - absolutely amazing and inspirational! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. I wish the paralympics did get the same coverage and media hype as the olympics. What does it say when we will feature athletes with no visable disabilities in a spectacular event with all the glitz you can imagine and then ignore athletes who had to struggle harder to get where they're at because they have disabilities? It's disappointing in the least.

    Thank you, Captain, for posting this!

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  19. Wow! Those are REAL athletes! I cannot imagine having to do any of those things. Truly awe-inspiring!

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  20. Thanks for posting this. Here's a link to watch:

    http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=456729.html#watch+2010+paralympic+games

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  21. Thanks for sharing. Never took the time to truly look at the special Olympics before (sad to say)- and thanks to you I now have whole new appreciation for what they are doing. Cheers.

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  22. Thanks for posting these great photos. I wish the paralympics were televised too. I think their "up close and personal" stories would be very interesting.

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  23. Amazing!!!! It is awesome to see what people do when they put their mind to it!!!!

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  24. We are lucky here to get the small amount of coverage that CTV shows - but its not enough. I wish we could have gone to some of the events - but thank you for showing so many people how awesome these athletes are.

    I have been following Lauren Woolstencroft for a few years - born with only one working limb, she not only bring us gold she is an Engineer for BC Hydro.

    Thanks again for blogging about the Paralympics

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  25. Thanks for posting this. These athletes definitely deserve more coverage! I saw some of Rick Mercer's clips where he tried paralympic skiing and curling and you can see just how hard it is.

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  26. Oh, wow. I am speechless. Thanks for posting this.

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  27. I don't like watching them compete because they remind me of how crappy my own health is even though I still have all my limbs (for the moment).

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  28. They should totally cover this part of the Olympics! I'm more impressed by these athletes than the ones that were on TV.

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  29. With all the sports channels you would think one of them could show this, it's disappointing that they don't. Although the coverage of the Olympics was pretty terrible here in the states too.

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  30. That was awesome. Thank you for posting this. I feel angry, and a little ashamed, that these people are competing and we don't see any of it.

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  31. I think I am officially in love with you now. You are the perfect balance of snark with a touch of marshmallow heart. This is a phenomenal post. I give you kudos. To all of those fantastic athletes giving it their all right now, I raise a toast to you and your endeavors. You guys and gals rock. May the IOC one day realize that competition is competition and there should be no difference from one group to another.

    Bravo, Lisa

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  32. Good for you. It depresses me that these amazing people don't get equal recognition.

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  33. A mighty pair indeed!!! Truly inspirational! This people are heart - 100% heart!!!!

    Oh, and I love exclamation points!!!! :)

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  34. Wow-I feel really pathetic now. I don't put enough effort into life with all my limbs and capabilities!!! These guys are just amazing!!!!!

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  35. We were in Vancouver for the Olympics, and I was looking forward to watching the paralympics on TV. But I only have peasant vision, and CTV has decided not to cover the paralympics. I'm a little peeved with them.

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  36. It is a bit sad that these athletes who show more determination don't get the coverage they deserve. You are correct in that they should have them all at the same time so that they can be covered better.

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  37. I know what you mean, these people really do Sport! But so far I've only been able to catch a few small Vids on the Net. :/

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  38. Great post Cap'n! It is time that these Olympics get at least a little TV time and not get shoved into an after-thought. Pictures said it all.

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  39. Awesome! Why aren't these games more televised??

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  40. The kids were really disapointed not to be able to watch any events, It's a shame CTV couldn't just continue their live feed as they did in the other olympics. personally I think these guys deserve alot more credit!!!!! Thanks for writing about this and making more people aware....... see I can be nice sometimes.

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  41. I have nothing but absolute love for the athletes! Thanks for posting this for us. They are amazing!!!

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  42. I went to the Paralympics in Australia in 2000, after the Sydney Olympics. The most challenging thing for us was deciding whether we should stand for the national anthem or not....

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  43. That is amazing and so true that most do not even know that they are happening. Bravo to these athletes. I would not even try most of these sports with out a disability let alone how they do it! Amazing!

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  44. Great post, sir! I've never understood why they aren't a bigger deal. Especially when there are so many who like to throw money around for "causes" (meaning, they want to make themselves look good) you would think that someone, for whatever reason, would like more attention on this type of thing!

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  45. That's really amazing. I haven't heard a single thing about the on the news about the Paralypic Games. It's sad that they don't get more recognition. No idea these events were even taking place. What a shame.

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  46. Ok, how cool are those guys? Yeah, the regular Olympics are pretty cool, but these guys? Wow.

    Thanks for giving them a spotlight.

    And sledge hockey? Ok, just watching it scares the mittens off of me...

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  47. Skiing blind? That's amazing. It must be terrifying.

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  48. What spirit. What guts. What single-minded determination. We give glory (as we should) to those athletes with two legs (or arms) for all of the incredible work they do. For their skills and their hard work. But the para-olympians? There's a psychological element there that also has to be overcome. They leave me breathless.

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  49. Pretty incredible. Why isn't this televised? It's a hell alot more interesting looking than the regular olympics...

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  50. I'm so glad that you posted this. What a great tribute to these folks who work their asses off to compete and achieve incredible results that even those of us with no impediments can't. You rock, dude.

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  51. I would watch these in a heartbeat. I didn't even turn on the regular Olympics. Thanks for sharing :)

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  52. I've been watching and my mind is boggled by the small amount of coverage they're getting! They're fascinating to watch and their spirit is incredible!! Great post!

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  53. Did they get snow for their competition? I think god likes them better.

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  54. I saw a clip of the sledge hockey on the news and tell you what, it scared me a little. I'm scared of sledges AND hockey sticks, and having your head so close to the ground is very scary!

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  55. Wow! Those are some pretty amazing people for sure.

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  56. You know, I didn't know they were on TV until I randomly bumped into it on one of the upper cable channels. I was actually surprised they were on TV since I don't remember ever seeing them before on TV in past years. They are inspirational, that's for sure. Thanks for posting.

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  57. These folks should be getting way more attention than the do, thanks for sharing

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  58. These athletes deserve coverage and respect in the mainstream media. I hope that day comes.

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  59. Wow, those people are BADASS. I feel like a lazy piece of shit now, thanks.

    So cool...

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Come on, sailor. I love you long time.