Wheel It Out Wednesdays I

image credit: ClubCorp.com

Welcome to the Whee It Out Wednesday, where I explain the emotional challenges and difficulties I I face being disabled and how I am overcoming them through sports.  Some of the things I will be discussing in these posts aren't exclusive to people with a disability, but I my hope is to inspire people with disabilities to get outside of their comfort zone and overcome as well.

When I was growing up, I always had a love for swimming.  I feel so free when I'm in the water.  On land, I sometimes felt different from other kids because they are standing up and I am sitting down, but in the water we are at eye level.  In the summer of 2001, I swam on the Arlington Gators Swim Club in South Bend, IN, coached by Lynn Kachmarik, and the Knollwood Country Club Lasers Swim Club from the summer of 2002 to the summer 2005, coached by Jim Niedbalski.

At the beginning of my swimming career, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I knew I liked to swim when I joined, but I didn't know how much swimming the swim team did.  I was blown away at how hard it was.  I was the slowest one on the team because I was the only person with a disability.  Sure, the coaches shortened my workouts here and there, but it was still unbelievably difficult.  I remember crying to my mom, begging her to let her quit, but she told me to give it a chance.  My coaches and she encouraged me to not compare myself to my teammates, but to compete with myself. 

You do yourself no favors when you compare yourself with others.  There's always going to be somebody that is better than you at something.  Just do that best that you can do, and that's all anybody can ask of you.

Have a great day and make it a great tomorrow!

Optimus Provost

Stay With It!

Sometimes when we try something new for the first time, we think that we should be able to pick the skill up right away and be a master, but rarely does that ever happen.  When we struggle with the new skill, it is easy to get irritated and want to quit.  This was the case with me trying sled hockey for the first time.

Several years ago, a friend from wheelchair basketball asked me if I wanted to try an adaptive sport known as sled hockey.  I am always willing to try something new and this was no exception.  I eagerly accepted the invitation.  I fantasized about how my first practice was going to go.  I would glide across the ice, pass, and shoot with ease.

This is not how it played out in reality.

 When I got to the ice rink, I received my jersey and pads and got fitted for my sled.  Even preparing to get onto the ice was a struggle.  My jersey kept getting caught on my pads while attempting to put it on.  Once I got in my sled, I immediately realized how hard it was to keep my balance.  Keep in mind I wasn't even on the ice yet!

When I finally got onto the ice, the real fun began.  Just moving was difficult.  There are ice picks at the bottom of both of your sticks that you dig into the ice to propel yourself around.  This is incredibly tiring.  I was burned out just from moving in a few minutes.

Maintaining my balance also continued to be a problem.  I lost count on how many times I fell over.  In order to turn you have to lean the way you want to go.  This led to more falling more times than not.

When practice was over, it is safe to say that I was irritated with my performance.  I told my parents that I wanted to quit, but they told me to give it more time.  It takes practice. 

I indeed decide to give it more time and I'm glad I did.  I am now on my 5th season of sled hockey and I love it!  It is still very hard and I still fall a lot but in life you can't just quit because something is hard.  Life is hard.  You will fall a lot.  That's just the way it is.  You just have to learn to get back up and keep going.

Have a great day and make it a great tomorrow!

Optimus Provost

Introduction

Sports have been a passion of mine for about 16 years. I have been involved with several sports in varying degrees.  I swam for a couple swim clubs in middle school back in 2001-2005, I swam for the St. Joseph's High School swim team all four years of high school (05-09), I was a manager for the St. Joseph's High School football my junior and senior year (07-09), and I currently am a manager for the IU South Bend women's basketball team (14-present). I also am an avid handcyclist.  In 2011 and 2013 I did a 25 mile handcycle ride in the Bike Michiana For Hospice event and in 2015 and 2016 I did a half marathon in the Sunburst on my handcycle. I am also a member of the River City Sled Rovers sled hockey team and the River City Rollers wheelchair basketball team.  Although I have participated in many different kinds of sports, traditional and adaptive, I will be focusing on my adaptive sports experiences (sled hockey, wheelchair basketball, and handcycling) in this blog in hopes that I can inspire other people with disabilities to go outside of their comfort zones and become stronger do things they never thought were possible.

Throughout my adaptive sports career I have learned many valuable life lessons.  By doing sled hockey, I have learned the importance of practicing and not giving up just because something is difficult.  By doing wheelchair basketball, I have learned the importance of teamwork and comradery.  By handcycling I have learned the importance of preparation.  In my next post I will be writing about my sled hockey experience.

Have a great day and make it a great tomorrow!

Optimus Provost