Letter to a First Grade Class

My cousin asked if I would send a note to her son's class talking a little about our life in Colorado.  They live in Pennsylvania and this is a way to make geography a little more relevant for first graders.  So I sent the following note to my little cousin's first grade class last week... with some items changed to protect identities.  ;-)

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Dear Class –

My name is Kathryn and I live on a small farm near Loveland, Colorado with my husband.

We live at the base of the Rocky Mountains between Denver, CO and Cheyenne, WY in an area called The Front Range.   We are close to Rocky Mountain National Park and can see the Continental Divide from our house.

There is a ski area called Loveland also, but that is about 2 hours away.

We raise Huacaya Alpaca and Tibetan Mastiff Dogs.  Our dogs are Livestock Guardian Dogs and protect our alpaca from predators like coyote, mountain lion, black bear and neighborhood dogs.

I shear the alpacas in the spring and spin their fleece into yarn for knitting and weaving.

My husband is a professional wheelchair racer.  He just completed his 6^th Boston Marathon which makes 79 marathons total.  He travels around the US and internationally for races.  He was on the US Paralympic National Team for the ParaPanAmerican Games in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2011.  His fastest time is 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Photo ©Reporter-Herald

I also have a day job managing Information Technology (IT) projects for a company that makes medical devices in Minnesota.  Sometimes I have to travel to Minnesota and Texas for my job, but mostly I work remotely from home which means I am on the computer and telephone all day long.

We like living here because the weather is really nice.  The sun shines almost every day, even in the winter.  We like going to the mountains and walking along the river.

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My cousin said that her son felt special knowing that he has such cool relatives.  ;-)

It was fun to write this letter and take an objective view of our life.

While We're on the Subject...

Hat Tip to Voie de Vie for pointing me to this Guinness Advertisement.

Hubba used to play basketball, so I can tell you this is the real deal.  :-)

Thoughts on Ironside

Hubba was very much looking forward to watching the new version of the TV Series, Ironside.  He was a big fan of the old series and is a fan of Blair Underwood.

I don't think I ever saw the old series and I'm generally not one for Cop Dramas... at least not the CSI/NCIS/Law&Order franchises.  I may be the only one who's not a fan of those shows... but I could never watch even one entire episode.... the dialog just drives me nuts.

But Hubba really wanted to watch Ironside.  So we did last week.  I'm not sure if it was the first or second episode.

I find it interesting because some of the people we know are very upset that an able-bodied person was cast in the role of a wheelchair user.  It's not something that either one of us thought about, and certainly don't see any issue with it.

We see it as a positive... a lead role uses a wheelchair, during prime time, on network TV, and is being played by a very, good actor.  The chair is part of the story, but it is not THE story.

Mr. Underwood's chair skills are very good.  He does not seem awkward... and as he says, the character "wears the chair" just like able-bodied folks wear shoes.

The dialog was better than I expected, the character development is still immature and in my opinion they left some of the cop stuff out in order to spend more time on the "life in and before the chair."

I'm optimistic.

My opinion is that if this show does well, then there will be (1) more awareness of people in chairs, (2) some understanding of the obstacles they face, (3) that most people who use chairs are not invalids or helpless and (4) they are productive members of society.

Marathon Monday

Hubba ran today's Boston Marathon.

He doesn't like crowds, so we booked him a room outside of the city.

He was back at the room when the explosions happened.  So he is safe.

The other runners from Loveland are also safe.

Many people are not.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the other racers and spectators.

Enjoying the Paralympics

Hubba and I have been enjoying the Paralympic coverage on paralympic.org.

Aside from one morning where I messed up on the timezone math and missed the event I wanted to see by an hour, we've been getting up early to see some events.

After the live coverage, the Paralympic Broadcast is posted to YouTube on the ParalympicSportTV channel.

There have been so many amazing things put forth, but one in particular is the men's T54 (wheelchair) 5000m Final.  This is Hubba's class, so we know something about most of these guys.

The race starts at about 3:16 into this video.



The 5000m on the track is a chess game.  It's all about knocking the others off balance and being in the right place at the right time.

One of my favorite athletes to watch is Kurt Fearnley of Australia.  He is so relaxed and patient while he's racing and hometown boy, David Weir, won gold in front of a packed house.  Definitely an event to watch.

If you scroll back to 2:37 then you can also see the amazing Oscar Pistorius be surprised by the young Brazilian athlete, Alan Oliveira, in the 200m.

In my mind, there is little better for the Paralympic Movement than seeing the brilliant Blade Runner, who did so well at the Olympics, have real competition at the Paralympics.

London

Well, we're not going to London.  :-(

Hubba had good performances at the Trials this past weekend, but it was tough competition.


The full Paralympic Track and Field Team Roster is here and includes Hubba's training partner, Christina Schwab.  Christina (then Ripp) was a member of the Gold Medal Women's Basketball Team at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.

So when the Olympics are over, I hope you will spend some time on Paralympic.org to see what the Paralympians are doing... August 29 - September 9.

And, if you're so inclined send a note to NBC Sports and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees.  Ask them to give the Paralympic Team the coverage they deserve.  These people have worked as hard and made the same sacrifices as the Olympians and have equally inspiring stories.  :-)

In Pursuit of London

I dropped Hubba off at the airport today.

He's on his way to the USA Track and Field Trials for the London Paralympic Games.

If you happen to see or talk to me over the next several days, don't be too concerned if I seem to be pre-occupied.

Wheelchair Racing Video

The Lisbon Half-Marathon was last week.  Roger Puigbo of Spain was kind enough to take and post this video on YouTube.

This is the best wheelchair race video I've seen.  If you're up for it, see if you can count how many times these guys take a push before resting.  ;-)

Hubba is not in this race, but this is what he does for a living.

Fiber Arts Friday: First Knit Socks have gone Walkabout

Hubba loved his hand-knit socks so much that he took them to Guadalajara while he was there for the Para Pan American Games.

It was quite warm during the day, but very cool in the mornings.  The Athlete's Village did not have heat, so he was happy to have some woolies with him.

Then one day last week, he was showing them off and bragging on me.  :-)  He wanted me to knit a pair as a tip for the massage therapist.  :-)  Then sometime later he didn't have them anymore.  :-(  He was heartbroken.  :-(  He traced and re-traced his path, but didn't find them.  :-(

He called me with the sad news and then asked if I could whip up a pair before he got home. lol.

Well, my answer to whipping up a pair of socks in a few days is Not Possible, but I was working on a secret that I'll tell you about next week.  ;-)

I hope that someone picked up the socks, that they fit that person, and that he or she will have warm and toasty toes for a long time to come.

I do wonder where the socks have gone now that the games are over... Argentina?  Canada?  Brazil?  or maybe they've decided they like it in Mexico??

It's Fiber Arts Friday, so please go see what everyone else has been up to.

Feeling Patriotic

I dropped Hubba off at the airport yesterday morning.

He's headed to Guadalajara, Mexico for the the Para Pan American Games later this week.

I couldn't help but feel patriotic as I drove away.

I left Hubba on the curb all decked out in his USA Track and Field garb.

I really wish I had taken a photo.

The New York City Marathon Experience

Here's a link to a great article about one man's experience with the New York City Marathon  last weekend.

He intended to run, but due to injury could not.  So he volunteered to escort the wheelchair athletes.   This was his first time in the role, so it was quite an experience for him.

Please take a few minutes to read the article.  It's very well done.  :-)

Hubba was there.  He finished 25th.

I am so Proud

Really, it goes without saying.  But as they say... it's nice to hear it anyway.

I am so proud of my husband!  Always have been.

He has dedicated himself to achieving a very specific goal.

Today, one step along the way has been achieved.

Hubba was named to the US Para Pan Am Track and Field Team.

It looks like we're going to Mexico in November. :-)

Bolder Boulder - 2011

Monday, Memorial Day was the 33rd Bolder Boulder.  It's one of the largest races in the US and I believe the largest Memorial Day celebration in this country.

It was humid and overcast, but did not rain.

The race starts in waves beginning with the wheelchair race.  Then every 5-10 minutes a wave of runners are started.  The race winds through the city of Boulder, Colorado.  The final athletic event of the day is the International Team Challenge.  Where 3 members from various national teams compete.

The race finishes at Folsom Field, where the CU Buffalos play football.

Since the wheelchair race is first, the stadium is relatively empty but by the time the team challenge starts the stadium is full with people who raced and their families and friends.

Like many other races, there are bands along the course to keep it fun and entertaining for everyone.

Yes, that's a statue of Frank Shorter in a kilt.

Hubba did well.  He finished 3rd. :-)

The Bolder Boulder is a great event.

The Boston Marathon

This morning, the 114th Boston Marathon was run.

Ernst van Dyk won for the 9th time.  He surpased Jean Discoll's 8 for the most wins for anyone, ever.

National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

My husband's buddy, Pete Hughes, coaches the University of Arizona's Women's Wheelchair Basketball team.  They were in the national tournament this weekend in Denver.

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association's championship game between the University of Illinois and University of Alabama is scheduled for Saturday at 11:30 am MDT.  It will be broadcast online here.

Earlier today, we went to Denver to see the Arizona Wildcats compete against the Wisconsin-Whitewater WarHawks in the 5th place game.  The WarHawks lead most of the game, but the Wildcats pulled it out in the end.  It was a very exciting game to watch.

Los Angeles Marathon - Results

This morning was the 25 annual Los Angeles Marathon.

The wheelchair start was supposed to be 5 minutes before the broadcast began, but due to traffic delays the wheelchair start was shown during the broadcast.  So I was able to see my husband start the race.  Which of course made me very happy.

The broadcast included the starts of the wheelchairs, elite women runners, elite men runners and the citizen's race.  It did not include the hand-cycle start nor the wheelchair or hand-cycle finish.  In fact, I did not witness any wheelchair coverage after the elite women's start.

While I am thrilled to have been able to watch a US road race during a live national broadcast.  I am disappointed that the coverage was so poor for the wheeled athletes.

Krige Schabort won the wheelchair race in 1:39:15
Hubba finished 6th at 1:58:07

Edna Kipligat won the gender challenge today in her second marathon ever.

You can watch the entire broadcast on demand at Universal Sports.

Los Angeles Marathon

The Los Angeles Marathon is Sunday.

They are debuting a new course this year as well as broadcasting the race live.  The race starts at Dodger Stadium and ends in Santa Monica.

If you are in the Los Angeles area you can watch it on KTLA - Channel 5 or listen on AM 570 KLAC.

Universal Sports will also be broadcasting the race live.

Finally, you can watch online at http://www.ktla.com/ or listen at http://www.am570radio.com/

Since I will not be at the race this year, I am thrilled to know I will be able to watch it from home.  As usual, Hubba is competing in the push-rim division.

The start times are as follows (PDT):

• Push-rim Wheelchairs – 6:55am
• Hand cycles – 7:00am
• Professional Women - 7:05am
• All other participants – 7:23am

Usually the LA Marathon gives the professional women a statistical head start based on the professional field, then gives an award for the first professional runner to cross the finish line.  I'm not sure if they are doing that this year since I havn't been able to find any information about it on the LA Marathon website.

With that being said, 234 people have completed every LA Marathon since the first in 1986.  That's 25 years!

Vancouver Paralympics - Update #2

Many thanks to Lynda who mentioned that there will be Paralympic coverage on CTV in Canada as well as online here.

Vancouver Paralympics - Update

It turns out NBC and Universal Sports will be offering some network coverage of the Vancouver Paralympic Games.  The following information was provided by the US Paralympics Newsletter.

NBC Sports

• Opening Ceremony highlights – Saturday, March 13, 1-2 pm ET
• Paralympics recap – Saturday, April 10, 3-5 pm ET 

Universal Sports

• Monday, March 15 – Tuesday March 23, 7 p.m. (re-air at 11 p.m.) ET

USParalympics.org, will also offer video and highlights of the competition from Vancouver.

Vancouver Paralympics

The Vancouver Winter Paralympics are starting on Friday.  Like the abled-bodied Olympics, the Paralympics is the premier competition between the best athletes in winter sport.

The same venues are used.  Many of the same sports are played.  Some of the rules are modified.  They are classified between men, women, sitting, standing and visually impared.

NBC doesn't typically provide much coverage of the US Paralympic Team and I don't think the opening ceremonies are scheduled on network tv.  However, you can see all of the events live and on demand on Paralympic Sports TV.

The opening ceremonies begin at 18:00 PST, Friday, March 12.