US Athletes Head to the Paralympics

As the Paralympics Torch Relay raps up and the games begin tomorrow, many eyes are on the East. The Torch Relay was split up into two different paths, the Modern Relay and the Ancient Relay. The Modern China Relay returned to Beijing on Wednesday and the Ancient China Relay returned on Thursday.

With the conclusion of the Torch Relay, many athletes begin their final preparations for the Games, which will be the biggest Paralympics in history. About 4,000 athletes are set to attend from almost 150 different countries.

From the United States, Jennifer Armbruster has been given the honor of carrying the flag. Jennifer is an accomplished athlete, who gave up a scholarship to play college basketball after she began to loose her vision. One year later, in 1990, she began playing goalball.

Goalball is a sport that originated in Europe in 1946. It was geared towards progressing the rehabilitation of World War II veterans who had limited or no eyesight. An 18 meter by 9 meter playing court is used, which has two goals on either side. Three man teams guard the goal and attempt to throw a ball through their opponent’s goal. The ball has a bell inside and the players have 10 seconds to throw or pass the ball.

Armbruster is part of the 213 person US team and is very excited to be given the honor of carrying the flag.

Also on the US team are sixteen military veterans. Two of the Veterans, including Scott Winkler and Melissa Stockwell, were wounded in Iraq and are very excited about the opportunity to compete.

Stockwell is a fighter who never gave up. In the first four months of recovery, she raced in a New York City Marathon and went snow skiing. Within a year she was swimming. She will swim the 400 meter freestyle, 100 meter free style, and the 100 meter butterfly.

Another veteran, Carlos Leon, was a Marine and served in Iraq during 2004 and 2005. He broke his neck while swimming in Hawaii and lost much of his motor function. Leon, who credits his family and friends with helping him during this hard time, never gave up. He attended a Paralympics sports camp and after seeing another veteran swimming, wanted to give it a try. He also saw some of the track and field events demonstrated. Soon Leon was competing and winning shot put and discus events around the country.

All of the athletes that attend the Paralympics are true heroes. Their motivation in the face of adversity is truly inspirational. We extend our whole hearted support to all of the athletes from the United States and all over the World, who are coming together to compete in this historical event.