NBC to re-Air 2008 Paralympic Games Special- Dec 6, 2008

The stories of U.S. Paralympians as they prepare for and compete at the 2008 Paralympic Games will be featured once again on NBC this Saturday, December 6 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The documentary, which originally aired November 9, takes viewers on a compelling journey into the lives of U.S. Paralympians as they vie for triumph in Beijing, China. The 90-minute broadcast is narrated by NBC Sports' Bob Costas.

"NBC and GE's broadcast of the 2008 Paralympics provides all Americans an opportunity to be introduced to some outstanding performances and amazing role models that represented the U.S. at the 2008 Games," said Charlie Huebner, Chief of Paralympics, U.S. Olympic Committee. "The fact that NBC and GE are airing this show on network television also speaks to the growing importance and value of the Paralympic movement in the U.S."

The NBC Sports' Paralympic special, produced by Emmy Award-winning NBC Sports producer David Michaels, provides an in-depth look at the determination of eight athletes and the U.S. Paralympic Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team.

DVD copies of this NBC special will be available for sale at www.NBCUniversalStore.com. Go to 2008 Olympics, or search Paralympics.

From the U.S. Paralympics web site.

Today Show to Feature Paralympian April Holmes

Most of you will probably not get this in time but might be able to watch it live but you might find it online afterward. Watch Video

Two-time U.S. Paralympian April Holmes to Appear on The Today Show

Two-time Paralympian April Holmes ( Chula Vista , Calif. ) will appear on NBC’s The Today Show on Thursday, December 4 during the 8:30-9 a.m. segment to talk about her competition in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing , China .

Holmes, who won gold in the women’s 100m (T44) in Beijing , is the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400m dashes.

2008 Paralympic Games Highlight Shows Now Available Online

Universal Sports presents 28 hours of coverage of 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games presented by GE on TV and online beginning Monday, Nov. 10-16 with 4-hour programs each night from from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET.

Universal Sports, available in 30 million homes, will offer a broadcast on its 24-hour television network from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET each day featuring 28 total hours of Paralympic event competition. The online coverage will include a web stream of the TV broadcast on UniversalSports.com.

PARALYMPICS TV & ONLINE SCHEDULE:

Mon. Nov. 10 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Great Britain; Wheelchair Rugby preliminary – USA vs. Japan; Swimming; Track and Field

Tue. Nov. 11 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Germany; Wheelchair Tennis – Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match; Swimming; Track and Field

Wed. Nov. 12 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Australia; Wheelchair Tennis – Women’s Singles Gold Medal Match; Swimming; Track and Field

Thu. Nov. 13 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Semifinals – USA vs. Australia; Wheelchair Rugby preliminary – USA vs. Canada; Swimming; Track and Field

Fri. Nov. 14 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Semifinals – USA vs. Canada; Swimming; Track and Field

Sat. Nov. 15 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Gold Medal Game – USA vs. Germany; Wheelchair Rugby Semifinals – USA vs. Great Britain; Swimming; Track and Field

Sun. Nov. 16 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Bronze Medal Game – USA vs. Great Britain; Wheelchair Rugby Gold Medal Game – USA vs. Australia; Swimming; Track and Field

NBC to air Paralympic Coverage on Nov 9

NBC Sports will air a 90-minute documentary about the 2008 Paralympic Games on Sunday, November 9, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET.

The show will feature a number of U.S. athletes as they train for and compete in the Games in Beijing.

Additionally, Universal Sports Network will air 4-hour Paralympic Games programs each night, November 10-16, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ET.

Media Coverage After Games Close

Here are several articles that appeared after the Paralympic Games. Check out the coverage. For some reason some of the links are appearing larger than others, no additional significance to them.

Erin Popovich

Jessica Long - The Baltimore area will honor Long during a parade on Oct. 4 with eight-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps.

U.S. goalball team, full of Michigan connections, takes gold in Paralympics

Her strength leads her team to gold in Beijing -Stephanie Wheeler

Sailor looks back at Paralympic Games

Welcome Home Parade Maueen Mckinnon-Tucker

Popovich leaves with 4 Paralympic golds

Golden moment for NSU alum in Paralympics -April Holmes

Celebrating the true Olympians

A Feel-Good Story, 21 Years In The Making - Scott Brown

Photos From Games
Karissa Whitsell Cycling Photos

Cycling Photos- All Nations

Closing Ceremonies

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing have officially closed. Eleven days of dramatic sports competition concluded with a spectacular celebration. Watch the Closing Ceremonies. The event opened with the athletes all entering the stadium as one entity with no official designation of countries followed by the flags of each country.

The American flag was carried by swimmer Melissa Stockwell. Stockwell is a veteran of the Iraq war where she lost her left leg of a roadside bomb. She is the first veteran of this conflict to compete on the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team. As is tradition, Team USA votes on the athlete to carry the flag. The volleyball team nominated Stockwell for this honor. "Coming over here, I've been so proud to wear the USA uniform and be part of the team," said Stckwell.

The performance portion of the ceremony was entitled "A letter to the Future." It consisted of various elements including red pedals falling from the sky reflecting "respect"; "dolls," blind children dressed in attire to resemble rag dolls, planting stars to grow symbolizing the hopes and dreams in the letter; watering the stars to allow the dreams to grow; a harvest celebration with dancers and acrobats; and postmen delivering letters signed by the athletes and people of Beijing. The postmen came by various forms of transportation: walking, flying from the top of the stadium and bouncing with the clouds.

Then the official part of the ceremony took place. Sir Phillip Craven said these had been the greatest Paralympic Games ever and then proceeded to close the Games. "I call upon the the athletes to meet in London in four years," said Craven and with that the look towards to future begins. The International Paralympic Committee flag was lowered and passed from Beijing to London's mayor, who did a better job of appearing interested in the events of the ceremony than he did at the Olympics but still appeared uncomfortable.

The presentation by London was next and was a continuation of the presentation from the Olympics. The iconic red double-decker reappeared carrying dancers and musicians. Like at the Olympics the dancers were both abled-bodied and disabled, however this time I did not notice the gaffe in the dancers performance with one of the wheelchair dancers who appear to walk much better than most I know in wheelchairs.

The flame was slowly extinguished while a little girl sang a song in sign language. The celebration concluded with a fireworks display.

What they did not show close-up, but could be seen if you knew what to look for, was all of the athletes going the infield as the fireworks started to continue the party, trade Parlaympic gear, take photos with friends and say good-bye to friends from all over the world. If it was like other Games, the athletes stayed there for another few hours not wanting the Games to end. In Athens the volunteers tried to encourage us to leave to about an hour before athletes and staff started moving towards the exit.

If my numbers are correct, there were 279 world records set during the Games and 339 Paralympic records broken. There were over 5500 international media working the events, but even with those numbers none of the major networks in the USA thought this event was worth showing live or providing a daily recap of it. The media coverage, especially with the Internet video feeds, was much better in the USA than in past years but it is still lacking. Ever local media outlet from an athlete's town should have covered the athlete's performance, I bet they did during the Olympics. Stay tuned for another post about media coverage and the upcoming delayed coverage.

So what now? Most of these athletes will go back to their "regular" lives of working, families and training without much fanfare for their achievements. But you can help keep the Paralympic Spirit alive. If you enjoyed any of these sports:

• Bookmark the web sites that referenced them and see what is happening in the future
  
• If there is a sporting event in your local area go watch it in person
  
• Follow the athletes blogs and see what is happening in their athletic careers, feel the emotion, excitement and frustration of pursuing their athletic dreams directly from the athlete (this is the only way I can keep up with everyone I know)
  
• Tell your friends or co-workers about this great game you watched
  
• Get involved- volunteer at a local disabled sports program or donate money to the U.S. Paralympics to help these athletes train
  
• Keep an open mind to what any person can do regardless of physical "limitations" when they set their mind to it.

Next Paralympic Games- March 12-21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. Hope to see you there. Go USA!!!

Day 11

On the final day of the Beijing Paralympic Games, only a few members of Team USA were still competing. The largest event of the day is the marathon. Amanda McGrory won the silver in the T54 division with a time of 1:40.00. This was her fourth medal of the Games. McGrory was edged out of the gold by four tenths of a second after 26 miles of pushing. Read the New York Times summary of all of the marathon events.

Also in action today was men's sabre fencing. Benji Williams and Gerard Moreno both lost in pool play while Mark Calhoun made it to the Round of 16 before being eliminated.

Team USA finishes the Beijing Paralympic Games with a total of 99 medals: 36 gold, 35 silver and 28 bronze.

Day 10

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 9 are available through U.S. Paralympic Daily-Sept 17

Rugby Wins Gold!!!
Team USA defeated Australia 53-44 in the rugby final to reclaim the gold medal for the USA. It was a close game with the score going back and forth for the majority of the first three quarters. At the end of the third quarter the U.S. had opened up a lead of 36-31 and never looked back.

If you have never seen a game of wheelchair rugby watch it! NBC Nightly News did a story about the spectators if Rugby, watch it. In Athens I saw the team compete for the bronze medal. While they won the bronze they lost what the really went to Greece for: the gold. I saw a dejected team vow they would get the gold back and that started four years of intense training.

The track and field team won five more medals today. Casey Tibbs, an active duty sailor in the U.S. Navy, won the bronze in the long jump. He scratched on all of his jumps except one, the one that was good enough for the bronze. Josh George won the gold medal in the 100m (T53) race. Read the New York Times article. The men's (T42-46) 4x100m relay team won the gold and set a new world record with a time of 42.75. The team, consisting of Brian Frasure, Jim Bob Bizzell, Casey Tibbs and Jerome Singleton, beat second place Brazil by nearly three seconds. The women's (T53/54) 4x100 team earned the bronze with a time of 1:02.1. Team members are Tatyana McFadden, Jessica Galli, Amanda McGrory and Anjali Forber-Pratt. Rounding out the day's medals was Jim Bob Bizzell with a silver in the 400m (T44).

The men's basketball team lost the bronze medal match to Great Britain 85-77 to finish the Games in fourth place. Top scorers for the USA were Joe chambers with 25 points and Jeremy Lade with 15 points.

Day 9

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 9 are available through U.S. Paralympic Daily-Sept 16

In athletics today Jeremy Campbell won the gold int he discus (F44). He moved from fourth to first in his final throw of the competition. Jessica Galli won two silver medals on the day in the 200m (T53) and the 800m (T53) which was a photo finish. Following closely behind Galli, Amanda McGory secured the bronze in the 800m. Joshua George earned the silver in the 800m (T53). read about him in the New York Times. Peter Gottwald Jr won the silver in the 800m (T13) and Elexis Gillete rounded out the day with the silver in the long jump (T11).

today concluded the last day of swimming competition. The team earned a total of 44 medals. Adding to that total were Kelley Becherer with a gold in the 50m freestyle. Watch the race. Cheryl Angelelli-Kornoelje won the silver in the 50m freestyle (S4). Competing against each other in the 400m freestyle, Ashley Owens secured the silver while Susan Beth Scott got the bronze.

Women's basketball won their second consecutive gold medal at the Paralympic Games. the team beat Germany 50-38 to earn their place on the podium. Christina Ripp led the team with 16 points. Watch the game.

In fencing, two Americans had to face each other with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. Scott Rodgers and Benji Wiliams, by the luck of the draw competed against each other in Epee B. Rodgers won this match only to be beat in the next round.

Team USA Rugby defeated Britain 35-32 to earn their spot in the gold medal game. The USA rotated an endless array of line-ups into the game to wear down their competitors. After a disappointing performance in Athens the team will once again have the opportunity to bring the pride of rugby back to the United States. Team USA won the gold in Atlanta and Sydney but were only able to secure the bronze in Athens. Read the New York Times article.

Day 8

Blog entry a day late, sorry.

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 8 are available through U.S. Paralympic daily-Sept 15.

The U.S. Women’s Goalball team won the gold medal after beating China in a sold-out performance. In the semis, the team of Jen Armbruster, Lisa Banta, Asya Miller, Robin Theryoung, Jessica Lorenz and Jackie Barnes beat Denmark in sudden overtime to play China for the gold.

“I’ve played in four Paralympics prior to coming to Beijing. This game was a continuation of the unfinished business in Athens where we won silver, and winning the gold tonight is finishing what we started four years ago,” said Jen Armbruster, (Colorado Springs, Colo.), U.S. Team Captain.

The Men's Goalball team lost a tough game to Sweden in the bronze medal match.

Jeff Fabry won the bronze medal in archery today. Fabry lost a close semi-final match 109 to 107, then went onto compete in the bronze medal round. This is Fabry's third Paralympic career medal.

Athletics (aka track and field) yielded four medals today- two gold and two silver. Tatyana McFadden won the silver in the women's 200m (T54). Later in the day she won a second silver medal in the 800m (T54). April Holmes won the gold in the 100m. Interview with April. Jeff Skiba broke his own world record in the high jump (F44/46) to capture the gold and set a new marl of 2.11m (6'11").

Cycling finished competition today with the addition of three medals. Alejandro Albor and Oz Sanchez won the silver and bronze in the HC C Individual Road Race in a close finish. Karissa Whitsell and pilot Mackenzie Woodring earned the silver in the Women's Road Race (B&VI).

Team USA Sitting Volleyball team won the silver medal today. They lost to China in three sets. China was the defending gold medalist from Athens.

In swimming, Courtney Jordan won the gold in the 50m freestyle (S7). Erin Popovich added another silver to her collection in the 50m freestyle (S7). Amanda Everlove took the silver in 50m freestyle (S8). Rounding out the medal count was Lantz Lamback with a bronze in the 50m freestyle (S7).

Men's basketball lost a close game in double overtime to Canada, 69-62, in the semi-finals. Watch the game. Team USA plays for the bronze on Tuesday against great Britain.

Fencing started today. Three-time Paralympian Scott Rodgers was knocked out during the quarterfinals after he defeated Athens double medalist. Also competing and not advancing today were Gerard Moreno and Mark Calhoun.

Rugby rivals USA and Canada met today in preliminaries. Team USA defeated Canada 37-32 and finished pool play undefeated. Team USA has now qualified for the semi-finals.

Day 7

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 7 are available through U.S. Paralympic Daily-Sept 14.

Lindsey Carmichael won her first Paralympic medal on Saturday in archery, a bronze in the Women's Individual Recurve- Standing category.

At the track Jim Bob Bizzell won the silver in the 200m (T44) behind Oscar Pistorius. Watch the race. Pistorius time was 21.67 and Bizzell's was 22.62.

Cyclists took to the road for the road race. Team USA earned no medals nor had any finishers in the top 20. Sunday concludes cycling with six athletes competing in the various road race categories.

The women's goalball team beat Sweden 7-4 and will play for either the gold or the bronze, depending upon the result of the game against Denmark on Sunday. The men's team lost to china and will play for the bronze medal on Sunday against Sweden.

Powerlifting began today. The only member of Team USA to compete today was Anderson Wise. He finished 11th at his Paralympic debut.

Sailing brought home a gold and bronze medal. Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker won the gold in the SKUD-18. John Ruf won the bronze in the 2.4mR category.

It was another busy day at the pool today. Justin Zook won the gold in the 100m backstroke (S10). Jarrett Perry secured the bronze in the 100m backstroke where he set a world record in the preliminaries. Elizabeth Stone earner the silver in the 100m backstroke (S9). Erin Popovich added a silver to her collection of four golds in the 50m butterfly (S7).

Table tennis competition ended Saturday. The doubles team of Mitch Seidenfeld and Tahl Leibovitz lost to Ukraine's doubles team.

The men's basketball added another win to their record due to Iran forfeiting the game. The men will play Canada in the semi-finals on Sunday. the women's team beat Australia 60-47 in the semis and advance to the gold medal round. They will play Germany on Monday.

Rugby beat Japan in a tough fought games, 44-37. Will Grouix led the team with 12 goals and four steals.

the doubles team of Beth Arnoult and Kaitlyn Verfuerth lost to the number one seed from the Netherlands. they will play for the bronze on Sunday. Nick Taylor and David Wagner faced each other for the bronze medal. Wagner won the match but had to play three sets against his doubles partner. Later in the day Taylor and Wagner teamed up in the doubles gold medal match. They bet the team from Israel to win the gold.

Day 6

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 6 are available through U.S. Paralympic Daily-Sept 13.

The largest addition of medals to Team USA's count was contributed by the cycling team today during the Time Trial races. The team earned seven individual medals. Oz Sanchez won gold in the HC (handcycling) C competition while Alejandro Albor took home the bronze. Anthony Zahn earned the bronze in the LC4 classification. The women were not to be outdone by the men. Jennifer Schuble (LC1/LC2/CP4) added a silver to her collection for a total of three medals from Beijing and Barb Buchan (LC3/LC4/CP3) added another gold to match the one she earned on the track. Allison Jones (LC3/LC4/CP3)won a silver as her first Summer Paralympic medal to add to her collection from the Winter Games. Tandem team of Kariss Whitsell/Mackenzie Woodring brought home the gold in the blind and visually impaired category beating the silver medalist by 44 seconds.

In archery, Jeff Fabry won his match while setting a new Paralympic record for shooting 113 in a single match. TJ Pemberton and Joe Bailey faced off against each other for the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals. In close competition, Pemberton advanced because he shot more tens than Bailey did. LindseyCarmichael also advanced to her semi-final round.

Amanda McGory again competed in the 5000m (T54) race that had been rescheduled from Day2 after a crash that involved more than half of the field. On day 2 McGory thought she had won the bronze, but this time she won the gold. Jessica Galli won the silver in the 100m (T53) while Tatyana McFadden won the silver in the 400m (T54).

In goalball the men's team beat Slovania to advance to the semi-finals while the women tied Canada in a physically challenging game.

At Sailing, Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker clinched the gold in the SKUD-18 fleet. They intend to race on Saturday on the last day of competition even thought they have already secured the gold.

Sitting volleyball will face chin for the gold on Sunday. To advance to the gold medal round, Team USA had a tight fought, challenging win against the Netherlands. See article and watch video.

In the pool at the Water Cube, Jessica Long won another gold medal in the 400m freestyle (S8) after breaking the world record during the preliminaries. Deb Gruen earned the bronze in the 100m breaststroke (SB6).

Women's basketball beat China 75-31 to advance to the semi-finals. Watch the game.

Rugby began competition today by defeating china 65-30. If you have not seen wheelchair rugby, be sure to check it out. It is an exciting sport. No videos of rugby only are available online yet, but it is probably somewhere within the daily wrap-up segments. Interview with Mark Zupan. Read USA Today article.

In tennis, Dennis Wagner and Nick Taylor each lost their semi-final matches and will face each other in the bronze medal match on Saturday.

Day 5

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 5 are available through U.S. Parlaympic Daily-Sept 12

Check out this article about the spectators at the Paralympics.

Team USA earned two of the first medals awarded in the premier of rowing at the Paralympics. The mixed four with coxswain team took the silver. Team members are Simona Chin, Jamie Dean, Jesse Karmazin, Tracey Tackett and Emma Preuschl. Laura Schwanger won the bronze in the women's single sculls.

Four members of the archery team are one step closer to the medal rounds, Joe Bailey, TJ Pemberton and Lindsey Carmichael all won their matches today. Jeff Fabry had a bye in this round. All will compete on Friday.

Erin Popovich added her fourth gold to her collection today with a win in the 400m freestyle (S7). This is Popovich's 14 career Paralympic medal. Also adding hardware to their collection were: Courtney Jordan with a silver in the 400m freestyle (S7), her third medal of the Games; Jessica Long with a world-record gold performance in the 200m IM (SM8), her fifth of the Games; Amanda Everlove- silver in the 200m IM (SM8); Lantz Lamback-silver 400m freestyle (S7); and Corey Bureau- bronze in the 200m IM (SM9).

Track and field crowned the winners of the pentathlon today. USA's Jeremy Campbell took the gold and Jeff Skiba won the bronze. Pentathlon consists of long jump, shot put, 100 meters, discus and 400 meters.

Day 4

Barb Buchan, five-time Paralympian, won gold in the Women's Pursuit (LC3-4/CP3). The 52 year-old cyclists was thrilled with her first gold medal. Early in Buchan's Paralympic cycling career she had to compete in the men's division because there were not enough international female competitors to make-up a women's classification. See the New York Times article about Buchan. Jennifer Schuble earned her second medal of the Games, a silver in the Lc1-2/CP4 Individual Pursuit, setting a world record for the CP4 category.

I had to brag on the cycling team since I worked with them at two previous Paralympic Games. Great job ladies!!!

Jessica Long won her fourth medal of the Games with a silver in the 100m backstroke (S8). Long now has two gold, a silver and a bronze. Lantz Lamback won the gold in the 100m backstroke (S7) while Roy Perkins added another gold to the USA's count from his win in the 50m butterfly (S5). Both men set world records during their medal winning performances. Kelly Becherer took home the bronze in the 100m freestyle (S13).

In track and field competition, Josiah Jamison won the gold in the 100m (T12) with a time of 10.89. In the women's 400m (T53) Jessica Galli secured the gold medal.

Both the men's and women's basketball teams added another win to their records. the men beat China 97-38 and the women beat Great Britain 56-31.

Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 4 are available through U.S. Paralympic Daily-Sept 11

Day 3

I am just going to mention a few highlights for the day. Complete details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 3 are available through U.S. Paralympics Daily-Sept 10.

Highlights from today's action saw some surprises on the track. In the Men's T44 100m race, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius beat the two-time defending gold medalist Marlon Shirley. Watch the race. Shirley fell during the race with an injury to his Achilles ending his hopes for a third gold in this event. Newcomer Jerome Singleton won the silver and Brian Frasure won the bronze, both of the USA. The race was off the world-record pace of 10.91 and they ran in wet conditions. The gold medalist's time was 11.17. For reference the time Usain Bolt ran in the Olympics was 9.72.

The story behind this rivalry is: Pistorius came out of no where in Athens in the 200m to beat both Shirley and Frasure. Both were surprised, Shirley did go on to defend in the 100m in Athens. Frasure had helped build Pistorius' prosthetic legs prior to Athens, only to be beaten by the newcomer to the sport.

April Holmes missed out on a medal in the 200m when she caught a spike and fell during the race. Holmes had been leading the entire race and had the gold clinched until the final straightaway. Watch the race.

Other action saw tandem cyclist Karissa Whitsell and pilot mackenzie Woodring win the bronze medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit.

Swimming added five more medals to the USA's total. Erin Popovich earned her third gold medal of the Games with another world record in the 100m breaststroke (SB7). This is her third gold in three days- watch out Michael Phelps! Jessica Long won the bronze in the 100m breaststroke (SB7). The medal podium for the 100 freestyle (S10) saved the gold position for Ashley Owens and the bronze for Anna Eames. Rounding out swimming's success for the day was Rudy Garcia-Tolson with a bronze in the 100m breaststroke (SB7).

Day 2

Athletics
In a turn of events in athletics, the USA thought they had won a bronze medal in the women’s 5000m (T54), however, after reviewing the race officials nullified the results and will rerun the race on Friday. There was a crash during the race which prohibited 6 of the 11 racers from completing the race. Fortunately none of Team USA’s athletes were seriously injured and will all race on Friday.

Cycling
In the premier of the Cycling Women’s 500m Time Trial Jennifer Schuble’s (CP4/Homewood, Ala.) won the gold medal and set a new record in the CP4 class. “It just feels awesome to finally win a medal for the U.S. in the velodrome,” said a thrilled Schuble, referring to the fact this was the first medal at either the Beijing Olympic or Paralympic Games in track cycling.

Goalball
The U.S. Men’s Goalball team is still hopeful, despite losing 2-8 against Canada. The 2008 Paralympic Men’s Goalball competition still has preliminary games with Iraq, Brazil and Sweden. The top four teams after pool play advance to the semifinal and final rounds on Sept. 14.

The U.S. Women’s Goalball Team won their second preliminary game against Denmark, 2-0. Jennifer Armbruster (Colorado Springs, Colo) scored both goals. The U.S. advances to play China on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Judo
Scott Jones (Little Rock, Ark.) began and finished judo competition today. Jones, -81kg, faced Japan’s Oga Kenji and lost a hard fought match with only three seconds left on the clock.

Sailing
Challenging weather conditions could not stop Team USA sailors from victory on the first day of sailing competition. Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) lead the SKUD-18 standings. The Sonar team of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.) and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.) also won their first race. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) excelled in the 2.4 mR class and is currently in 3rd place. The Paralympic sailing competition includes a total of 11 races over five days.

Swimming
The U.S. team continued its momentum tonight with three gold medals, two silver and one bronze. Americans dominated the women’s 100m freestyle (S7), with Erin Popovich (Fort Collins, Colo./Silverbow, Mont.) taking gold and Cortney Jordan (Henderson, Nev.) winning the silver. After breaking the world record in the women’s 100m freestyle (S8) preliminaries, Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.) took gold. Anna Eames (Golden Valley, Minn.) made her Paralympic debut, winning the gold in the women’s 100m butterfly (S10). Adding to the U.S. medal count were Lantz Lamback (Colorado Springs, Colo./Augusta, Ga.) and Kelley Becherer (Sheboygan, Wis.) Lamback took silver in the men’s 100m freestyle (S7) and Becherer earned bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle (S13).

Check out Mark Barr's description of the Water Cube

Table Tennis
Three-time Paralympian Mitch Seidenfeld (Lakeville, Minn.) defeated Stephane Messi of France 3-0 to highlight competition Monday. Seidenfeld took the first three games to win his second round match. Noga Nir-Kistler (Allentown, Pa.) lost 1-3 to Italy’s Maria Nardelli in women’s class five singles. In men’s class four-five singles, Andre Scott (Fort Worth, Texas) concluded his competition, losing 3-0 to Great Britain’s Scott Robertson.

Wheelchair Basketball
The U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team continued its strong play in preliminary round action, steamrolling Brazil, 87-41. All 12 Team USA players put points on the board. The U.S. continues pool play against Great Britain on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

The U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team escaped its opening game with a slim 42-38 victory over Germany on Monday. Team USA battled back from a 12-point, first quarter deficit and overcame serious offensive struggles to earn the win. The U.S. continues pool play against Australia on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Wheelchair Tennis
Day one of wheelchair tennis showcased a dominant U.S. team, winning five out of six matches. Kaitlyn Verfuerth (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) won both sets, playing to a packed house in Centre Court. Lee Hinson (Wallan, Australia/Jacksonville, Fla.) soundly beat Mauricio Pomme of Brazil. Beth Arnoult (Paia, Hawaii) was ecstatic with her victory over Yanni Ida of Indonesia, 6-0 and 6-0. She dominated the entire game, playing like a veteran in her first Paralympic Games. Paul Moran (Chicago, Ill.), a five-time Paralympian but first time in wheelchair tennis, was outmatched against Ronald Vink of the Netherlands. Jon Rydberg (Oakdale, Minn.) won his match against Austria’s Harald Pfundner. Steve Welch (Bedford, Texas) played strong against Chile’s Francisco Cayulef, finishing 6-1, 6-1.

Archery was postponed due to rain.

Details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 2 of competition are available through the US Paralympics Daily- Sept 9.

Day 1

Day 1 of competition at the Paralympic Games has concluded with the USA acquiring nine medals for the day. Sports which competed today were boccia, cycling, equestrian, goalball, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball. World records fell at several of the venues today including swimming and cycling. The exceptional facilities in Beijing are contributing to the high number of broken world records just as was seen at the Olympics.

Medal winners are:

Erin Popovich (Fort Collins, Colo./Silverbow, Mont.), Swimming, 200m individual medley (IM) (SM7), World Record, Gold

Rudy Garcia-Tolson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Bloomington, Calif.), Swimming, 200m IM (SM7), World Record, Gold.

Miranda Uhl (Alachua, Fla.), Swimming, 200m IM (SM6), World Record, Gold.

Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.), Swimming, 100m butterfly (S8), Gold.

Cheryl Angelelli-Kornoelje (Clinton Township, Mich.), Swimming, 100m Freestyle (S4), Silver.

Amanda Everlove (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Swimming, 100m Butterfly (S8), Silver

Aimee Bruder (Birmingham, Ala.), Swimming, 100m Freestyle (S4), Bronze

Cortney Jordan (Henderson, Nev.), Swimming, 200m IM (SM7), Bronze

Roy Perkins (Del Mar, Calif.), 100m Freestyle (S5), Bronze

Details about the results of Team USA’s performance from Day 1 of competition are available through the US Paralympics Daily- Sept 8.

Beijing Paralympics Open

Beijing hosted an incredible Opening Ceremony that rivaled any I have seen. They used similar elements/techniques to those they used at the Olympics but modified them for the Paralympic Ceremony. The tickets for the event were sold out with out 100,000 people in attendance (that is more than Sydney). The complete ceremony took about three hours.

The Ceremony included:
-The Parade of Nations with a total of 148 countries participating and nearing 4000 athletes.
- A space themed vignette that looked like the universe with the planets and stars
- The Artistic portion which included a blind singer, a deaf dance performance, an young amputee ballerina who lost her leg in the China earthquake earlier this year (this was probably the largest audience she will ever perform for) and a blind pianist performing while the stage around him changed through the 4 seasons.
-A festival of dancers portraying a popular Chinese cartoon (I think)
- Musical performance entitled "Let me have you" by two Chinese singers
- A vignette entitled "fly" featuring performers creating the illusion of birds in flight.
- Then the formal part of the ceremony; the part the athletes are waiting for
-The Games were declared open by the President of China
-IPC Flag was raised
-Athlete and judge representatives took their oaths

And finally the moment everyone holds their breathe for: the lighting of the torch. The final torch bearer, a former wheelchair athlete, manually hoisted himself and his chair via a pulley system, hand-over-hand, from the stadium floor to the bottom of the torch several stories up. He lit the "fuse" that carried the flame to ignite the torch which will burn for the next 11 days of competition. The torch lighting reminded me of the 1996 Paralympics where Mark Wellman, a paralyzed mountain climber, used climbing gear to light the torch but he did not start from the stadium floor. Beijing out did Mark.

All this was capped of by fireworks display.

If you missed the Opening Ceremony check UniversalSport.com for a video feed.

What are the Paralympic Games?

The U.S. Paralympics Web site describes the Paralympic Games as "elite sports competition for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. Held in the same year, the same city and same venues as the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world. The term "Paralympic" means "parallel to the Olympics."

For more information about U. S. Paralympics and the athletes they serve, visit their FAQ page at: http://paralympics.teamusa.org/content/index/74

The next Paralympic Games are in Beijing, China starting on September 6, 2008 and finishing on September 17, 2008

Nineteen sports are contested in the Summer Paralympics: Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Boccia, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Soccer, Swimming, Table Tennis, Track & Field, Wheelchair Rugby, and Wheelchair Tennis.

Five sports are contested in the Winter Paralympics: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Curling, Nordic Skiing, and Sled Hockey.

How To Follow the Paralympics

Coverage of the Paralympic Games in the USA can be difficult to find. However, for the Beijing Games UniversalSports.com will be showing live coverage of some sports and the Universal Sports TV network and NBC TV will show summaries after the Games in October.

To view the competition on UniversalSports.com you must register at their site. At the registration process it appears that you must pay for to watch the coverage, but as you proceed further the only option is a "free" package and requires no credit card number to be given. View the schedule of events that UniversalSports.com will showcase. If you can't watch the events live (5 a.m. eastern is pretty early), click on the "video" link to see a list of completed sporting competitions. Some are multi-hour day summaries, others are shorter highlights of Team USA winning medals.

Other non-USA specific video coverage is available at ParalympicSport.tv This web site is showing a variety of sports live including: Table Tennis, Wheelchair Tennis, Track Cycling, and Judo. Check the site for updates of which events will air, it currently only showing one day's schedule in advance.

I have been impressed by the coverage provided by both UniversalSports.com and ParlympicSport.tv Would be nice to be able to view them in larger format on a television, but this coverage is better than none like in previous years.

Additional information about the Games and results can be found at USOC Pressbox (click the US Paralympics Team 2008 box on the left). Be sure to check your local media outlets to follow your hometown athletes.

The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games contains extensive information including athlete bios from all countries, event results, press releases and event schedules.

Youtube.com contains many videos of your favorite athletes, sports and former Paralympic Games coverage. Search by athlete's name, sport or check the athlete's sites/blogs for links to their videos.

Other media outlets that are providing great coverage of the Games include:
New York Times
More Than Gold News
SI.com - Photo section contains some great images. Sept 15 issues features a photo of swimmer Jessica Long
CBS Evening News - "U.S. Veterans Enter Paralympics" featuring Melissa Stockwell and Scott Winkler, Sept. 7, 2008
Boston.com - Series of photos from the Games show the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

Archery

"Archery has been a medal sport since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960. Athletes with physical disabilities can showcase their shooting precision and accuracy either standing or in wheelchairs, depending on disability, in men's and women's categories.

The competition format is identical to that of the Olympic Games. Archers shoot 72 arrows from a distance of 70 meters at a target of 122 cm. A perfect score is 720.

Paralympic archery competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Archery Team
Joe Bailey (Flushing, Mich.)
Eric Bennett (Surprise, Ariz.)
Lindsey Carmichael (Lago Vista, Texas)
Jeff Fabry (Tulare, Calif.)
Chuck Lear (Lee's Summit, Mo.)
TJ Pemberton (Edmond, Okla.)
Kevin Stone (Kodak, Tenn.)
Russell Wolfe (Williamsburg, Va.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Wheelchair Basketball

"Basketball has been a part of the Paralympic Games since 1960. Though originally played only by men with spinal cord injuries, now both men's and women's teams throughout the world, with a variety of disabilities, compete in the sport.

Many of the same rules from its counterpart apply in the wheelchair game. While plays and tactics are similar, special rules, such as those to accommodate dribbling from a wheelchair, are also in place.

The sport is governed by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF). The IWBF governs all aspects of the game, including court size and basket height, which remain the same as able-bodied basketball. Athletes in this event are grouped by demonstrated playing ability, rather than strictly by medical classification.

Paralympic basketball competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and other orthopedic and locomotor disabilities." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team
Eric Barber (Whitewater, Wisc.)
Joe Chambers (Whitewater, Wisc.)
Jacob Counts (Covington, Ken.)
Jeff Glasbrenner (Little Rock, Ark.)
Jeremy Lade (Janesville, Wisc.)
Matt Lesparance (Whitewater, Wisc.)
Jaime Mazzi (Whitewater, Wis.)
Jason Nelms (Fort Worth, Texas)
Mike Paye (Warren, Mich.)
Paul Schulte (Bradenton, Fla.)
Matt Scott (Detroit, Mich./Whitewater, Wis.)
Steve Serio (Champaign, Ill.)

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team
Sarah Castle (Champaign, Ill./Centennial, Colo.)
Patty Cisneros (Champaign, Ill./Lake Station, Ind.)
Loraine Gonzales (Ft. Worth, Texas)
Carlee Hoffman (Champaign, Ill./Cutlerville, Mich.)
Emily Hoskins (Murray, Ky./Mascoutah, Ill.)
Mary Alison Milford (Tuscaloosa, Ala./Magnolia, Ark.)
Becca Murray (Germantown, Wis.)
Alana Nichols (Tuscaloosa, Ala./Farmington, N.M.)
Christina Ripp (Littleton, Colo./Dane, Wis.)
Jennifer Ruddell (Champaign, Ill.)
Natalie Schneider (Lincoln, Neb.)
Stephanie Wheeler (Tuscaloosa, Ala./Norlina, N.C.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Boccia

"Boccia made its debut as a medal sport at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in1992. Although the game originated long ago in the Italian Alps, its popularity has spread worldwide. Boccia has also long been a popular sport with individuals with cerebral palsy, testing an athlete's level of muscle control, concentration and accuracy.

Athletes throw, kick or use an assistive device to propel leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball (the jack). Each player throws six balls. After each individual match, four ends are played, with the top two players from each pool advancing. Boccia is played indoors on a flat, smooth surface by either individuals or teams.

Paralympic boccia competition is open to male and female athletes with cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.


2008 U.S. Paralympic Boccia Team
Timothy Hawker (Holland, Ohio)

More information about these athletes is available.

Cycling

"Cycling wasn't introduced into the Paralympic program until the 1984 New York/Mandeville Games. The competition took place in Mandeville, England, among athletes with cerebral palsy. The expanded Paralympic program, which includes the modern-day classifications, didn't appear until the Barcelona Games in 1992. At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, handcycling (for wheelchair users) made its debut as a medal event.

Athletes compete on the track (velodrome) and on the roads. Track events generally consist of sprints as short as 200 meters to time trials and pursuits up to 4 km. Relay races consisting of three-person teams are also contested on the track.

Competition on the roads consists of time trials and road races. In time trials, athletes start individually in staggered intervals, racing mostly against themselves and the clock. Road races consist of mass starts. Distances vary based on the host country's discretion. Distances range from 5 km to 65 km in length.

Paralympic cycling competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Cycling Team
Alejandro Albor (Elk Grove, Calif.)
Mike Farrell
David Lee (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif.)
Oscar Sanchez (San Diego, Calif.)
Matthew Updike (Denver, Colo.)
Ron Williams (Hoover, Ala.)
Anthony Zahn (Riverside, Calif.)

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Cycling Team
Barbara Buchan (Bend, Ore.)
Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Greta Neimanas (Chicago, Ill./Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Jennifer Schuble (Homewood, Ala.)
Karissa Whitsell (Eugene, Ore.) and pilot Mackenzie Woodring (Grand Rapids, Mich.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Equestrian

"The first major international dressage competition for riders with physical disabilities came in 1984 at the World Games in New York. Equestrian made its debut appearance at the Paralympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta. Riders from 16 countries participated in the 1996 Games and by 2004 that number had nearly doubled (29).

Dressage was the only equestrian discipline included in the competition schedule of the 2004 Paralympic Games. Riders compete in two dressage events; a championship test of set movements and a freestyle test to music. There is also a team test for three or four riders. Competitors are judged on their display of horsemanship skills demonstrated through their use of commands for walk, trot and canter.

Paralympic equestrian competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team
Robin Brueckmann (Summerfield, N.C.)
Barbara Grassmyer (Placerville, Calif.)
Rebecca Hart (Erie, Pa.)
Keith Newerla (Seaford, N.Y.)
Lynn Seidemann (Coppell, Texas)

More information about these athletes is available.

Fencing

"Fencing for athletes in wheelchairs was first introduced by Sir Ludwig Guttmann in 1953 and has been a part of the Paralympic program since 1960.

Athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fixed to the floor. Though they rely on ducking, half-turns and leaning to dodge their competitors' touches, fencers can never raise up from the seat. The first fencer to score five touches is declared the winner. Athletes play the best out of three rounds.

Athletes compete in single and team formats. Weapon categories for men include foil, epee and sabre. Women compete in foil and epee. Athletes are divided into A, B and C classifications, depending on their strength and mobility. Class A players have the greatest range of strength and mobility, while Class C players have the least.

Paralympic fencing competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Fencing Team
Mark Calhoun
Andrea DeMello
Gerard Moreno
Scott Rodgers
Benjy Williams

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Goalball

"Goalball was introduced as a medal event at the Paralympic Games in Toronto in1976 after its success as a demonstration event at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. The sport was invented in 1946 by Austrian Hanz Lorenzen and German Sett Reindle as a way to rehabilitate post-WWII blind veterans. Now, the sport is played in 112 countries in all International Blind Sport Association (IBSA) regions.

Men's and women's teams compete in teams of three in this event. Unlike other team ball events, goalball is a unique ball game played only by the blind.

The ball makes noise when it's in motion so that the players can locate it audibly. For this reason, silence at events is vital. It is played on a court with tactile markings so that players can determine their location on the court and which direction that he/she is facing. All players wear eye masks to block out light and thus equalize visual impairment between the athletes. Players take turns throwing the ball, end to end, at each other's goal.

Paralympic goalball competition is open to male and female athletes who are blind/visually impaired." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.


2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Goalball Team
Chris Dodds (Logan, Utah)
Steve Denuyl (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Tyler Merren (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Donte' Mickens (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Eddie Munro (St Augustine, Fla.)
Daryl Walker (Jacksonville, Fla.)

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Goallball Team
Jen Armbruster (Colorado Springs, Colo./Birmingham, Ala.)
Lisa Banta (Boonton, N.J./Tucson, Ariz.)
Jaclyn Barnes (Wadsworth, Ill.)
Jessica Lorenz, (Berkley, Calif.)
Asya Miller (Lapeer, Mich./Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Robyn Theryoung (Clarkston, Mich./Colorado Springs, Colo.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Judo

"Judo has been part of the Paralympic Games since the 1988 Games in Seoul and has quickly grown in the number of competitors. In Athens in 2004, 120 athletes competed in 13 weight classes (84 men in seven classes, 36 women in six), compared to the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona, where there were only 53 judo competitors.

Athletes who are blind or have vision impairments compete under the rules of the International Judo Association at the Paralympic Games, with the exception of a mat that has different textures to mark zones and the competition area. Competitors must attack, defend, and maintain balance during a match in order to score points by using certain attack and counterattack techniques.

Paralympic judo competition is open to male and female athletes who are blind/visually impaired." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Judo Team
Greg Dewall- +100kg
Scott Jones- 81kg
Myles Porter- 100kg
Andre Watson - 90kg

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Judo Team
Jordan Mouton- 70kg

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete
section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Powerlifting

"Powerlifting made its debut as a medal sport at the second Paralympic Games in 1964. Initially offered only to lifters with spinal cord injuries, the sport has grown to include numerous disability groups, as well as assimilate rules similar to those of non-disabled lifters. From 1992 to 1996, the number of participating countries more than doubled. Ever since, that number has risen to include 109 countries, and is the fastest growing Paralympic sport in the world.

Athletes draw lots to determine order of weigh-in and lifts. After the athletes are categorized within the 10 different weight classes (male and female), they each lift three times (competing in their respective weight class). The heaviest "good lift" (within the weight class) is the lift used for final placing in the competition.

Paralympic powerlifting competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limbloss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.


2008 U.S. Paralympic Powerlifting Team
Mary Stack
Andrew Wise

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Rowing

"Rowing will be making its first Paralympic appearance in Beijing in 2008. The sport was selected for Paralympic inclusion in 2005, just three years after adaptive rowing made its debut on the world championship level in 2002.

At the 2006 FISA Rowing World Championships, the events included the men's and women's single sculls, the trunk-arms double sculls and the legs-trunk-arms mixed four with coxswain.

Paralympic rowing competition is open to male and female athletes with a variety of physical disabilities." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Rowing Team
Scott Brown (Collingdale, Pa.)
Simona Chin (Houston, Texas)
James Dean (Pickerington, Ohio)
Ronald Harvey (Long Beach, Calif.)
Jesse Karmazin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Angela Madsen (Long Beach, Calif.)
Emma Preuschl (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Laura Schwanger (Harrisburg, Pa.)
Tracy Tackett (Phoenixville, Pa.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Sailing

"Sailing was first introduced to the Paralympic Games in 1996 as a demonstration sport and became a medal sport for the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.


Three boats will be raced at the 2008 Paralympic Games: the 2.4mR, a single-person keelboat, the SKUD-18, a two-person keelboat and the Sonar, a three-person keelboat. The high performance SKUD-18 makes its Paralympic debut this year in the coastal city of Qingdao, China. According to the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing (IFDS), a SKUD-18 team must include one female and one person deemed a Functional Classification System (FCS) "1," or severely disabled, like a quadriplegic. Sailors are seated on the centerline for Paralympic events, but the boat can be sailed with or without either of the seats and configured to suit different sailors’ needs. Because of its design and control, the 2.4mR was selected for single-person races. The boat's ease of use allows for a level playing field, making tactical knowledge the dominant factor in competition.


The Sonar uses a versatile crew-friendly design that is accommodating to athletes with physical disabilities. It is used by sailors of all experience and ability levels, from the novice to international competitors.


Paralympic sailing competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team

2.4 mR
John Ruf

SKUD-18
Nick Scandone
Maureen McKinnon Tucker

SONAR
Rick Doerr
Bill Donohue
Tim Angle

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Shooting

"Shooting first became a medal sport at the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto after a successful demonstration at the prior Games in Mandeville, England.

Shooting is divided into rifle and pistol events, air and .22 caliber. The rules governing Paralympic competition are those used by the International Shooting Committee for the Disabled. These rules take into account the differences that exist between disabilities allowing ambulant and wheelchair athletes to compete shoulder to shoulder. Shooting matches athletes of the same gender, with similar disabilities, against each other, both individually and in teams.

Paralympic shooting competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Shooting Team
Mike Dickey
Danielle Fong

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Sitting Volleyball

"Standing volleyball first appeared in the Paralympic program at the 1976 Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sitting volleyball was introduced at the following Games in Arnhem, Netherlands.

Paralympic volleyball is divided into two major disciplines: sitting and standing. For the Athens Games in 2004, however, only sitting volleyball was on the Paralympic program. Athens also introduced the first Paralympic competition for women's sitting volleyball, and the U.S. came away with the bronze medal.

Paralympic volleyball follows the same rules as its non-disabled counterpart with a few modifications to accommodate the various disabilities. In sitting volleyball, the net is about 3.5 feet high, and the court is 10 x 6 meters with a two-meter attack line. Players are allowed to block serves, but one "cheek" must be in contact with the floor whenever they make contact with the ball. In standing volleyball, a mix of disabilities must be represented on the court at all time to equalize the level of play.

Paralympic volleyball competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Sitting Volleyball Team
Allison Aldrich
Heather Erickson
Alex Gouldie
Katie Holloway
SuGui Kriss
Kendra Lancaster
Hope Lewellen
Brenda Maymon
Gina McWilliams
Nichole Millage
Kari Miller
Lora Webster

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Soccer

"Soccer made its debut at the Paralympic Games in 1984. The U.S. team first competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games. The best U.S. finish was a fourth-place finish during the 1996 Atlanta Games. The U.S. team regularly competes in several additional international tournaments, including the Pan American Championships, the World Championships, the World Cup, and several "friendly" tournaments.

Paralympic soccer is played on a 75 x 55m field with a 5 x 2m goal. The sport follows the standard FIFA rules for seven-a-side soccer with the following exceptions: there is no off-side rule, an under-arm throw-in is permitted if a player is physically unable to execute a throw-in according to FIFA rules, opposing players are required to be seven meters from the ball on restarts, and the game is played during two 30-minute halves.

Paralympic soccer competition is open to male athletes with cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

Swimming

"Swimming for men and women has been a part of the Paralympic program since the first Games in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Today, the races are highly competitive and among the largest and most popular events in the Paralympic Games. Paralympic swimming competitions occur in 50-meter pools and, while competing, no prostheses or assistive devices may be worn.

Paralympic swimming competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and Les autres." Information provided by U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Swimming Team
Cheryl Angelelli-Kornoelje (Clinton Township, Mich.)
Kelley Becherer (Sheboygan, Wisc.)
Aimee Bruder (Birmingham, Ala.)
Anna Eames (Golden Valley, Minn.)
Amanda Everlove (Wichita, Kan.)
Deb Gruen (Hamden, Conn.)
Casey Johnson (Cypress, Calif.)
Cortney Jordan (Henderson, Nev.)
April Kerley (Loveland, Ohio)
Beth Kolbe (Tiffin, Ohio)
Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.)
Marin Morrison (Sammamish, Wash.)
Ashley Owens (Stockbridge, Ga.)
Erin Popovich (Silverbow, Mont.)
Susan Beth Scott (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Melissa Stockwell (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Elizabeth Stone (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Miranda Uhl (Alachua, Fla.)

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Swimming Team
Kendall Bailey (San Diego, Calif.)
Mark Barr (Davis, Calif.)
Cody Bureau (Latrobe, Pa.)
Michael DeMarco (San Diego, Calif.)
Dave Denniston (Longmont, Colo.)
Alex Dionne (Mequon, Wisc.)
Tucker Dupree (Raleigh, N.C.)
Grover Evans (Little Rock, Ark.)
Rudy Garcia-Tolson (Riverside, Calif.)
Lantz Lamback (Augusta, Ga.)
Curtis Lovejoy (Atlanta, Ga.)
Joe McCarthy (San Diego, Calif.)
Tom Miazga (Cedarburg, Wisc.)
Aaron Paulson (Portland, Ore.)
Roy Perkins (Del Mar, Calif.)
Jarrett Perry (Wichita, Kan.)
Michael Prout (West Springfield, Mass.)
Philip Scholz (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.)
Joe Wise (Menlo Park, Calif.)
Justin Zook (Plymouth, Minn.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Table Tennis

"Played in more than 100 countries, athletes who compete in table tennis also have the opportunity to participate in numerous tournaments other than the Paralympic Games, including the European Championships, the Pan American Games, the All-Africa Games and the Far East and South Pacific Games. Table tennis has been a part of the Paralympic program since the inaugural Games in 1960.

Rules governing Paralympic table tennis are the same as those used by the International Table Tennis Federation, though slightly modified for players using wheelchairs. The same quick technique and finesse is apparent in the games of athletes from various disability groups, including men's and women's competitions, as well as individual and team contests. All matches are played best-of-five games to 11 points.

Paralympic table tennis competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.


2008 U.S. Paralympic Table Tennis Team
Tahl Leibovitz
Mitch Seidenfeld
Noga Nir-Kistler
Andre Scott

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

Track & Field

"Athletics events are open to athletes in all disability classes and have been a part of the Paralympic program since the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy, in 1960. Events include track, throwing, jumping, pentathlon and the marathon.

The rules of Paralympic track and field are almost identical to those of its non-disabled counterpart. Certain allowances are made to accommodate certain disabilities. For example, the blind and more severely visually impaired runners compete with guide runners, who are often attached by the wrist with a tether to the runner.

Paralympic track and field competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U.S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Track & Field Team
Danny Andrews (Miami, Fla./Tucson, Ariz.)
Jim Bob Bizzell (Abilene, Texas)
Adam Bleakney (Champaign, Ill.)
Tyler Byers (Spokane, Wash./Washington, D.C.)
Matt Brown (Idalou, Texas)
Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas/Chula Vista, Calif.)
Edwin Cockrell (New Athens, Ill.)
Scott Danberg (Cooper City, Fla.)
Brian Frasure (Apex, N.C.)
Joshua George (Fairfax, Va./Champaign, Ill.)
Elexis Gillette (Raleigh, N.C./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Peter Gottwald (West Chester, Pa.)
Erik Hightower (Glendale, Ariz.)
Tony Iniguez (Aurora, Ill.)
Josiah Jamison (Vance, S.C./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Carlos Leon (N. Lauderdale, Fla./Birmingham, Ala.)
Royal Mitchell (Hardeeville, S.C./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Nelacey Porter (Salem, Ore./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Alex Richter (Cullman, Ala.)
Josh Roberts (Birmingham, Ala.)
Scot Severn (Caro, Mich.)
Jerome Singleton (Irmo, S.C.)
Marlon Shirley (Tremonton, Utah/Chula Vista, Calif.)
Jeff Skiba (Samammish, Wash./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Casey Tibbs (San Antonio, Texas/Chula Vista, Calif.)
Steven Toyoji (Redmond, Wash./Tucson, Ariz.)
Scott Winkler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Grovetown, Ga.)

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Track & Field Team
Mallerie Badgett (Oxford, Ala.)
Cheri Blauwet (Larchwood, Iowa/Menlo Park, Calif.)
Julie Crisp (Portland, Ore.)
Anjali Forber-Pratt (Natick, Mass./Champaign, Ill.)
Jessica Galli (Hillsborough, N.J./Savoy, Ill.)
Jennifer Goeckel (Seattle, Wash.)
Sabra Hawkes (Rockport, Mass.)
April Holmes (Somerdale, N.J./Chula Vista, Calif.)
Jill Kennedy (Zalmo, Mo./Charlottesville, Va.)
Cheryl Leitner (Toms River, N.J./Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Chelsea McClammer (Benton, Wash.)
Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Md.)
Amanda McGrory (Kennett Square, Pa./Champaign, Ill.)
Kerri Morgan (St. Louis, Mo.)
Maggie Redden (Jersey City, N.J./State College, Pa.)
Shirley Reilly (Los Gatos, Calif./Tucson, Ariz.)
Robyn Stawski (Tampa, Fla.)

More information about these athletes is available.

Wheelchair Rugby

"Rugby made its Paralympic debut as a demonstration event in Atlanta in 1996. It became a medal sport in Sydney in 2000, where the United States won the gold medal. The game was first developed in Canada as a team sport for quadriplegic athletes, and was originally known as "murderball" because of its intense physical nature. After being introduced in the United States, the name was changed to "quad rugby," but it is also commonly known as wheelchair rugby.

The objective of wheelchair rugby is for a player to carry a ball across the opponent's goal line in order to score a point. A volleyball is used and must be bounced or passed between teammates at least once every 10 seconds during play. The sport is played in four eight-minute stop-time quarters indoors on a basketball court. All players are classified based on their abilities from 0.5 to 3.5 points. Four players from each team are allowed on the court at a time and the classification value between them cannot exceed eight points.

Paralympic wheelchair rugby competition is open to male and femalte athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limbloss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team
Andy Cohn
Will Groulx
Scott Hogsett
Bryan Kirkland
Norm Lyduch
Seth McBride
Jason Regier
Nick Springer
Chance Sumner
Joel Wilmoth
Mark Zupan

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/ or U.S. Quad Rugby Association

Wheelchair Tennis

"Wheelchair tennis was originated in 1976 by American Brad Parks and it quickly evolved into a major competitive international sport. Wheelchair tennis first appeared at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.

Wheelchair tennis is played on a standard tennis court and follows many of the same rules as tennis. However, in wheelchair tennis, a player is allowed to let the ball bounce twice, not once, before hitting a return shot. Also, the athlete's wheelchair is considered to be a part of the body, so rules applying to the player's body apply to the chair as well.

Paralympic wheelchair tennis competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss and spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users." According to the U. S. Paralympics web site.

2008 U.S. Paralympic Men's Wheelchair Tennis Team
Jon Rydberg
Stephen Welch
Paul Moran
Lee Hinson
David Wagner
Nicholas Taylor
Brent Poppen

2008 U.S. Paralympic Women's Wheelchair Tennis Team
Beth Arnoult
Kaitlyn Verfuerth

For more information about these athletes visit the Athlete section at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/

The Oprah Winfrey Show

The season premier of the Oprah Winfrey Show will features 175 stars of Team USA™. It is being promoted as a welcome home celebration and a way to showcase Chicago for the 2016 Olympic/Paralympic bid.

But the show has forgotten half of Team USA™. The Paralympic athletes are still competing in Beijing to bring home the gold.

Brooke Williams, wife of Paralympic cyclist Ron Williams, wrote the following in her blog:
Well, I've been saying that I was gonna do this for, well, years now, and I just did it... Did what, you ask? I wrote Oprah. I've been seeing the commercials for her episode with all the Olympians, and I just got a bee in my bonnet and shot her (well, her people I guess...) a quick email! Don't you think having a show featuring Paralympians would be a good idea?? I do! Stay posted...

Brooke is correct, the Paralympic Team deserves a show too. To support this effort, send a note to Oprah (or her people) requesting a Paralympic show. Here is a link to the Oprah show Contact Us page, click Send Us Your Show Suggestions. Complete the form, be careful of the phone number format. Thanks for your support!