To me, all Paralympic Archers are a gold medalist. You each deserve a medal, whether it be gold, silver, or bronze. You set an example of what dedication to a sport is all about.

I am proud to know you, proud to have stood by you in tournaments, and am very proud to tell
people that I know someone personally who has won a medal in the 2008 Paralympics in Bejiing.

Enjoy what you’ve accomplished and keep that smile!!

We’ll see you in Texas!

I am a better person, a far better father, and a much better archery coach, for having known her (as strange as that sounds coming from a parent).

The people I meet at the Paralympics: Professional Photographers, officials, independent journalists and volunteers, all tell me that they prefer the Paralympics to the Olympics, because of the emotional impact, and what translates to me as the ideals (Citius, Fortius, Altius) that are embodied MORE by those athletes who are missing limbs and dealing with greater “inconveniences”.

True that the Oly athletes are also striving but they have great monetary awards (say, $50K to $100k depending on the sport, for a gold medal ( + endorsements)) and also fame awaiting them. The US paras have 1/10 of that $ award, and a slap on the back when they return to their jobs at Home Depot or other supporting sponsors who reach out to the disabled. Other countries put their para awards on a par with the Olympic awards, but the US, not so much. If the Chicago host bid is turned down by the IOC, it will be purely because of the way the paralympians in the US are treated.

So the paras do it for the sheer honor of competing, “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat”. what a wonderful thing is the paralympics.

Perhaps some day the NBCs and the ESPNs and the Sports Illustrateds will decide to start giving it precedence over card playing and darts. (nothing wrong with those, but how can they call it “sport” and yet ignore the paras, some 4,000 athletes from around the world striving and competing in the same village and the same venues, before standing-room only crowds?)
You know, NBC broadcast in the US some hundreds of hours of Oly programming (ZERO hours of archery) and posted thousands of hours on the web of water polo, basketball, field hockey, etc,etc, and exactly ZERO hours of archery or paralympic coverage.

What are the disabled athletes to them, potted plants?

It may take some time for them to appear, they are in process now.