Olympic Medalists Help Disabled Sailors Prepare For Beijing

A group of Olympic sailors from around the world have established TeamPARADISE, a program that pairs Olympic medalists with disabled sailors to help them compete in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

The TeamPARADISE effort, spearheaded by Magnus Liljedahl, winner of the Star Class Sailing 2000 Olympic Gold Medal for the USA, was created under the auspices of Shake-A-Leg Miami (SALM), one of the largest, fully accessible community water sports centers in the world.

“Part of our mission here is to broaden and deepen the pool of disabled participants at the elite level,” said Harry Horgan, co-founder and executive director of SALM, noting that even the most severely disabled can participate in and enjoy sailing.

While racing demands a series of precise skills and intricate teamwork, success depends largely on experience and the hours spent practicing on the water.

TeamPARADISE participants will, therefore, spend much of their time sailing and learning skills through on-the-water drills, practice starts, and short races that pit them against the very best sailors on the globe.

The program emphasizes teamwork to inspire its students to overlook their handicaps and reach for their loftiest goals. The program’s motto, “the reward is in the journey,” was chosen to reflect the Olympic ideal of pure competition and to show that for TeamPARADISE participants, training is life enhancing and not just about winning medals.

The group of sailing medalists participating in the program, includes 2004 Olympic gold medalist, Kevin Burnham; 2000 Olympic bronze medalist and the top ranked Star sailor in the world, Freddy Loof of Sweden; the 2003 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Augie Diaz; and the 1992 USA Olympic silver medalist, Morgan Reeser.

For more information, contact www.teamparadise.org or www.shakealegmiami.org.