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She wheeled up to SummerFest 2004 registration
with a beaming smile that let you know she was there to have
a good time. Ready to go. A familiar face from last year’s
inaugural event, 26-year-old Gina Inhelder returned this June
to dig into all the outdoor summer sports she loved prior
to the car accident that led to her spinal cord injury. Even
beyond the track and field, rock climbing, and sailing, Gina
was most looking forward to the networking of the event —
reconnecting with old friends from last year and meeting new
participants this go-around.
With a contagious personality that radiates
positive energy, Gina captures the spirit of SummerFest. In
her
view of Disabled Sports USA’s popular summer sports
week, “It was an unforgettable experience that’s
been life-changing in so many different ways. It’s not
only physical, because we still walk away with the same injury.
It’s about being in an environment with people who are
already disabled, and seeing that life doesn’t stop
with your disability.”
A nearby Stanton, Calif., resident, Gina
was one of more than 200 participants who came from all over
the U.S. to climb, sail, cycle, wheel, scuba, water ski, and
paddle as part of The Million Dollar Round Table Foundation
SummerFest 2004. With Disabled Sports USA coordinating the
support and volunteer assistance offered by several DS/USA
chapters, California’s Long Beach morphed into a city-wide
playground for adults. Events spanned five miles of beaches,
Venice-like waterways, and multiple inland sporting sites
for the new and returning participants.
As part of this year’s SummerFest,
DS/USA also invited 21 special guests — a group of U.S.
soldiers who were injured in Iraq — to join the participants
for elite-level coaching in a variety of sports. Two of them
were Marines stationed in Southern California, Staff Sgt.
Eric Alva of Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton-based Cpl.
Eddie Wright. They were joined at SummerFest by Army Capt.
David Rozelle, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Matt Proffit, and Army
Sgt. Erick Castro. A number of the men had also participated
in special snow skiing events last winter as guests of Disabled
Sports USA. To many SummerFest participants like Gina, the
presence of the mostly amputee soldiers had a significant
impact.
“Having the military men there, especially
over July 4th, made this year so meaningful,” she noted.
“It made me realize the sacrifices people make that
we can so easily take for granted. I honor and thank them
for what they do, and am appreciative that I was able to participate
alongside them.”
The June 26 - July 2 week kicked off with
an afternoon sailing excursion for special guests. Sailboats
were manned by dozens of Access to Sailing staff and volunteers,
with loaned boats provided by Pacific Sailing Charters and
Marina Sailing. In the wake of the two-hour sail, the group
also enjoyed a speedboat ride, courtesy of Rainbow Rocket
and Harbor Breeze Yacht Charters.
 From
sailing in the harbor, to scuba diving at a high school pool,
to canoeing, waterskiing, cycling, and rock-climbing down
at the waterfront, guests shuttled around to various sites,
testing which sports suited them best. They enjoyed the option
to focus on perfecting one skill, or to dabble in all activities,
with expert instruction and coaching available across the
sports spectrum.
As a preview to late July’s famed
Tour de France European cycling race, SummerFest participants
also had a unique opportunity to ride alongside Tony Cruz
of the U.S. Postal team. With arrangements by Jennifer Stevens
of Red Five Racing, and the loan of dozens of adaptive cycles
by Project Mobility, the afternoon ride in a nearby park allowed
special guests, participants, and volunteers alike to jump
into action with a world-class cyclist.
In only its second year, DS/USA’s
SummerFest has become a hugely successful warm weather event.
So, what’s next in the lineup? Depends on whom you ask.
- Ask Rodney Roller, founder of California’s AmpSurf,
who during the timeframe of SummerFest took home first place
in the Amateur Classic Surf Competition, and he will likely
suggest incorporating amputee surfing into an upcoming SummerFest.
- Ask special guest Matt Proffit, or any of the other disabled
soldiers who intend to become more involved in DS/USA winter
and summer sports. Many are already planning a repeat visit
to The Hartford Ski Spectacular, held annually in December
in Breckenridge, Colo.
- Or ask Gina, who after spending time with Paralympic
Track & Field Coach Bryan Hoddle at this year’s
event, has set a goal for herself to train and be accepted
as part of a future Paralympic competition.
- Or ask Army 1st Lt. Lonnie Moore, from Wichita, Kan.,
who lost a leg when his Bradley fighting vehicle came under
heavy fire near Fallouja on April 6. He and his fiancee,
Melanie Disbrow, arrived in Long Beach on June 27 after
leaving Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC.
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you
that I'm a big man and this injury was not a big deal,”
said Moore, who walks with a prosthesis. “There are
a couple of times I’ve really broken down. It gets challenging.
But the great thing about being out here (in Long Beach) is
everyone pushes and supports everyone else. It’s nice
to have a group of people who are going through the same thing
you are.”
Editor’s Note: The above
article was written through the collective efforts of the
Schwartz Communications, Inc., media team which aided in publicity
for SummerFest 2004. Among those participating were Tara Dugan,
Haley Boruszak, and Megan Kurtz.
 
Photos by Ken Watson, Disabled Sports
USA/New England Chapter |
