|
More than 500 athletes, sponsors,
spectators, and volunteers from the United States, Canada,
and Europe converged on the Orlando Watersports Complex, July
28-30, for the inaugural O&P Extremity Games by College
Park.
Skateboarding, wakeboarding, BMX biking,
and rock climbing, were the judged competitions, with exhibitions
in gymnastics, martial arts, four wheeling, motorcycling,
motocross, kayaking, and river racing. Among those demonstrating
their sport were Kori Hendrix, gymnastics; Ron Mann, martial
arts; Regas Woods, four wheeling; Chris Johnson, motorcycling;
and Jim Waxny, motocross.
Wounded members of the military from the
Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project demonstrated the kayaking
and river racing events. They included Army Sgt. Juanita Wilson,
Baltimore; Sgt. Keith Deutsch, Las Vegas; Spc. Scott West,
Branson, Mo.; Cpl. Derrick Harden, Johannesburg, Mich.; and
Marine Lance Cpl. Chris Boreland, Tampa. Joe Mornini of Team
River Runner coached them.
Competing in BMX biking was Staff Sgt. Justin
Shellhamer, Orlando; Keith Deutsch in wakeboarding and rock
climbing, Scott West in wakeboarding, and Derrick Harden and
Chris Boreland in rock climbing. Kirk Bauer, executive director
of DS/USA, also participated in the rock climbing competition.
Keith noted that the Extremity Games gave
him an opportunity to try different recreational activities.
“I’ve been snowboarding for years, and I have
rock climbed before,” he said. “But I liked that
I could try wakeboarding and kayaking.” Keith also enjoyed
the skateboarding events. “I saw a one-legged skateboarder
do an ollie. (A trick where the skateboarder pops the board
into the air.) That’s the hardest thing to do, and he
did it. It was awesome,” Keith said.
Keith would like to attend next year’s
Games, and would like to tackle rock climbing more competitively.
He also had a suggestion for the game organizers. “I
hope they have a winter Extremity Games, because I would definitely
enter the snowboarding competition,” he said.
Also part of the weekend fun was First Splat,
a paintball event sponsored by the Orthotic and Prosthetic
Assistance Fund, Inc. (OPAF). DS/USA participants included
Kirk Bauer, Derrick Harden with brother, Matthew Tapley, Keith
Deutsch, Chris Boreland, and Garett Ray, DS/USA intern.
“Everybody had a lot of fun,”
said attendee Kyleen Davis, DS/USA program services assistant
and Mentor Program coordinator. “Even for the Wounded
Warriors who didn’t participate in competitions, it
was encouraging to see how people of all abilities can participate
in an extreme sport if they want to.”
Among the spectators was CBS “Survivor”
participant and leg amputee Chad Crittenden. Chad was one
of 18 castaways in “Survivor Vanuatu” (2004).
Professional athletes participated in the
event, too. Among them was Paralympian swimmer Jessica Long.
She wasn’t swimming, but making her first attempt in
a rock-climbing competition – and she took second place.
Jessica, who owns nine world records in swimming, took up
rock climbing at the suggestion of her practitioner at Real
Life Prosthetics. After only climbing for four months, Jessica
set her sights on the Extremity Games. Jessica’s father,
sister, and Greg Michalov, CP, and Director of Research and
Development at Real Life, accompanied Jessica to the Games.
The rock climbing was held in two heats. Jessica’s first
climb took 51 seconds, but she trimmed that to 31 seconds
her second try – good enough for a second place finish.
“The climbing wall was transparent, so you could see
what your competition was doing,” Jessica said. “That
was an incentive to do better.” Jessica enjoyed the
weekend’s activities including watching the skateboarding
demonstrations, and opening ceremony skydivers, Keith Requsa
and Jay Humphries of the Pieces of Eight amputee skydiving
team. “It was really nice,” she said. Jessica
plans to participate in next year’s competition. Until
then, she will continue with her swimming and will be participating
in seven events at the World Championship Trials in San Antonio,
Aug. 11-13.
Jessica was joined by more than 50 athletes
in the climbing competition. Jarem Frye, McMinnville, Ore.,
took first place in the men’s division; Tyler Byrom,
Tulsa, Okla., won second place, and Craig Demartino, Loveland,
Colo., third place.
In the women’s division, Loi Ho, Newington,
Conn., won first place; Jessica Long, Baltimore, second; and
Shawna Culp, Wheaton, Ill., third. Frye’s time beat
Ho’s gaining him an additional Overall Rock Climbing
first place for a total cash purse of $5,000.
Winners of other events include:
Wakeboarding – Sean Reyngoudt, Summerland, Fla., first
place; Logan Aldridge, Raleigh, N.C., second; and Billy Tonis,
Dublin, Calif., third.
BMX – Anthony Zukowski, Grand Rapids,
Mich., first place; Brandon Spears, Orlando, Fla., second;
and Christopher Morgan, Mesa, Ariz., third.
Skateboarding – Charles House, Merritt
Island, Fla., first place; Rob Nelson, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.,
second; and Garry Moore, Birdsboro, Penn., third. Among the
judges in the U-shaped half pipe skateboarding competition
was Jon Comer, professional skateboarder and BK amputee.
First place winners received $5,000; second
place winners received $1,000; and third place finishers received
$250.
“The event surpassed our expectations,”
said Eric Robinson, president of event sponsor College Park
Industries. “The athletes were amazing and, definitely,
defied any preconceived conceptions of their abilities. I’d
like to thank everyone, the athletes, sponsors, volunteers,
and spectators, who helped to make the inaugural O&P Extremity
Games by College Park a huge success. We plan to add more
competitions and look forward to an even more exciting and
inspiring event next year.”
DS/USA is proud to be a sponsor of this
inaugural event.
Photos courtesy of Eric Chen,
and Todd Salley/Forest Creative Group. Special thanks
to Beth Geno, College Park Industries for contributing to
this article.
|
