THEM THAT TRULY INSPIRE US!
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Aug 2012
"The most important thing is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." -The Olympic Creed
One of sport?s greatest effect on us as a human being is that it motivates us, it inspires us. Three weeks after the greatest sporting event on earth has concluded, we shall witness what is probably the most under rated sports competition there is, the Paralympics.
This summer?s Paralympics pale in comparison to its big sister, the Olympics of 2012. There will be lesser coverage, lesser sponsors and lesser grandeur. But the athletes of this competition are far no lesser than the superstars of the 30th Olympiad.
Take for instance the case of thirty eight year old power lifter Adeline Dumapong. The 4?11 athlete lifted 110 kilogram (242 pounds) worth of steel to win the bronze medal in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. But ?Ads? as she is fondly called is wheel chair bound, due to the debilitating effects of polio. But her disability did not prevent her in participating and excelling in a physically demanding sport such as powerlifting, the equivalent of weightlifting in the Olympics.
?I got involved with powerlifting when a friend told me to try it way back 1997 kasi daw (because) I have the built for it being an Ifugao, so I did,? Dumapong narrated to me about her introduction to the sport.
Top photo: Dumapong.
Vildosola and Tapia.
The Philippine Paralympic Team.
Dumapong states that she did not find lifting heavy weights difficult, it is like just other sports she said.
?Hindi naman mahirap mag bench press. Mahirap magtraining katulad lang ng lahat (It?s not hard to bench press. Training for it is hard just like any other sport)."
Dumapong won the bronze medal on the country?s first try at the Paralympic Games, making her the first Filipino athlete to win a medal in these Games. Her involvement and accomplishment in the sport provided her more than the medal itself.
?Malaki ang naitulong ng sport sa akin (Sports has helped me a lot), especially in terms of building my confidence and boosting my self-esteem,? said the mother of a 10 year old girl.
?It has also provided me the opportunity to do something for my country kahit papaano (even how little),? Dumapong narrated. ?Maraming naituro ang sport sa akin, manalo man at matalo, tuloy ang buhay!? (Sports has taught me a lot, win or lose, life goes on!)
Twenty one year old college student Roger Tapia loves running. He loved it ever since as a child. But he is not your usual runner. Roger was born with only one hand and also had difficulty speaking as a child. ?Simula bata pa po ako, tumatakbo na po ako (I have been running since I was a child)," said Tapia who will compete in the Men?s 100 and 200 meter track and field meet in London.
The Jose Rizal University (JRU) senior verbalized that his having one arm did not prevent him in pursuing his dream as an athlete. Tapia despite his handicap competes as an able bodied athlete in the NCAA games in the country. He enjoys full athletic scholarship from JRU where he takes up management.
?Kahit may kapansanan ako, ayaw kong kaawaan ang sarili ko (I do not want to pity myself despite my disability)," said the native of Ilocos Norte who takes up B.S. Management at the university. He intends to give his best in London and hopefully bring home a medal to his country.
Isidro Vildosola is another track and field competitor like Tapia. He also like Tapia, has a solitary arm. Unlike his young team mate though, Coach Sid as he is called lost his arm due to an accident in a rice mill when he was just six years old. The South Cotabato athlete is a veteran of many local and international competitions and also serves as a running coach to many of his able bodied students on local competitions in the country.
?I will do my best. Sana manalo. Iyon naman ang main goal, ang manalo (I hope for a win. That is the main goal, to win)," said the thirty six year old runner who will compete in the Men?s 1500 meter run. ?Ibibigay ko po ang best ko doon (I will give my best there)," Vildosola stated.
Giving their best on what they do is not a once in four year effort for these athletes. They have been giving their best in everything that they do in their lifetime. This is due to the challenges that a person with disability like them face every day. Not only in the sports that they compete in but in life itself.
Adeline Dumapong could not sum it any better, ?I've trained hard and well for this and come Sept. 5 it's show time. Anything can happen!?
They might not enjoy the popularity of Usain Bolt, the attention of a Mo Farrah or the giant sponsorship deals of a Michael Phelps. But that does not bother them. They will give it all once that gun fires on that starting line. They will run faster, jump higher and lift stronger.
THEY WILL INSPIRE US!
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com for any reactions to this piece.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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