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Not All the Gold is in Medals
By Miki Fairley The nearly 4,000 athletes participating in the Athens
Paralympics came from countries small and large, industrial,
developing, and third-world. Their equipment, prostheses, and
orthoses included everything from the latest technology to what
being called "basic" would be an understatement. Of these, athletes
from only 75 countries--about 60 percent of the total of 136--won
at least one medal.
 All the athletes brought hopes and dreams, along
with long, rigorous training, to the Games. Obviously, only a small
minority were medal winners. What about the others? Did their
Paralympic participation still have value for themselves, their
countries, and other persons with disabilities?
A competitive spirit--a desire to achieve, to win--is usually
deep in the psyche of elite athletes. So, of course, falling short
of their goal is a large disappointment. But was the effort still
worth it?
Sydney Silver Medalist
For instance, Roderick Green shone during the 2000 Paralympics
in Sydney, winning a silver medal in the 200m with a time of 23.82
seconds and capturing bronze medals in the 400m with a time of
55.40 seconds and the men's long jump with a distance of 5.81
meters.
Green has been used to winning. He was born with a malformed
right foot and leg, and his parents and doctors thought it best to
amputate when he was about three years old. Growing up in the small
town of West Monroe, Louisiana, Roderick was in the middle of a
large family of six brothers and seven sisters, and his parents
treated him the same as the rest. Roderick thus felt confident
about being able to do athletically what he wanted--and basketball
was his passion.
He was a star against able-bodied players and was named a
top-ten player in Louisiana and all-conference, even though his
poorly fitted prosthesis caused blisters and sores on his residual
limb. In 1997, two great events happened. First, he was fitted with
a new sports prosthesis with a contoured, flexible socket
from Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, 4301 North Classen
Blvd, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (He now also wears a sprinter foot
from Freedom Innovations, Irvine, California). The second great
event was being awarded a four-year basketball scholarship to
Oklahoma Christian University in the same city.
Inspiring Others
Rigorous training and dedicated coaching, plus his own
determination and skills, helped lead Green to victory in Sydney.
But then at Athens, he tore his right hamstring in the semifinals
of the T-44 100m race and came back empty-handed. He is now going
through rehab to rebuild that tendon. However, Green says, "It was
worth every second I was out on the track, working hard." Not only
does Green feel the Paralympics helped him open up to other people
and cultures, but that sports benefit people, not only physically,
but also emotionally. "Even if they feel down, they get lifted
up."
Says Green, "Sometimes people with disabilities feel isolated or
they think life is over. Then they see me or another athlete in a
magazine, newspaper, or somewhere, and they have hope. They think,
Wow! I should get out and be active, and not let amputation be an
excuse to hold me back.'" Indeed, Green is a good example that not
all the gold is in a medal. 
Table Of Contents - December 2004
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