Published: Saturday, 30th August, 2008 08:00
The Paralympic Lion Roars once more!
By Olympic Blogger
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The Paralympics
Pic by: Eddie McKenna
Well it's here, at last! Two years and more of preparing training schedules, cajoling and encouraging athletes through rigorous regimes, and demanding the very best at all times, now all that work lies behind and the Paralympics is almost here.
Today I fly from Aberdeen to London to meet up with a small team of Athletes and together we fly to Hong Kong and to Macau, Team GB's holding camp. Neil is already there and in a day or so he will transfer to Beijing for classification, which is something disability athletes have to go through that their non disabled counterparts do not.
Classification is the means by which disability is screened and confirmed in order that Athletes compete fairly in their proper class. One way of looking at it is to think of it in terms of what happens in weight rooms for boxing or weightlifting except instead of weight being assessed it's the degree of disability. No doubt there will be controversy as the procedure requires to ensure that there is no misrepresenting of disability. Neil, who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosta , should find that he is once again in the T13 class. T11 is the class for those who are completely blind,T12 has some sight, and T13 is for those who like Neil can see but who are still registered as blind. To all intents and purposes you wouldn't know he was visually impaired, unless you were with him for a while or especially in the evening where it becomes all to clear he can't see very much.
Over the last two years He and I, and the Sprint Group I coach in Aberdeen, have found all sorts of ways to assist him in training especially at night. We found using small lights on the track for example,was a help, and creating an environment around him which has regular routine and an understanding of what he can or cannot see, was essential.
I'm looking forward to watching and learning from Athletes and Coaches from all over the world in Beijing. There will be fantastic performances from some, and for others disappointment. "The higher the prize, the greater the fall". Courage, confidence, and steely determination all these will be seen in great abundance in the Bird's Nest Stadium and elsewhere. Team GB should do well, and the new Paralympic Lion logo should be seen on screens all over the world. It's a privilege to be going! Now - I have to finish packing, checking at all times I have the all important passport and accreditation and the next blog will be from Macau!
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