Adapting to Disabled Athletes

Before taking this course, other then the Para Olympics, I never really heard of athletes that still competed even though they had a disability. I think that it is outstanding, and very brave of these athletes to stick with their sport, even though it may be hard for them.

One of the most influential stories I have read about, was the Olympic hopefull Skier with only one leg. The athlete competed against other athletes for years and years, and completely dominated in the sport. Unfortunately, they did not make it to the actual Olympics, but qualified to compete in the Para Olympics.



I feel that what makes this story so inspirational is that the athlete was a competitive skier before their unfortunate incident which caused their disability, but with the help and adaption of different ski equipment, such as poles with "feet" on the end of them, the athlete was able to continue competing in their beloved sport. Being a Skier myself, I feel that what this athlete is doing is very brave.

In class we talked about whether male or female's with disabilities would be more likely to compete in a sport. I personally believe that a male would be more likely to actually go out and compete, because society are more excepting to males not fitting their ideal role, while women are meant to fit perfectly into a female stereo-type.

Often, women are coddled and protected by any negative feedback, so seeing a women with a disability playing a sport would be like deliberately putting them into the firing range of negative press.

Personally, I believe that if an athlete's heart is in the sport, no matter what sex they are, they should go out and compete. Like I've said on past blogs, the competition does not have to be to win, but to do something you love and to try your best.