Interesting Fact

Chad still cannot get internet access!!! I know you all are not really looking forward to hearing from me (Tara, the wife) again, but I hope you think that it is better than nothing. I will give you a quick update on Chad and then I will get to my interesting fact. I spoke with Chad for about 30 minutes last Friday, which was the longest I have been able to talk to him since he left. He is doing well and enjoying every minute of his time in Japan. He has been there for about a week now and will leave on Tuesday for Beijing. His days are filled with meetings, practice, and a little free time, which for him has been spent trying to get internet access. A buffet breakfast and lunch are provided daily, which he said has a large variety of food and VERY good fruit, some of the best he has ever had. They are on their own for dinner. Several times he has gone out to eat with other coaches on or off base. One time they even went to Chilli's on the base. They have also gone to several local restaurants in Okinawa including a Japanese Steakhouse. I asked him if it was like Sumo (we LOVE Sumo) and he said it was similar, but a little different. They served soup and salad, but instead of ginger dressing on the salad it was a Japanese dressing. Instead of fried rice, they could chose between white rice and garlic rice. He said the rice is sweet and all the food is very yummy! Yesterday he went on a tour of Okinawa and last night they were throwing a party for all the athletes and coaches on the base. I will let you know later how those events turned out.

Now, for my interesting fact...before the Olympics came on TV each night the local news here in Birmingham showed interviews about different athletes who will be competing in the Paralympic Games and train at the Lakeshore Foundation. I noticed and several people pointed out to me that many of the athletes interviewed are not paraplegics. So, I asked Chad about it the other day and he explained that "para" actually stands for parallel and not paraplegic. Interesting! He explained a little further, but instead of explaining I will let you read the definition of "Paralympic Games" from Wikipedia;
The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. This includes mobility disabilities, amputees, visual disabilities and those with cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). (The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities).
The name derives from the Greek "para" ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games. No relation with paralysis or paraplegia is intended, though the word Paralympic was originally a portmanteau combining 'paraplegic' and 'Olympic'.[1]

I guess I should have figured that out sooner, but I just didn't put it together. I hope I'm not the only one that did not know that!

And He's Off...

This is Tara, Chad's wife. I may be updating Chad's blog from time to time if he does not get a chance too. I took him to the aiport this morning at 6:00 am after staying up until after 1:00 am packing. He is very excited to get there and find out more information and details about what is in store for him in the next few weeks. Just this morning he told me that there is an article written about his trip on the Samford Athletics Webpage. To read it click on the link to the right. Also, he has a skype account set up for those of you that are familiar with it. While he won't have much time to talk, he would love to hear from some of you while he's gone. He will be in Colorado Springs until Saturday. Then, he will go to Japan for one week for their training camp. After that, it's off to Beijing for 2 weeks. I will try to make sure he is posting regularly or I will try to get on and update on what he has told me. Good Luck Chad!

Preparing for Beijing

It's less than a week until I leave for Beijing. My wife and I are glued to the Olympic coverage and enjoying watching Michael Phelps make history. It's making me really excited for my trip. I leave next Thursday for Colorado Springs for team processing.

I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to represent the U.S.A. at the 2008 Paralympic Games. I'm very thankful I've been allowed to take time away from Samford, but I will have my cross country runners in my thoughts and prayers as they begin their season.

I am posting this blog to keep family and friends updated on my experiences while in Beijing.