I love the summer Olympics and watch them religiously every four years as I did this summer (2024). I tear up as their life stories are told or when they win and achieve their goal. I have never watched the Paralympics, but this year I did. The competitions were jaw-dropping. How did the woman with just one left arm, one left leg, and diminished vision win the Gold medal in the 100-meter swim against others with two arms and handicapped legs? Then there was the man without arms and grossly deformed legs, who won a Gold medal in the breaststroke swimming against apparently less physically challenged competitors. Watch this video of his determination and grit.
The Paralympics are the modern-day athletic competition that has grown to be more inclusive, welcoming athletes from around the globe, including those with disabilities. Wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, triathlons, table tennis, wheelchair fencing, and more are part of the competition – every sport is modified for the various disabilities and appropriately placed in the unique ability categories.
On days when I feel sorry for myself or think life isn’t fair, I will think about those proud and accomplished athletes who have been bullied and mocked in life, stared at in public, and cast away as having no value, and then I can remember, that I too can achieve my goals if I put my heart and mind to it.
I encourage you to watch the remaining days of the Paralympics or view videos of their achievements and efforts including the staff who have supported this most amazing athletic event. May you, too, find inspiration.
Susan E. Greisen 
I certainly agree with you Susan. I have been watching these games also and am blown away by them. Vikki
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Hello Vikki,
Any time someone challenges the naysayers, those are the people in my camp.
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I’ve volunteered at local paraolympics and believe me it’s awesome and humbling to see these athletes put forth such effort and energy to achieve their goals..they all gain a medal and continue for national and later inter international…
if you ever get the opportunity..volunteer..there’s nothing more gratifying!⁹
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Patty, how wonderful of you to participate in such a worthy event. I wish we could take our children and grandchildren to these events. Maybe there would be less bullying. I recently watched a movie on Netflix call “Wonder” starring Julia Roberts. A tearjerker for sure. Thanks for keeping in touch.
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Susan,
I have been more personally connected to the paralympic movement, as our son has been a paralympic cycling coach for a number of years. Some of his coaching started with the Wounded Warriors program; he is a military veteran and athlete who began mountain biking and road cycling in high school, continued in college with triathlons and transitioned into professional coaching after his military service and masters degree in exercise physiology. He was the USOC paralympic cycling team coach for several years, then became an independent coaching contractor. He coached at the 2012 Paralymic Games in London and is in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games coaching paralymic road cycling as I write this. My wife and I watched him coach track cycling with Para athletes in 2012 at a velodrome in the LA, California area. Specially adapted bicycles for the riders, visually impaired on tandem bikes and tricycles and recumbent bikes as well for those missing lower limbs or suffering from traumatic brain injury. We have volunteered at USA Cycling National Championships here in Wisconsin several years ago and watched para-cyclists compete. For wounded military veterans, this can give them a purpose, re-establish their self esteem, self-worth, restore their self discipline through rigorous training, as well as the same for civilians suffering from birth defects or serious injury from a life changing event.
Andy yes, it is simply incredible and heart warming to see what they can achieve. They are still outstanding, incredible athletes. I enjoy watching them as much or more than whole bodied athletes. So, like you said, the next time each of us is having a personal “pity party” over some minor issue, just remember them!
(So tomorrow, I’m leaving for several days to work with fifteen men dealing with cancer, by teaching them, along with other stream buddy volunteers, to fly fish, which has been a healing tool for people with addictions, women dealing with cancer as well as wounded military veterans. I expect it will definitely be a new and moving experience.)
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Hello Randy,
It is amazing how you and your family continue to give back. I hope by others reading these comments that there are plenty good people in the world. We certainly don’t see that on the news. Watching these para athletes on TV is one thing, however, I think seeing them in person would take me to a whole another realm. I realize how many people it takes to get some of the athletes in place for their event especially bicycling or the triathlon. It’s a team of sometimes 15 or 20 people. As I said in my above comment. There are so many people good good people in the world; we just have to look harder for them sometimes. The news in the media want to focus on the bad. All we have to do is look to our neighbor, our friends, and our family and there they are. The good will prevail.
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Thanks for sharing Susan. A good reminder of the indomitable human spirit and what can be accomplished against seemingly unsurmountable odds.
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the above comment is it via email from Kathy ool
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Well, the Paralympics did NOT disappoint with drama and excitement!! Pretty hard to beat this summer with both the Olympic and Paralympic games being televised!!
Oh, and did I mention, Susan, a 51 year reunion with Mark & Sally Zelonis!! They visited with us over two days on their way to Voyagers National Park in Northern Minnesota. Was great to catch up with them, meet several of their friends from the Madison area and show them the nearby International Crane Foundationand Aldo Leopold Foundation. They looked great!! Guess ys RPCV’s age pretty well!
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Randy, guess who I spent yesterday afternoon with?Kevin says he met me at about three different parties just like you said you might have met me. It was one of John Mitchell’s parties. I was in a daze back then and I don’t remember visiting with either one of you. He said he did not actually talk to me but he knew who I was. I was the infamous Gowee girl. We reminisced for hours.I just spoke with Sally today and she is doing well. I hope to go and visit her and Mark next summer.All the best to youSent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
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Crazy!! Well, Kevin and I go back a ways!!
I used to stay at Kevin’s house in Ganta when I came back from Saclepea to visit. We traveled to Europe together; he spoke some French, I did not. We didn’t go to Spain so I couldn’t use my Spanish language training. When I left Liberia. I stopped in New York to interview with CARE for a position back in Liberia as a forester/administrator. Keven and I reconnected there and I remember going out with him for a couple of beers; I recall how heavy weight wise everyone appeared (my wife later told me I was “skin and bones” when I returned). While I was offered that position several months later, I had decided to go with the US Forest Service to take advantage of being hired non-competitively as a result of my Peace Corps service.
I started working for the Forest Service in January 1974, residing in the small town of Potosi, Missouri adjacent the Mark Twain National Forest. My wife, Kathleen, and I were married in late July 1975. On arriving back at our apartment in Potosi after a brief honeymoon, guess who was waiting at our door? Kevin Moriarty!!
We gradually lost touch until a few years ago, when I found out he lived in Texas and held a nice mgmt position and had become quite the photographer. We reconnected, think we talked by phone, and exchanged Christmas cards and letters.
We’ll, Susan, I’m glad you re-connected with Kevin as well! He said he’d be up this way once covid was over, but so far he’s been a no-show. Wisconsin weather can be much nicer than Texas this time of year. I don’t recall talking with you much either, only that you may have been wearing either one of the powder blue outfits rural health workers wore or a Liberian wrap. Regardless, you caught my eye, but then you sort of disappeared into the crowd.
This was a large contingent of PCVs at John’s huge palava hut and the gathering where we found out a number of PCVs enroute had been injured when the truck they were riding in rolled over several times due to poor road conditions. I can still visualize the setting after all these years. Randy
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