Responsibility

I presented yesterday to the LMG Auditors Group in Orlando, FL. Before I came on stage the national company had employees from various regions around the country get up and tell the crowd of 200 what “responsible” projects their team has been working on over the last year. One in particular stood out: the group working with soldiers in Iraq.

The team had opted to sponsor a soldier who doesn’t enjoy the support of any other group back home, including her family of six sisters. The soldier is a 10-yr veteran with 8 yr old son here in the States. She’s a single mom and feels compelled to stay overseas to serve her country. The employees were able to “adopt” this woman through the internet - www.adoptaplatoon.org.  They take turns sending weekly letters, care packages and general moral support when no else back home will.

I’ll be the first to admit that my community service track record hovers around non-existent. This lady inspired me to give a little something to those that give some much. I encourage you to do the same.

The Skytop

Wednesday morning I made a four and a half hour drive to Skytop, PA, in the northeast corner of the Poconos. I presented to a small group of insurance folks at the behest of The Hartford, the US Paralympic Team’s Founding Sponsor.  At this historical hotel and conference center we wrapped up the discussion on the lawn bowling green, overlooking the grand gardens and a couple holes of their golf course. The best part of the this trip was a discussion I had with George, a bald guy about my age who strives for a career himself as a professional speaker. We traded tips on the business, his advice to me being to involve more details of my car accident in the discussion, something I tend to ignore.  Thanks George!

The worst part of the trip was not having the time to stick around the next day for golf with the group!

Two weeks ago I had the luxury of time and played a round at The Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, GA. This trip was another gig for The Hartford presenting to CBIA - the Connecticut Business and Insurance Association. The Oconee Course’s 12th hole was featured, if I’ve got this right, on the cover of Golf magazine as the “Hole of The Year.” Aesthetically stunning. I double bogied…

Paralympic Cycling

Here we go, my first posting on my first blog.  Since the Beijing Paralympic Games are currently underway - the Games I had so eargerly anticipated to be my swan song performances  (I came up short at trials back in June, placing 9th overall, top seven got the nod to compete in China) - it seems only appropriate to toss out a little commentary on the cycling competition among the guys in my classification, LC2, the guys with lower leg amputations, primarily.

 It’s no great surprise who took the title of “world’s fastest one-legged cyclist.” Jiri Jezek of the Czech Republic has been The Man since 2000. This week on the velodrome he won the individual pursuit, silvered in the kilo and earned a bronze with his countrymen in the team sprint. In the wee hours EST this morning he won a very decisive road time trial, as he did Athens.

Eduard Novak of Romania has been a contender on the road for the last half dozen years and his dedication came to fruition with a silver in the time trial ahead of Spain’s favorite Paralympic cyclist, Roberto Alcaide.

USA’s Ron Williams didn’t enter any track races this year to focus on strong finishes on the road. He did well, certainly not to his standards, by placing 5th in the time trial. He’s a strong trialer, but he’s stronger still in the road race, which contends tomorrow.

Perhaps the most outstanding single performance in the LC2 class this week came from the magnificent Jody Cundy of Great Britain who annihilated the competition in the kilo. While Jezek was second with a time of 1:11:182 and Yuanchao Zheng of China third with a 1:11:198, Cundy posted a world record 1:05:466! USA’s Dory Sellinger set a WR in 1998 of 1:10:603 which wasn’t seriously challenged until Cundy debuted in 2006 with a time of 1:10:530 - on his walking leg! (All the serious riders these days compete with a dedicated cycling prosthesis.)

  The road race was contested on Sept 13 under a new format. The LC1s (arm guys), LC2s and CP4s (mild cases of cerebral palsy, primarily) all raced together to deepen the field and promote a more competitive event. In the end LC1s earned the gold, silver and bronze medals and a an LC2, Jan Boyen of Belgium took 4th. Jan jumped on the scene at 2006 World Championships with a couple medals and, quite surprisingly, came up short on both the track and the road this week.  Jiri Jezek ended up in the middle of the pack, Roberto Alcaide several spots ahead of him and my good friend Ron Williams, unfortunately, having the race he didn’t want to have, finishing near the back.  As I wasn’t there and have no into other than the results, I have no idea at this point what transpired out there on the roads. I will say this: sure wish I was out there with them…