While I am no Muhammad Ali, I too follow his belief statement and am working hard to be a Champion. This past weekend May 12th & 13th, I competed in the 41st Michigan wheelchair games. The weather was cold and raining, but all the competitors there were up to the task and would not let the elements stop them, we came to compete and have fun. Moreover, fun and competition we had thanks to Diane Winterstein and all the other wonderful volunteers who came out to run this event, thank you.
This was my first real wheelchair competition and I learned a lot. There were a variety of different events for wheelchair athletes; I chose to compete in four events over the two days. My events were Javelin and Power lifting on Friday, and Discus and Shot put on Saturday. I compete in the F58 class masters (masters and over 40 years old), and there are different classes for different disabilities as to make it fair to all competitors. The power lifting also was divided up by weight classes, I was in the under 220lb class.
My first event was the Javelin. I was unsure how I would do, being I do not have a real javelin to train with, I use a broom handle so I was unsure how I would do. I weight trained the muscles used for the event, but until you actually see it done by someone who knows what they are doing, or what a real Javelin feels like it is really just a guessing game. I also learned that wheelchair throwers have special throwing chairs. These chairs get them higher off the ground and allow them to wrap their legs around the chair frame for greater balance, and boy does it work. The competitors with special chairs were throwing everything so far that it was really an eye opening experience for me. By that, I mean I need to get me one of those chairs! Their throwing distances were greater than mine were, however, they were in a different class than me, so they were not my direct competition.
My first few throws were not so good as I got used to holding the Javelin. But on my final throw, I put everything I had and let it fly 17.9 meters (58.72 feet), which qualified me for Nationals as I won the event in my class. I was very happy! Ray Brown from Michigan PVA, in a different class, threw the farthest over 26 meters. Wow! I think my throw was the second farthest, but I got a way to go to catch Ray. I Incidentally, he won gold in all his events at the 2005 PVA games.
The next event was Friday nights Power lifting. This is my favorite event. Even though I was unable to train for the last two weeks because of a shoulder injury, I was confident that I would place high and I did with a lift of 260lb, which also qualified me for Nationals. The lift was the highest in any class. The closest competitor was 30 pounds less. I probably could have lifted more weight but I did not want to risk an injury, I already won and qualified, so no point in risking injury and been a showoff. Wheelchair power lifting uses a different kind of bench so the bar and your body feel different on the bench compared to a regular bench. Saturday morning was the discus. We throw a 1k discus. Without the aid of a sports chair, I threw for a distance of 20.8 meters (68.24 ft.) which was enough to win again and qualify for Nationals. The shot-put event was next. I had been training with a 4k shot, but learned that day I would be throwing a 5k, so it was heavier than I was used to and ever thrown before. The combination of coldness, rain, and heavier shot gave me a little pain in my shoulder, however, I won again with a distance of 9.65 meters (31.66ft) and again qualified for Nationals.
I came away from the games with 4 first place wins, some new friends, and a lot of valuable experience. I cannot wait to compete again in Alaska; it brings a passion to my life, and helps me get thru the everyday physical pain that haunts me. I’d be remiss if I did not mention my wife Judy who was so much help to me this past weekend, pushing me and my wheelchair though the mud, standing in the rain, cheering, and reading the Map quest directions as I drove though the rain to Michigan. Until the next event, take care and remember, have a desire, a dream, a vision.
Yours truly,
Ron Miner
