Scanlon Attending Paralympics
by Patricia Goodwin
The U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee,
has selected 10 student athletes, ages 12-18, with physical disabilities
to attend the International Paralympic Academy at the 2006 Paralympic
Games in Torino, Italy, March 8-13, 2006.
Coordinated by the U.S. Paralympics, participants in the Academy
will have the opportunity to meet U.S. Paralympic team members,
in addition to attending ceremonies and competitions, and gaining
an insider’s perspective on the games. Student athletes were
chosen based on essay entries they submitted on the theme, “What
Ability Means to Me.”
Josh Scanlon, 13, of
Delano, Minnesota, who participates in a variety of sports at the
Courage Center’s Sports and Recreation Program,
was selected to attend the 2006 Int’l Paralympic Academy. Josh
is active in the Courage Alpine Skiing, the Minnesota Blizzard Track
and Field team, the Courage Junior Rolling Timberwolves wheelchair
basketball team and swimming. Scanlon, an eighth grader at Watertown-Mayer
Middle School, was injured in a 2004 gymnastics accident that left
him paralyzed from the waist down.
“I have planned to go to the Olympics since I began gymnastics
at 5 years old,” said Scanlon in his essay. “Many people
thought my dream was over after my accident but this dream and my ‘ability’ to
go has not changed. Before my accident, my focus was in gymnastics,
skiing, wrestling and wake boarding. Since my accident, my ability
has carried over into sports like track and field, mono skiing, wheelchair
basketball and swimming.”
The Paralympic Academy
is a three-tier program with state, national and international
components. State Paralympic Academies, including one sponsored
by the Courage Center, are hosted in each state by sports organizations
that specialize in Paralympic programs. The National Para-lympic
Academy is held in odd-numbered years at the U.S. Olympic Training
Center, while the International Paralympic Academy is held at the
Paralympic Games in the even-numbered years. For more information
about the U.S. Paralympics, visit www.usparalympics.org.
About Courage Center
Courage Center provides
services to more than 16,000 people with disabilities each year.
For more information, visit www.courage.org
