Aug. 21, 2008
Aug. 20, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Samford University assistant cross country and track and field coach Chad James will take off to the Far East in a week to coach Lakeshore Foundation athletes Carlos Leon and Scott Winkler in the throwing events of the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.
James, who is in his seventh year as assistant coach of the Bulldog program, is a consultant for the United States Olympic Committee and is the U.S. Paralympic Team Seated Throws Coach. He has been working with Winkler and Leon, two Iraqi War veterans, for the last year. Winkler holds the American record for the shot put in the F54 class, and Leon holds the American record in the discus for the F52 class.
James was a distance runner at Samford from 1996-2000 and once he came on staff as a coach in 2002, he realized the need to expand his expertise into other areas of track and field. He began to pursue Level 2 certifications through the USATF, the USA Track and Field governing body. Level 2 certification gives an individual more in-depth training in an event specific group which includes sprints/hurdles/relays, endurance, jumps, throws and combined events.
Through that training, James met many coaches and colleagues, including Troy Engle, a member of the Board of Directors for the USA Coaching School and now the Director of the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team. With Troy Engle's ties to the Paralympics, the Paralymics ties to the Lakeshore Foundation, and the Lakeshore Foundation's ties to Samford, James was contacted about getting involved with the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team. He was initially brought on as a consultant for the team, then was selected to travel with the team to several events, and was finally asked to be the Assistant National Team Coach.
With James only having experience coaching able-bodied athletes, he and his trainees for the Paralympics had a few somewhat sizeable obstacles to tackle throughout the preparation stages of the training process.
"I had to learn about their functionality from the beginning," James said. "The advice I received from several colleagues was that I needed to train them like I would anyone else. However, in their specific event, being a seated event, when most of the throwing is about moving across the ring, I had to understand that probably 60 percent of the drills that I do as a throws coach are out the window. So, the biggest thing that was a learning process for me was starting out saying that I was going to train them like an able-bodied thrower and then having to understand the adjustments I would to have to make in training these guys."
Leon and Winkler also faced several obstacles. Leon moved from his home outside of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to train and have access to the Lakeshore Foundation. Winkler resides in Augusta, Ga., with his wife and kids, unable to relocate to Birmingham because of responsibilities he has in Augusta. Winkler committed to drive to Birmingham three days a week. However, the rising gas prices made it impossible for him to continue his commute. So, for two months, he trained in his yard in Augusta while James and Leon worked out in several places around Birmingham including the Lakeshore Foundation, the Samford track, the Birmingham-Southern track and area parks.
The weather also created problems for the trio's training.
"Regardless of whether we had facilities to train at or not, there are always issues with weather," said James. "It's two-fold; if it rains, their stakes pull out of the ground. So being able to go indoors at Lakeshore pretty regularly was convenient for us. Also, in terms of the heat, we are trying to get both of them adjusted to the heat that is going to be in Beijing. With Scott (Winkler), there is no problem. With his injury, there's no problem with him sweating, and he likes the heat. But with Carlos (Leon), as a quadriplegic, you cannot thermo regulate. When he overheats, his workouts go down quickly."
Having access to Lakeshore was a big help to the training process for James and the two athletes. Besides facilities, Leon and Winkler had access to the Foundation's strength and conditioning coach, Heather Pennington (a graduate of and former volleyball player at Samford) as well as athletic trainers and fitness equipment.
You may be asking yourself, "How does one compete in such a sport from a seated position?" Here is a glimpse. In the world of track and field, as a thrower, typically a shot put and discus able-bodied thrower will move across the ring. Leon and Winkler are not able to move across the ring. In this case, the throw is started from the typical end position, the power position or the standing throw position.
A chair is specifically built for their injury and their body size. It is a stationary chair, not a wheelchair, in which they stake into the ground and strap into. That chair acts as the athlete's legs. The athlete throws from the power position, but their chair provides that lower body balance that their body cannot provide due to their injury. Winkler uses the chair; Leon uses his right leg. According to the rules, the athlete has to stay seated to throw from the chair, but everything from the waist up is performed the same as an able-bodied thrower.
James says it was a special opportunity to get to work with Leon and Winkler. He has learned what having true pride in your country is all about and being proud to serve your country in any aspect.
"I see in their eyes the honor it is to represent the U.S. as a part of the Paralympic team," James said. "Specifically in Scott's and Carlos's case, they are both military veterans. They have chosen and take great pride in the ability to serve their country as a military individual. When they got injured, that ability to serve their country was taken away from them. So, this gives them an outlet now to serve again and bring honor and pride to the United States. The first time I watched them compete a year ago in Canada, they competed in the USA team gear. Just to see the pride in their eyes to don that uniform was amazing."
He has also been able to make the bridge stronger between Samford University and the Lakeshore Foundation. Both Leon and Winkler have been able to build a relationship with the Samford cross country and track and field teams. The team spends time with Leon on a regular basis, going out to eat and playing video games together. Leon went to several track meets to support the Bulldogs during the 2008 season, and the Bulldogs went to support the U.S. Quad Rugby team in a tournament last year.
This opportunity has allows James to do something he does on a day-to-day basis, coach track athletes, but in a different venue and from a different aspect.
"I've gotten to help athletes improve themselves, work hard, and see their goals achieved, which is no different than what I already do here at Samford," James said. "It's just opening my eyes to a new venue, a new area I can do that in."
Along with that, James says he feels like he is a better person as a result of this opportunity.
"When I first met the Paralympic track team, specifically Carlos and Scott, I couldn't look at either one of them without seeing the chair," said James. "I couldn't look at either one of them without seeing the disability. Within three days of being around them, I was no longer seeing the chair. I was no longer seeing the disability. I was seeing Scott Winkler and Carlos Leon. It wasn't Scott Winkler, the paralyzed war veteran, or Carlos Leon, the quadriplegic. Those two individuals made that transition easier for me because they had had great support in dealing with their injury.
"Carlos and Scott, because of their acceptance of their injuries and because of the support that they received when they were first injured, are great ambassadors for Paralympic sport and disabled people as a whole. They were taught, just like in the military, that they better learn how to do things for themselves. Too many times, there are people who are disabled that we think have to be helped for the rest of their lives, and they were taught, and continue to teach others, how to be self-sufficient."
James and the rest of the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team will arrive in Beijing, China, for the opening ceremonies on Sept. 6. The Games last through Sept. 16 with the closing ceremonies taking place on the following day. Fans can follow the U.S. teams' progress in all events through the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games website as well as find coverage and video clips at www.ParalympipcSport.TV and www.YouTube.com/ParalympicSportTV.
James will also be blogging about his whole Beijing Paralympic experience. See the experience through Chad James' eyes at FromBirminghamtoBeijing.blogspot.com.
