Comeback athletes

If there's one thing that gets my attention it is stories about athletes coming back from a serious accident or trauma and once again competing in the arena. There are others who may have simply overcome a lifelong disability in order to reach a height never before imagined by doctors. Either way these stories make a difference not only in the lives of those directly affected, but to everyone else who is privileged to become aware of it.

I'm not referring necessarily to the stories of renowned people like Lance Armstrong, Scott Hamilton, Dave Dravecky, Edna Campbell, Curtis Pride, or my all-time favorite basketball player Magic Johnson. Certainly, each of these gifted athletes have inspired millions of people across the globe.

No, the ones that really get my attention are more under the radar of mainstream media. People like the women on the Australian cycling team AIS who where involved in a tragic accident back in July 2005. If you remember a car plowed into their team during training in Germany which killed Amy Gillett and seriously injured five other team members.

Those five who were injured are back on the long road to recovery and making progress. Cyclingnews recently caught up with them at an AIS testing camp. Each of them are at different stages of progress, but it's obvious these women are determined to get back on the bike. If not hopefully race one day, then to at least ride.

I can certainly relate to one of the riders, Katie Brown, as she attempts to get on a bike for the first time. Katie's left leg was so badly damaged it was nearly amputated, but today she's regaining flexibility in her knee and slowly making progress. Some of what's described about Katie's injury and rehab sound quite familiar to me and my experience.

The smallest of accomplishments become huge boosts to your confidence and motivation. I remember the first time I was able to get on a stationary for rehabilitation, and let me say it was super motivating to finally be spinning again. Read about Katie and her teammates because it's a given they will be back, it's only a matter of time.

I was tipped on the blog of local channel 2 sportscaster John Dwyer about a Nashville woman named Gianna Jessen. The station did a piece on Sunday night about Gianna and her training to run in the Country Music Marathon. Gianna has cerebral palsy, but why she has it is even more interesting. Gianna was told she would never walk or use her legs, but she overcame being unable to do anything for herself and found a way to win. Gianna finished the marathon in just over 8 hours.

Lastly, I am reminded of a young kid I knew when I was 15 years old playing in a Babe Ruth baseball league in Madison. This kid's name was Rocky I think, and his older brother was on my team. Rocky had no legs, but still played baseball himself using two prosthetics. He was unable to withstand the pain for very long during a game, but not having legs didn't stop him from getting on the field.

Our coach, a big man named Al, would talk about Rocky in order to motivate us to not take things for granted. Al would get about three sentences into his speech before he'd be overcome with emotion. We were too young to really understand at the time, but I think about Rocky occasionally and how he impacted others.

What does it all mean?

Here's what I think. We are allowed to be put in these "unique" situations by God in order for Him to see how we will respond.

Will we give in?
Will we overcome?
What decisions will we make?
How will those around us handle the situation?
Will we learn from the experience and make a positive difference?

That's the test. Would you pass or fail?

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude." - Scott Hamilton, Olympic Hall of Fame 1996