Nathan
Rainge |
Ten-year-old Nathan Rainge of O'Fallon, IL, hopes to be
entered in six track and field events at the National Junior
Disability Championships this month.
But, he and other teammates from the DASA Dynamites won't
have to travel far to compete. That's because the 2009 national
tournament will be held in St. Louis.
A 5th grader at Hinchcliffe School in O'Fallon, Nathan
took part in a last-minute qualifying tournament in St.
Peters, MO, last month.
He
said he earlier had qualified for the 100 and 400 meter
runs as well as in the javelin, discus and shot-put in field
events. But, he wanted also to qualify in the 800-meter
race, which is his favorite.
For Nathan, competing in track events means pushing himself
around the track in a special racing wheelchair. That's
because he suffers from spinal cord disgenisis, a birth
defect that affects his lower body and legs.
But, that didn't mean he didn't want to compete in sports.
And the St. Louis area is a good sports venue for kids with
physical disabilities.
The Dynamites team holds twice a week practices for track
and field and once a week practices for swimmers.
In addition, there is a special ball field in the Chesterfield
Valley that is built for kids with disabilities. The facility
was built with help from foundations of former Cardinals'
catcher Mike Matheny and current star Albert Pujols.
That ball field event has special balls that emit sounds
so even blind kids can enjoy baseball and softball.
(If you'd like to know more about the upcoming disability
tournament, you can visit www.DASAsports.org.
That site also has action clips from last year's meet.)
Ashley
Foley |
Eleven-year-old Ashley Foley is blind but she's qualified
for the nationals in four track events and three field events.
When she runs track, she runs with a "guide" who makes
sure she stays in her proper running lane. Assisting Ashley
in the last-minute qualifying was teenager Alex Behlmann,
who is linked to Ashley by a wrist cord while they are running.
Ashley is qualified for nationals in the 100, 200, 400
and 800 meter races and the long jump, shot-put and javelin.
But, the 5th grader said her goal was to run in the World
Para-Olympics in London.
That meet will be run in conjunction with the next Olympic
Games.
Lauren
Iffrig |
One of the other national qualifiers is 16-year-old Lauren
Iffrig of St. Peters, MO. The junior at Fort Zumwalt East
High School will be competing in both track and field and
in swimming.
When she competes in the 100 and 200 meter running events,
she'll be using a new "race runner" machine. Unlike many
wheelchairs, a "race runner" rides more like a tall tricycle
and Lauren uses her legs for power.
Lauren said the "race runner isn't very comfortable but
it allows me to compete."
She's also competing in four swim events during the nationals.
Those are the 50 and 100 meter back stroke, the 100 meter
freestyle and the 50 meter breaststroke.
Because she's competing in both track and field and swimming,
Lauren's practice schedule is expanded. She takes part in
the Tuesday and Thursday track and field practices at the
Lutheran High School track in St. Peters.
She swims at the nearby St. Peters RecPlex facilities.
The St. Peters RecPlex is going to be the site for the
national swimming events this month. The track and field
events will be held at St. Charles West High School.
Asked about a future goal for her athletic efforts, Lauren
said, "I want to do the 50-meter swim in under a minute."
Asked about how far she has to do, she said she was within
5 seconds but "that's still a long ways to go."
Lauren suffers from a disease like cerebral palsy but which
hasn't been fully diagnosed. Her mother said, "They just
call it 'cerebral palsy lite.'"
Lauren said she wants to go to college and study to be
wildlife veterinary technician. She added, "I really like
big cats such as lions and tigers."
Many of the local athletes have competed in the nationals
in previous years.
Tyler
Pickett |
Seventeen-year-old Tyler Pickett of St. Paul, MO, said
he started competing in the nationals in 2000. That year,
it was in New Haven, CT. Last year, it was in Oklahoma City,
OK.
This year, Tyler has qualified for four track events and
the discus. His track distances are the 100, 200, 400 and
800 meters.
The Fort Zumwalt High School senior said he takes part
in the Tuesday and Thursday track practices. He said, "I
also practice at home."
Both Tyler and Nathan Rainge also are members of the St.
Louis Rolling Rams. That's the area's wheelchair basketball
team.
Tyler said he wants to try the St. Louis Wheelchair Marathon
event. "A friend and I want to try that," he said. The marathon
involves the competitors pushing their wheelchairs over
26 miles.
He said, for the longer distances, he'll use a different
wheelchair. He described it as a "hand crank" machine that
involves using a different form of propulsion.
Tyler said his favorite athlete is Lance Armstrong, the
multiple winner of the Tour de France bike race.
"I like him because he likes to try new things and he
gets as much out of himself as possible," he said.
